Is faith possible without knowledge and grace?

[be1ay]

Peace of Christ!

A friend of mine asked me this question:
Is faith possible without knowledge and grace?

I personally don’t think it is possible but I don’t want to give an opinion that is not based on the Church teachings. I know that the Catechism says it’s a grace from God.

Thanks and God bless!

 

[JPrejean]

Infants receive the gift of faith in baptism, yet they don’t have “knowledge” in the ordinary sense. Also, someone can have incorrect knowledge and still have faith. So I would say that faith is possible without knowledge, although never without grace.

 

[Brad]

JPrejean:

Infants receive the gift of faith in baptism, yet they don’t have “knowledge” in the ordinary sense. Also, someone can have incorrect knowledge and still have faith. So I would say that faith is possible without knowledge, although never without grace.

I agree.

 

[RSiscoe]

Faith is not possible without knowledge or grace, but it is possible with only one of the two, when the other is lacking.

Infants, who do not possess knowledge, receive the gift of supernatural faith when they receive grace, at baptism. The state of grace, when infused into the soul, brings with it supernatural faith, hope, and charity. Even when intellectual knowledge is lacking (for those without the use of reason), faith is present when the soul is in the state of grace.

To those who have the use of reason (adults, etc.), faith requires the intellectual assent to the truths revealed by God. If a person knowingly rejects any truth revealed by God (any dogma of the faith), they loose all supernatural faith. But faith is possible without grace, because a person in mortal sin, for example, may still believe and thus have faith.

I’m not sure how clear that explanation was. St. Thomas has an entire section dealing with this issue. You can probably locate it by doing a google search.

 

[be1ay]

Infants receive the gift of faith in baptism, yet they don’t have “knowledge” in the ordinary sense. Also, someone can have incorrect knowledge and still have faith. So I would say that faith is possible without knowledge, although never without grace.

I thought Knowledge is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive in Baptism but Faith is not mentioned as part of the 7 gifts. I did some reading on CCC and found that Faith indeed is a gift from God. But is it possible to receive it at a different stage of our lives not during Baptism?

 

[RSiscoe]

be1ay:

I thought Knowledge is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive in Baptism but Faith is not mentioned as part of the 7 gifts.

It is true that knowledge gifts of the Holy Ghost; and it is true that a person receives the Holy Ghost at baptism. But certain gifts, such as knowledge and understanding, will not be fully realized until the person obtains the use of reason. The gift is present in the soul as a seed is in the soil. It will hopefully come to bloom when the person obtains the use of their reason.

Faith is not included in the list of gifts of the Holy Ghost, but it is nevertheless a gift that is freely given as a result of the indwelling Holy Ghost. Faith, Hope, and Charity are the three supernatural virtues that are necessary for salvation.

I did some reading on CCC and found that Faith indeed is a gift from God. But is it possible to receive it at a different stage of our lives not during Baptism?

Sort of. It is possible for a person who has not been baptised to arrive at faith before baptism (see Acts 2:37-38). It is also possible for a person to be baptised (obtain the “seed of faith”), but never actually be taught the faith. Then, later in life when they are exposed to the teachings of the faith, the “seed” that was implanted in them at baptism can bloom. I suspect that may be what you are referring to.