Faith, Trust, and Belief
“When we separate faith from everything else, we make it into belief. It becomes the assent to the truth of something that cannot be proven by empirical evidence. The Book of James addresses this mistaken thought directly when it says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (OSB James 2:24)… Paul speaks of “faith active” in love. This poignant phrase indicates that Paul would agree with James, who wrote against the idea of “faith alone.” He ins
Faith (Rightly Oriented and Unyielding)
“To have faith in Christ is not merely to have warm feelings or nice thoughts about Him, but truly to seek first His Kingdom with every ounce of our being as we take up our crosses and follow Him.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters) “…the source of faith is Christ. It is the faith of Christ—His beliefs, His trust, His obedience—that justifies us, not our faith as such…True righteousness is the knowledge of Christ Jesus...A faith that obeys Christ is the very content and meaning of life..
Grace (and Blindness)
“God and man then possess in common an uncreated energy and life, the One being the Source, and the other the vessel of grace.” (St. Gregory Palamas) “We know that Jesus emphasized faith. To the woman with the issue of blood whom He healed, He said: “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34). To the blind beggar He met on a street in Jericho and also healed, He said: “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52). Jesus tied personal faith in Him to the efficacy of healings. But
Merit
“What is meant by, ‘according to Measure”? It means not according to our merit, for then would no one have received what he has received: but of the free gift we have all received. And why then one more, and another less? There is nothing to cause this, he [St. Paul] would say, but the matter itself is indifferent; for everyone jointly contributes towards ‘the building.’ And on this account he shows that it is not of his own intrinsic merit that one has received more and anot
Rescue
"People think a Christian is one who follows Christ's teaching and example, but Jesus is not primarily a teacher. He's a rescuer." (Pastor Timothy Keller) “No human being has the resources, the power, the money, or the merit to save himself. The necessary power for rescue is not in us. It must come from God." (R. C. Sproul) “The work of salvation belongs entirely to God. It is God through Christ and the Holy Spirit, who has the divine power to rescue us from the forces of si