Virtue of Faith in Scriptures

VIRTUE OF FAITH IN THE SACRED SCRIPTURES
Catholic Christians believe that God love us, each of us personally. God’s
love for us and our response to His love which is faith unite us with Him. As with
all important understanding of how persons relate to others, believers pass on those
who follow the guideposts which mark the path of belief. Gabriel Moran
expounded that faith in the Old Testament history and the history of the life of
Jesus are meant to function as an interpretative norm for the one’s own life. He
also insisted that the imagery, language and style of the biblical writing as uniquely
advantageous to faith and the Holy Scripture can awaken faith, it can express a
faith already present, and it can deepen a faith for the future. It can be a jumping
off point for the teaching of Christian faith, it can be a summary of what has been
taught, it is always at least implicitly a guide for what is being taught 1. This paper
will expound virtue of faith from the Old and New Testament in which faith is a
belief with strong conviction in God; firm belief in something for which there may
be no tangible proof, but still have complete trust in Jesus Christ or devotion too.
Faith is the opposite of doubt.
OLD TESTAMENT
1 Gabriel Moran, Catechesis of Revelation (New York: Herder and Herder, 1966), 80-81.
According to Peschke, in the Holy Scripture, faith is primarily a personal
encounter and relation. In the Old Testament, faith is a total bond with God. Faith
in the Old Testament is a moral response. It is trust in God, the expectation of his
help and an absolute holding fast to him and his words. 2 This implies that faith is
trust because faith underlines the elements of personal trust and stresses the
personal relationship of the believer with God. Everything is left in the hands of
God, who will save us in spite of our imperfections. In addition, as expounded by
Richard McBrien on his book Catholicism the notions of faith in the Old
Testament is from the Hebrew verb aman meaning “to be firm” or “to be solid,”
and therefore to be true. It also means in causative stem “to accept something as
true,” which always indicates a personal relationship.3 We can say that faith is our
acceptance of something as true is really the acceptance of the person who
proposes it for belief. The Israelites accepted Moses as their leader on the basis of
their trust in him personally. They accepted him as one designated by God.
Moreover, the book of Isaiah offers certain peculiar features regarding the
reality of faith. The notion of faith implies an acceptance of the power and will of
God to deliver Judah form political crisis and the acceptance is demonstrated by
abstinence from all political and military action. To do otherwise is to fail to trust
2 Karl H. Peschke, Christian Ethics: Moral Theology in the Light of Vatican II, rev. ed. (Manila:
Logos Publications, Inc., 2018), 2:14-15.
3
Richard McBrien, Catholicism, study ed. (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1970), 31.
Yahweh.4 One who believes has no worry (Isaiah 28:16). The scope of faith is
unlimited; it demands total commitment to Yahweh. In line with this, faith is a
transforming acceptance of the Word, which challenges us through the difficulties
we encounter. Faith is a total commitment to God, not a passive virtue but it is an
active engagement in the service of the Kingdom of God.
NEW TESTAMENT
Gospel of Matthew tell us that Jesus once told to His disciples, “If you have
faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to
there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20).
In Jesus’ time a person could “move mountains” was a person who could make
difficult things easy to understand. Jesus seemed to be telling us that all difficulties
can be overcome if you have true faith in Him.
In the New Testament the teaching of faith expresses a need to believe
something and someone. It includes the teaching of the promise of saving the
believer from death to life to eternal life thus according to the letter of Jude “But
you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit”
(Jude 20). Our faith is pointing us to believe in Jesus Christ in 2 Timothy 1:13
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love
4 McBrien, Catholicism, 31.

that are in Christ Jesus. Faith directs us also to believe in something, … holding
fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound
doctrine and to refute opponents Titus 1:9.
From the New Testament we can say that Faith is expectant. Because
expectant faith is an intense form of trusting faith. It is utterly convinced that God
will act in specific circumstances of need in accordance with the divine promises.
Jesus spoke about it when he said, ―Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if
anyone says to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, ‘and does not doubt
in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him
(Mark 11:22-23). The woman with the chronic bleeding problem exercised this
kind of expectant faith when she declared ―If I touch his garments I will get well
(Mk 5:24-34). Expectant faith grows by focusing on the God of the promises and
on the promises of God. Because we trust in God, we wholeheartedly rely on his
promises. For example, Jesus said these infallible words on one occasion:
―Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours (Mk 11:24-25). You need to ponder and pray
about words like these because as St Paul assured us: ―faith comes from hearing
the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Rom 10:17).
What Paul has in mind here, goes beyond the word as an objective truth upon the
page of the Bible to refer to the inspired word that jumps alive off the page into the
heart, with subjective meaning.
Faith is our response to God’ live. It all comes down to this: We love
because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). The sacred scriptures teach us that God
formed his creatures as a joyful, free, and creative expression of his love. For all
these reasons and more, it is clear that faith in Christ means a personal act that
response to God’s loving invitation to believe in Him. Faith is giving oneself
completely – heart, mind and will to a loving relationship with God.
Jesus Christ is the sign and the witness of faith. All attempts to justify faith
must therefore be based on Him. Christian faith stands or falls with Him. Faith
implies recognition of God’s divinity. This recognition is practical and concrete
whenever man builds on God as his foundation. Faith is not an achievement. On
the contrary, it is a renunciation of all achievement, a state of being empty for God
so that we can be completely filled with Him.
Faith, then, is the concrete way in which the kingdom of God can be present
in man. God is Lord whenever he is believed in as Lord and obeyed as Lord. the
Kingdom of God and faith are therefore two sides of the same coin. The coming of
God’s kingdom means that God makes himself valid in man’s recognition and
faith.

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VIRTUE OF FAITH IN THE SACRED SCRIPTURES

Faith is the opposite of doubt.

God, who will save us in spite of our imperfections. In addition, as expounded by

acceptance of something as true is really the acceptance of the person who

unlimited; it demands total commitment to Yahweh. In line with this, faith is a

transforming acceptance of the Word, which challenges us through the difficulties

we encounter. Faith is a total commitment to God, not a passive virtue but it is an

active engagement in the service of the Kingdom of God.

can be overcome if you have true faith in Him.

In the New Testament the teaching of faith expresses a need to believe

4 McBrien, Catholicism, 31.

doctrine and to refute opponents Titus 1:9.

on the promises of God. Because we trust in God, we wholeheartedly rely on his

heart, with subjective meaning.

response to God’s loving invitation to believe in Him. Faith is giving oneself

completely – heart, mind and will to a loving relationship with God.

implies recognition of God’s divinity. This recognition is practical and concrete

whenever man builds on God as his foundation. Faith is not an achievement. On

so that we can be completely filled with Him.

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