How do you know if you have faith?

[mVitus]

Sometimes I’m not fully certain whether or not I have faith. (I’m sure that sounds ridiculous.) For a little while I decided to compare how I thought of things I know exist but haven’t personally experienced (the mountains of Pluto for example) and cpuld see similarities to how I thought of God but then realized that was also a bit how I thought of things that don’t exist (Minas Tirith of LOTR for example.) So I guess my question is how do you know if you have faith?

 

[Reuben_J]

Sometimes I’m not fully certain whether or not I have faith. (I’m sure that sounds ridiculous.) For a little while I decided to compare how I thought of things I know exist but haven’t personally experienced (the mountains of Pluto for example) and cpuld see similarities to how I thought of God but then realized that was also a bit how I thought of things that don’t exist (Minas Tirith of LOTR for example.) So I guess my question is how do you know if you have faith?

Hi. In my experience, it is more of a decision. And like you I am doubtful if I have faith, like blind faith. I believe that when Jesus said we only need to have faith as small as a mustard seed, it gives me hope and encouragement. I do not have to handle snake or scorpion just to prove I have faith but rather I should just make the decision to believe.

Many times I look up into the sky at night and see many stars and wonder whether God exists or we are just part, a small speck of particles in the universe. Sometimes the argument against the existence of God can be very convincing.

However, I decide that indeed there is God out there and there are heaven and hell. How I wish I can see them and see God, but I know I can’t do that. It needs for me to step up in faith, so to speak, wanting to believe something that I cannot see.

I guess that is faith by Jesus’ definition, and I am thankful for that, that He was so generous as not to make it very difficult for us. As long as I want to believe, I believe that I have faith already, albeit very little of it.

I know I could always build on that but it is up to me and if I am faithful enough, I know I can grow in faith as God helps me to be endowed with it.

God bless.

 

[Mystic_Banana]

I think of faith as significantly different to belief. There are times when my belief has been weak, but I have nonetheless retained faith, or rather put my faith in.

On the other hand, I think that in faith there is an inherent belief in the sufficiently positive sufficient potential of value X, where X is the object of faith.

I suppose I’m largely agreeing with Reuben J.

God bless you both!

signofcross:

 

[pwlj_christ87]

There are moments of time during the day where my faith can be extremely strong, there are other times where you seem to just live, I believe the material world can take away from the life of faith, and that worldly aspirations like money directly take away from the life of faith, that being said the biggest question comes down to who do I believe Jesus is? And why is that relevant at all in my life, the rest sprouts from his graces and responses to your life of faith, I don’t think anyone can say they believe so hard because of their own self, it’s through the grace of God, the fundamental question is who was Jesus and how does that revolve around my life today, good and evil

 

[1Lord1Faith]

Sometimes I’m not fully certain whether or not I have faith. (I’m sure that sounds ridiculous.) For a little while I decided to compare how I thought of things I know exist but haven’t personally experienced (the mountains of Pluto for example) and cpuld see similarities to how I thought of God but then realized that was also a bit how I thought of things that don’t exist (Minas Tirith of LOTR for example.) So I guess my question is how do you know if you have faith?

First, you have to identify exactly what faith is. There are definitions and they get molded to each person differently.

Here is the definition from the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s glossary:

“FAITH: Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed. It is this revelation of God which the Church proposes for our belief, and which we profess in the Creed, celebrate in the sacraments, live by right conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity (as specified in the ten commandments), and respond to in our prayer of faith. Faith is both a theological virtue given by God as grace, and an obligation which flows from the first commandment of God (26, 142, 150, 1814, 2087).”
[emphasis mine]