Title: Understanding the Church's Faith / Romans 1:17
Contents
Understanding the Church's Faith / Romans 1:17
The definition of 'faith' in the New Testament basically presupposes the faith of Judaism. That is, it is based on absolute faith in God. There are five concepts of 'faith' in this New Testament. ① Faith in Jesus was fundamentally trust in God. To him, God was both King and Father. Therefore, it can be said that it is very natural and absolute for humans to believe in God. Thus, for Jesus, the opposite of faith is anxiety, which is typical of mankind. Jesus rebukes the anxious people, 'O you of little faith.' ② The teachings and work of Christ culminated in his death and resurrection, and the shock of this event in the hearts of his followers gave birth to 'Christian faith'. Therefore, 'faith' in primitive Christianity meant first accepting the gospel of this content. ③ Paul asserts that only when human beings have faith can they have a right relationship with God, understand themselves accurately, and act rightly.
In Hebrews chapter 11, the writer of Hebrews says that faith means discovering an ideal world that enables man to overcome all suffering, and it means taking God's covenant seriously and convincing himself that he is the heir of eternal faith. . Also, in the book of James, 'faith without works is itself dead'. In other words, faith is not a confession or belief, but an action. The act of love is the content of faith and the correct attitude of believers. On the other hand, we recognize that the definition of faith in the New Testament varies from book to book. However, the commonalities of the Old and New Testaments make it clear that they are centered on Christ. In other words, the New Testament defines the core of the church's faith as "to trust in Christ and to follow Him, because the will of God is revealed in Him."
This is the greatest characteristic of Christianity based on the heart of Jesus Christ. The faith of the church is that faith that believes in suffering as a blessing. Suffering is suffering to accomplish the kingdom of God, its will, and its righteousness. It is the suffering experienced while striving for salvation and liberation with God's people who are unfairly abused by their dark history and stinky structure. Such suffering is a precious grace and the most glorious blessing. A Christian's heart that sees this as a blessing is like a heart that is righteous, free, and wants to create a new and brighter history and structure. When we take the attitude that we are not afraid of death, the dark history will inevitably change, and the crooked structure will inevitably be perfected. Here is the power of Christianity. Therefore, it is necessary to re-understand 'the faith of the church'.