Faith Is Not Exclusive of Knowledge

We frequently get requests for basic Bible teachings. By basic, I am talking about fundamentals. A lot of people are interested in the Bible, but feel that it is either too time-consuming, complicated, confusing, or boring! So, in an effort to help alleviate some of these concerns, I will lay out some basic information in plain and simple language. In fact, I will use the fundamentals of basic Bible "faith" as the topic of my message today!

Now, some of you veterans of the Bible might be familiar with what I am going to talk about here today. That's okay! One thing I have learned is that the Bible has a habit of renewing itself everytime you go back over scripture. I always find something new, or see something in a different way whenever I open my Bible and read it. God has a way of speaking to you in different way every time. Try THAT with any other book! For those of you who may be new to the Bible, I hope this will help get you started on your journey with God.

What I would like to attempt today is to clarify the Biblical doctrine of faith as it relates to knowledge. Specifically, I'd like to try and define the term “faith," show how that term has been misused, and how to use it properly. Before we get into a discussion about this, we need to do some preliminary work. Let's begin by reading Hebrews 11:1, 6.

First, here are a couple of different views on Hebrews 11:1:

1) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” KJV

2) “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” ASV

3) “Faith is confidence as to things hoped for; conviction as to things not seen.” -Edward Robinson

You could say that on the one hand, faith provides assurance of things hoped for–things in the future. On the other hand, faith provides conviction as to things not seen–past and future. I ask you here to keep in mind the following questions about Hebrews 11:1: "How can our faith be an assurance, or a confidence to us?" and "How can faith provide conviction for us?"

Now let's do the same with Hebrews 11:6. This verse tells us:

1) To be pleasing to God we must have faith.

2) We must believe that “God Is.”

What are we saying when we say we believe that God exists? We must believe that he will reward those that diligently seek Him. And, what are we saying when we say that we believe that he will reward those who seek him? What is the difference between the two statements?

Here's a brief note regarding the word’s “faith” and “belief.”

1) Both words come from the same Greek root, “pistis”.

2) They are used interchangeably in the New Testament.

What is the significance of the term, “faith,” or “belief?”

Okay, now that we have the preliminaries done let's jump into our discusssion. Regarding the concepts of Faith and Knowledge in the Bible we must understand that faith is not exclusive of knowledge. This is perhaps the most misunderstood area of the concept of faith today. Perhaps you have heard statements such as:

1) “Faith is not a form of knowledge.” Fragments

2) “Faith begins precisely where thinking leaves off.” Fear and Trembling

3) “These arguments take you down to this point… but from there on you have to proceed upon the basis of faith. There is no way to really know.”

4) “The evolutionist has a faith and I have a faith. I happen to believe that my faith is the more reasonable faith.”

5) “In those situations where it is not possible to know complete and absolute truth–in those situations which involve faith–it is better to take the path of hope than the path of fear.”

6) To believe something, one must take a “Leap of faith.”

7) “If you know something, then you cannot believe it.”

To help understand this, perhaps it might help to take a look at 2 Corinthians 5:7 and the following questions. What does 2 Corinthians 5:7 mean? Review 2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know….” Does sight exclude faith? What about Thomas? John 20:29a (Faith after sight). Where do we stand now? (Faith without sight). Where will we stand in heaven? (1 John 3:2). (Sight after faith).

Ask yourself this: "Does faith exclude knowledge?" Jesus said that we must know Him and His Truth (John 17:3, John 8:32). Those who heard Jesus teach believed and knew who he was (John 4:42). The apostles believed and knew who Jesus was (John 6:69). The writers of the New Testament were certain (Luke 1:3,4), and Paul told Timothy that we could believe and know the truth (1 Timothy 4:1-3). We can be certain as well (1 John 5:13, 20). Salvation is predicated upon receiving a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

How can we believe and know today without first hand information? Consider Mark 16:9-14 and John 20:29-31. What about believing in heaven? Scripture tells us that faith is based upon evidence (Rom. 10:17). It also says, "Then my faith becomes evidence (Hebrews 11:1) for heaven."

The next thing we need to understand is that saving faith is not equivalent with knowledge. Faith involves putting our trust in God. It means acknowledging God as our only standard in life (Proverbs 3:5,6). It also means that even though all external factors appear to be opposite of what God says, we will still rely upon God (Romans 4:19-22).

Faith involves acting upon the knowledge and trust that we have in God. It means being obedient to God even in the face of the severest challenge (Hebrews 11:7-10, 17-19, 23-31). In addition, it means carrying out a lifestyle of living that daily glorifies God (Matthew 5:13-16).

Lastly, we have primarily looked at faith and knowledge. The two main points that I hope you grasped from today's message are:

1) The concept of faith and knowledge are not mutually exclusive.

2) The concept of faith, however, is not equivalent with knowledge.

I urge you to revisit the information that was presented here today. Take it slow. Ask God for an open heart and mind. I will pray for you and your spiritual well-being, as well. Let me close out this message with the following verse:

2 Timothy 1:12 ” For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

Prayer:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Morgan