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Content:
The Nature of Faith.
Faith and Knowledge.
Dependence of
Faith on Free Will.
Faith as the
Foundation of Hope.
Faith as the Key
to God's Treasures.
Faith Acting Through Love.
How to Strengthen
One's Faith.
The Nature of Faith
Our soul possesses the amazing ability to sense God.
Although this awareness of the Divine presence is weak and hazy in a person just
beginning to grow spiritually, it gets stronger and becomes more and more
conscious with a virtuous way of life. This, in turn, strengthens one's faith in
Him, so that the inner feeling of God grows to a strong religious conviction. In
such a state, the omnipresence of God, His infinite love and fatherly care are
continuously felt and become a source of inner peace and strength.
True
faith cannot be satisfied with a cold recognition of God's existence but strives
to be in close communion with Him. The believing soul naturally reaches
to God, as a sunflower turns toward the sun. In turn, an active relationship
with God further strengthens the person's faith, so that his faith becomes a
spiritual guide, based on personal experience. In some particularly gifted
people faith grows into an all-illumining and constantly inspiring idea, that
leads them from this world of vanity into the transcendent world of eternal
life. Among such people were the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Baptist, the
Apostles John and Paul, and countless saints like Sergius of Radoneszh, Seraphim
of Sarov, John of Kronstadt, Herman of Alaska and Blessed Xenia of Petersburg,
to name just a few.
The
significance of faith in a person's development lies in that it gives proper
direction to all his aptitudes and powers. Specifically, it gives clarity
and the correct outlook to his intellect, direction and purpose to his will, it
ennobles and refines his senses. Faith brings harmony to a person's inner
world. It frees one from base earthly interests and leads him into a realm of
higher and holier experiences.
Faith and Knowledge
In our time of many scientific achievements it has
become customary to belittle faith in comparison to intellect. Knowledge is
regarded as something firmly founded, positive, and completely objective. Faith,
on the other hand, is considered to be arbitrary, subjective and unproved.
However, both high confidence in scientific knowledge and disdain of faith are
pitiable misconceptions.
First of
all, to regard present knowledge as absolutely certain, proven and representing
the absolute truth is very naive and historically unfounded. Perhaps it is an
“ideal” of knowledge but not its state. It would be worthwhile to compare the
theories about matter throughout human history — during ancient times, then
towards the end of the last century, the middle of this one, and finally the
latest discoveries of quantum mechanics — in order to be convinced that
scientific ideas radically change with each new generation. Similar
“revolutions” can be observed in all fields of science — in physics, astronomy,
biology, medicine, etc. That which was considered to be unquestionably true
yesterday is rejected today. As new scientists become popular for their
discoveries, the old ones gradually fade into oblivion. We may well ponder that
if humanity survives yet for a few more centuries, our descendants will discuss
ironically the primitive ideas and theories of the “dark” twentieth century.
This fact
should convince us that of most value is not knowledge in itself but the
ability to delve deeper and deeper into the secrets of nature. And here, the
propellant of science is not rationalistic knowledge based on the five human
senses but intuitive vision. Many philosophers and scientists have
experienced a sudden enlightenment which gave birth to their discoveries and new
theories. Intuition, like faith, is a very valuable ability. It resembles faith
but is a step below it, since intuition relates to the physical domain, whereas
faith to the spiritual.
No one
will dispute that the engineer's knowledge is valuable for practical matters
such as designing and constructing something. But if no scientists existed, who
by their intuition unlocked the secrets of nature, then engineers would
have nothing to study, and human knowledge would be very limited. Thus it is not
knowledge but intuition that leads to the progress of science. Let us consider
another example. Many musicians are appreciated for their fine performance of
musical compositions. But if there were no composers who were gifted with
creative genius, the musicians would have nothing to play. The genius of
composers, poets, sculptors, artists and others like them, has the ability to
transform their ideas into something beautiful, sublime and ennobling. Thus,
wherever we look, we see that imagination, intuitive vision, inspiration and
creative genius are all spiritual forces which lead to the progress of science
and art.
Comparing
faith to other elevated human abilities, we see that it, like intuition,
broadens human reason. It gives men access to that which is unattainable
by corporal senses. Thus, thanks to faith, we come to the conviction that
the world which surrounds us is not eternal but came to existence by the will of
One Allwise Creator. He created us and gave us an immortal soul so that we may
share with Him eternal and blessed life. As a matter of fact, faith was often
ahead of scientific discoveries by stating, for example, that our world is
not eternal but appeared some time ago from “nothing” (the “Big bang” theory),
that its origin is not matter but energy, that it gradually evolved from lower
to higher states (theory of evolution), that there is a unity in the laws of
nature (modern searches for a unifying force), that there should exist other
worlds different from ours (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), and
so on.
Thanks to
personal contact with God, believers receive a special sense of truth, a
faculty to perceive what reason is yet incapable of comprehending. For example,
the forthcoming resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and the beginning
of eternal life are all beyond our everyday experience and any possibility of
verification, and yet we perceive these future events as certain truths and
“know” that they will happen. Thus faith, as a spiritual eye, gives us the
ability to perceive what lies far away on the horizon of the future.
However,
even the most sensitive eye cannot see without light. Similarly, faith needs the
spiritual light of divine revelation. God, in His love for us, revealed
through the prophets, the apostles, and especially through His Only Begotten
Son, all that is necessary for us to know for the spiritual development and
salvation of our souls. Thus, God has revealed to us the mystery of the Trinity
and of the Divine attributes, the mystery of the Incarnation and the power of
the redeeming sufferings of the Son of God, the significance of His resurrection
for our spiritual rebirth and corporal Resurrection on the last day of this
world and so forth.
But by
saying that the ability to believe is above physical knowledge, we do not wish
to exclude reason or logical thinking. On the contrary, according to the plan of
the Creator, all spiritual capabilities must be in harmony and reinforce
one another. Genuine faith must not be blind nor light. Gullibility discloses
laziness of the soul, naiveté of the mind. Reason must help faith to
differentiate between truth and delusion. Calm exploration of religious truth
makes faith more definite and founded. The Lord Jesus Christ never
demanded blind faith from His followers. On the contrary, He advised the Jews, “Search
the Scriptures; because they testify of Me” (John 5:39). He also suggested
that unbelievers examine His miracles in order to be convinced of His Divine
ministry: “Though you not believe Me, believe the works [that I do], that you
may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38).
Likewise, the apostles urged the early Christians to use reason and discretion
in questions concerning faith: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone
out into the world” (1 John 4:1). In particular the apostles urged their
disciples to hold to sound doctrine, rejecting fables and human fabrications (2
Tim. 1:13, 4:3).
Thus, it
is erroneous to set reason against faith; they complement and reinforce each
other. Reason is for searching out, proving and substantiating. It protects
faith from delusion and humanity from fanaticism. Faith, on the other hand, is
the driving force that opens new horizons, elevates us to new heights. It can be
compared to an engine, while reason to a steering wheel. Without the engine the
car will not move, and without the steering wheel it may crash.
Dependence of faith on free will
“Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”
(Rev. 3:20). With these words our Savior tells us that He offers to each of us
the gift of faith, but it is up to us to accept or to reject this gift.
The Lord
is merciful to those who doubt not from obstinacy but due to spiritual
weakness and inexperience. Those who seek the truth and lament their
lack of faith receive Divine help to acquire faith. Thus, for example, Christ
took pity on the despairing father of the possessed youth who cried out: “Lord,
I believe, help Thou my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) and healed his sick son. He
likewise had compassion on the apostle Peter who, having become frightened of
the storm, began to sink. Giving His hand to Peter, the Lord gently rebuked him,
saying: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:30). Nor
did the Lord reject the doubting Thomas, who wished to be personally convinced
of the miracle of the Resurrection. The Lord, having condescended to Thomas with
His appearance, did not, however, praise him for becoming a believer on the
basis of an obvious proof but said to him, “You believe because you have
seen; blessed are those who do not see and believe” (John 20:29). In other
words, faith based on external experience has little value; it's actually not
faith but ordinary knowledge. True faith is born of inner experience; it demands
sensitivity, a spiritual up-lifting, and, therefore, is worthy of praise.
However,
we see the complete opposite of such a searching faith in the Jewish scribes and
Pharisees of Christ's time. They obstinately and stubbornly refused to
believe in Jesus Christ as the God-sent Messiah. Neither the fulfillment in
Christ of the ancient prophecies, nor His countless miracles and raising of the
dead, nor signs in nature, nor even His Resurrection shook their unbelief. On
the contrary, with each new miracle they became still more embittered and
hostile towards Him. Thus if even Christ was unable to awaken faith in those who
did not want to believe, is it any wonder that in our time there are
conscious and adamant atheists? They claim that they do not believe because they
see no miracles. But the real reason for their unbelief lies not in a lack of
miracles, which occur daily in different parts of the world, but in the
negative direction of their will. They simply don't want God to
exist.
The
problem of unbelief is closely tied to the sinfulness of human nature. Because
the subject of faith is not an abstract theory but a positive teaching that
demands certain behavior and imposes definite responsibilities, not everyone is
willing to change his life around to adapt to its high moral standards. Faith
puts a check on a person's greed. It calls him to overcome his selfishness, to
live moderately, to do good to others, even to sacrifice himself. When a man
prefers his passions over the will of God and places his own good over the good
of others, then he will do everything he can to repudiate arguments in favor of
faith. The Savior indicated that an evil will is the chief cause of
unbelief when He said: “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does
not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the
truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have
been done in God” (John 3:20-21).
Being
capable of suppressing faith within himself, man is also capable of
strengthening it. Turning again to the Gospel, we find in it striking
examples of ardent faith. Inspiring in this regard are the examples of the Roman
centurion, the Canaanite woman, the woman with an issue of blood, the blind men
of Jericho, and similar others. The Lord repeatedly called for His listeners to
imitate the faith of these people. Consequently, it lies within our power, with
God's help, to gather and direct our spiritual capabilities
towards a greater faith. Faith, as everything good, demands effort. That
is the reason a reward is promised for it: “He who believes and is baptized
will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
Faith as the foundation of hope
Trials and sorrow are inevitable in this temporary
life. At difficult moments only faith can give a person the necessary spiritual
strength. When a person with a weak faith despairs during misfortunes, feels
defeated and complains bitterly, the believing person more strongly turns to God
for help. He disperses the tide of despondency with hope in God, having learned
from previous trials that “whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame”
(Rom. 9:33).
Sorrows
are the “rainy days” and “storms” in our life and are meant to test our
faith. During fair weather every sailor can fantasize about his skills, but it
is during a storm that the genuine mariner is unveiled. Reading the Holy
Scripture or lives of the saints, one becomes convinced that righteous people
displayed their faith more obviously during persecutions and sufferings than
during calm and normal conditions. When the Apostle Paul refers to the Old
Testament righteous, he specifically mentions their difficult moments as
examples of strong faith. He thus concludes his overview of their lives: some of
them “were tortured, not receiving deliverance, that they might obtain a
better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking and scourging, of chains
and imprisonment. Some were stoned, some were sawn in two, others were tempted
and slain with the sword. Some wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being
destitute, afflicted, tormented. Of whom the world was not worthy, wandered in
deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth … Therefore, —
concludes the apostle — since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us also lay aside every burden of sin (which so easily ensnares
us) and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Instead of the joy that was set
before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame. Now He sits at the right
hand of the throne of God” (Hebr. chapters 11-12).
Although
faith helps man to face suffering with fortitude, the question remains: why does
the Lord permit the righteous to suffer? The answer is not obvious at all;
“Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him?”
(Isai. 40:13). Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul explains that “all things work
for good to them who love God” (Rom. 8:28). The word “all” includes sorrows
as well. Actually, having himself experienced innumerable trials during his
missionary journeys, Saint Paul shares with his disciples what he has learned: “Therefore
I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distress for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong; for the
strength of God is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:10).
Sorrows
convince man of the instability of life's blessings, remind him of God the
Rescuer, of eternal life, and teach him patience. They develop fortitude and
constancy in good deeds. When man can expect help from nowhere, he turns to God
with all his strength. And while he is troubled from the outside, in his heart
he finds Divine peace and consolation. Such direct awareness of God is greatly
beneficial to a man's faith. Thus, on the one hand, faith helps a man to bear
sorrows, and on the other, sorrows strengthen the faith in him. For this reason
Saint James taught Christians: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience”
(James 1:2).
Probably
because faith gives man fortitude at difficult times and serves as a bulwark
for his spiritual life, our Savior named it a rock, saying: “On this rock I
will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”
(Matt. 16:18). Indeed, it is impossible to enumerate all the persecutions of
Christians in the two millennia of the existence of the Church. While so many
empires and powerful governments fell and have completely disappeared from the
face of the Earth, Christ's Church, founded on faith in Him, stands firm and
will remain invincible until the end of the world.
Faith as the key to God's treasures
Faith draws a person into a living communication with
God in heartfelt, concentrated prayer. When a person comes into close contact
with the Almighty, then, according to the words of the Savior, everything
becomes possible to him: “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you
will receive … If you have faith as (small as) a mustard seed, and you will say
to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” it will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you” (Matt. 21:22, 17:20). Thus even the smallest faith can
work wonders provided it is wholesome and healthy like a mustard seed.
The great miracle worker Saint John of Kronstadt, speaking from his own
experience, called faith “the key to God's treasures.”
True
faith has nothing to do with self-confidence. Greatly mistaken are those who
confuse faith with ordinary auto-suggestion. Some sectarian preachers teach that
one must convince oneself of whatever one desires, for example: in health,
success, or well-being — and that is enough to obtain it. These auto-suggestions
resemble a game in which a child imagines that he is sailing accross the sea or
riding a horse while he sits on the floor in his room. Faith built on
self-suggestion leads to self-delusion and a spiritual catastrophe.
True
faith acts not by the power of imagination or self-hypnosis but in that it
joins a person to the ultimate Source of all life and strength — to
Almighty God. Faith is like a vessel with which one scoops up from the Divine
fountain, and prayer acts as an arm with which one reaches into it. It is
important to take recourse prudently to the power of faith. Because only
God knows what is best for us, in praying one should be less concerned about
pressing one's own desires and more about understanding what is the will of
God. After all, prayer should not become a monologue but a two-way
conversation. And in every conversation one must learn to listen as well.
When we sincerely pray to God, He replies to us in our heart and in subsequent
external circumstances.
Turning
to the Gospel accounts, we see that those people who possessed an exceptionally
strong faith as, for example, the Roman centurion, the Canaanite woman, the
friends of the paralytic, and others, were all very far from any elation or
pathos. Actually, they all were extremely humble people (Matt. 8:10,
15:22, 9:2). The combination of strong faith and humility is not accidental. A
deeply believing person feels, more than anyone else, the greatness and the
almightiness of God. And the more he realizes it, the more keenly he becomes
aware of his own limitations and deficiency. The great miracle workers such as,
for example, the prophets Moses and Elisha, the apostles Peter and Paul and
those like them were always distinguished by profound humility.
Faith acting through love
Is there an interrelationship between faith and good
works? Some ask: is faith alone sufficient for salvation, or are good works also
necessary? The fact that many contemporary Christians oppose faith to good works
reveals how impoverished and distorted their concept of Christianity has become.
True faith extends not only over man's mind but over all the powers of
his soul, including the heart and will. Many contemporary preachers have
narrowed the concept of faith to a rational acceptance of the Gospel's teaching.
They declare: “Only believe, and you will be saved.” The error here, just as
with the pharisaic approach, consists in the formal and legalistic
understanding of salvation. The Jews in Christ's time taught justification by
fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, while Protestants since Luther's times teach
justification by faith alone, independent of good works. Traditional
Christianity, however, calls for complete spiritual re-birth: “If
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). Salvation is not
only the resettlement from earth to paradise but the grace-filled state
of man's renewed soul. According to our Lord: “The Kingdom of God is within
you” (Luke 17:21). In this renewed state a complete harmony is established
between internal convictions and external behavior. Here good works become
fruits which naturally grow on a healthy tree. And on the contrary, lack of good
works testify of an ill and dying soul.
Now,
spiritual re-birth is not achieved instantaneously. Christ's words to those who
believed, “Thy faith has saved thee,” (Matt. 9:22) refer to that
crucial turning point made by those who have decided to break with the
past and follow Jesus Christ. Without this radical change in thinking, any
improvement and spiritual progress are impossible. Naturally, after a person has
chosen the right path he must subsequently walk on it, i.e., apply its
high principles with patience and perseverance. All New Testament books speak
about working on oneself and becoming more like Christ: “We were buried with
Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”
(Rom. 6:4). What is needed here is not abstract faith but that which acts
through love (Gal. 5:6).
The
Apostle James firmly rises up against those who separate faith from good works,
saying: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but
does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and
destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, `Depart in peace, be
warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the
body, what does it profit? … But someone will say, `You have faith, and I have
works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by
my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons
believe; and tremble!” Further, the apostle gives examples of righteous men
and women of old who proved their faith by their works, and he draws the
following conclusion: “Do you see that faith was working together with his
works, and by works faith was made perfect? … For as the body without the spirit
is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14-26).
The
Apostle Paul likewise does not recognize faith without its fruit: “Though I
have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and
though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, and have not love, I am
nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2-3). Therefore, correct understanding of faith dispels
all doubt as to which is more important — faith or works. They are inseparable,
like the light and warmth of a flame.
How to strengthen one's faith
Thus, among the many talents and faculties of the human
spirit, faith is the most precious of the Divine gifts. Faith broadens man's
horizons and gives him a proper outlook, reveals to him the purpose of his life,
encourages him during hard times and gladdens his heart, empowers his prayer and
gives him access to a multitude of God's treasures and mercies.
Sadly,
however, our life of plenty and well-being weakens our faith, and God's goodness
gets forgotten. As faith grows dim, a man's inner condition becomes increasingly
disordered: he loses clarity of thought and purpose of life, his spiritual
strength leaves him, emptiness and despondency firmly set into his heart, he
becomes irritable and dissatisfied with everything. After all, the soul cannot
live without faith, just as a plant cannot live without light and moisture. No
matter how intelligent and talented he might be, with faith extinguished a
person descends to the level of a cunning animal, or even a predator.
In order
to escape such a “shipwreck of faith” (1 Tim. 1:19), one must seriously
concern oneself with the renewal of his soul. But how? We know that all
talents require exercise: to preserve a sharp mind, it must be engaged in mental
work; so that fingers maintain their flexibility, it is necessary to practice on
a musical instrument; to have the body remain limber, it is necessary to do
gymnastic exercises; and so on. If people expend so much energy and money to
develop and preserve their physical abilities, should not we Christians strive
to strengthen our spiritual capabilities?
Specifically: to strengthen our faith, we must live spiritually. This
includes regular reading of the Holy Scripture, meditation about God and the
purpose of our life, fasting and prayer. When praying, one must make an effort
to concentrate on the meaning of the words and feel the presence of God.
It is also important to repent sincerely for one's sins, go to Confession and
take Communion on a regular basis. Finally, one must try to live not for oneself
alone but for the good of one's neighbor and one's church. The heart of one who
loves is warmed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Of course, in trying to lead a
Christian life one cannot avoid battles, trials and difficulties. At times it
may seem that the whole world is armed against us. These are unwanted but
precious periods in which we are given the opportunity to grow spiritually and
become better Christians.
In
striving to strengthen our faith, let us always remember that ultimately faith
is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul testified to this: “The
fruit of the Spirit is: joy, love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness,
faith” (Gal. 5:22). Let us, therefore, ask God for faith, that great
spiritual treasure. As Jesus Christ has promised: “Ask, and it shall be given
unto you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you”
(Matt. 7:7). And as faith grows, it will bring with it peace of mind, joy, and a
foretaste of final triumph over all evil. “This is the victory that has
overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:4).
