How to explain "Faith is Relationship"?

[Jestersage]

First time posting, long time lurker…

About a month ago I have lunch with my cousin, who once again wants to help me find a girlfriend.

The problem is that I feel he hates religion, not just dislike. When I was just asking if he knows anyone is going to a big religious revival meeting (so big it made headlines), instead of just saying no, he actually want to have “the talk”. When I told him I will not go to a strip club with him and his girlfriend after he keep insisting, he actually got into a debate (not just argument or jeering) say that bible is just some story, that I should just focus on people, and that it is not adultery (I slipped up – should also add the 9th commandment and just expand on Matt 5:27)

In this case, he wants me to divide faith from relationship.

Now, I maybe a bit hardcore, but I told him that Faith is about relationship --before I decided for dramatic purpose, say that “Faith is relationship.”

Obviously we got nowhere in the end, but it got me thinking:

1. Is it correct to say “Faith is relationship”? (I am not talking about grammar)
2. If the above is correct, How should I explain that to my cousin? Our grandma always invite us to a family dinner once per month.

 

[dshix]

There are different poetic ways to “go” at this question. In a certain sense, yes, faith is a relationship.

What is the single most important, overarching purpose that we humans have? To cut to the chase, the answer is this: unity with Christ. That is the final end for our entire existence. And that is, indeed, a relationship.

We are called to love Christ perfectly, by conquering all sin and imperfection, and then beginning the long spiritual walk towards greater and greater sanctity.

Why is this so important? Because Christ is God. God created us out of love, for the purpose of loving Him back, to eventually enjoy Him forever in Heaven. All things in this life point back to God eventually.

This doesn’t entirely correlate with the topic of romantic relationships, since those have a different end and that romantic love is different from the love we direct towards Christ. But the unity of thought, will, sentiment, and affection shared between spouses is very similar to that which we should eventually have with Christ.

It is a terrible idea to divide our romantic encounters from our faith, because our faith should always inform our actions and our dispositions as we search for a spouse.