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In this study day we explore the Christian idea of faith – and its roots in biblical narrative and theology.
The word ‘faith’ is used in many ways – and in ways that do not always add up to a clear picture. The word ‘faith’ was central to the some of the fiercest theological disagreements of the Reformation period, but since then has become almost a way to describe religions in general (as when we talk about ‘the world faiths’ or ‘interfaith dialogue’). It is often used as a simple way to refer to Christianity as a whole (as when we talk about ‘the faith’). In ordinary speech, it is sometimes used to describe what is needed in situations where we have a lack of evidence, or experience some kind of uncertainty – faith as something that comes into the picture as a result of deficiency of some kind or another, when full knowledge is lacking. Or, faith might be thought to be connected with the idea of accepting things out of obedience to authority.
But the biblical and theological account of faith is deeper than this, and more mysterious. St. Paul says that faith (along with hope and love) is something that will ‘remain’ – even when we ‘see in full’ (so faith is not something provisional, or necessary due to lack of knowledge).
And Jesus exuberantly celebrates faith whenever and wherever he finds it, and it is the one thing that is said to cause Jesus to be amazed. Perhaps most importantly, in the Bible, ‘faith’ is closely connected to ‘faithfulness’, and faithfulness is an attribute of God: Yahweh is the God of a ‘faithful love’ (Isaiah 55), ‘abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Psalm 86). And finally, in the New Testament, Jesus himself is described as a ‘faithful high priest’ and as ‘the pioneer and perfector of faith’ (Hebrews 2, 12).
The aim of the course is to explore this rich set of connections, so as to get to a deeper understanding of the Christian idea of faith. We will look at some of the key figures associated with faith in the Old Testament (such as Abraham and Job), look at some of the most important sayings of Jesus about faith, and address the theology of St Paul and St John. We will also examine some of the debates about faith that arose during the Reformation, and look at what more recent theologians have had to say about all of the above.
If you have the time, you may want to listen to the audio recording below, which explores a few questions that emerge from our use of the terms ‘faith’ ‘belief’ and ‘knowledge’. We will continue to think about some of these questions in the first session of the study day, before we move into looking at the bible.
You may also want to read the document below, which includes all the passages from Mark’s gospel in which we find words from the pistis (faith/trust/belief) lexicon.
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Stuart is the Theology Lead at LJC. He graduated with a degree in Literature and Theology from the University of Hull in 2000. From 2003-9 he studied Philosophical Theology part-time at the University of Nottingham, whilst continuing to work in the third sector with vulnerably-housed or homeless people, and young asylum seekers (as well as pulling pints in a pub). He was Lecturer at York St John University for almost a decade, before moving to London Jesuit Centre in 2021. He now lives in South East London, and spends as much time as he can in the woods.
