Putting Faith In Jesus Christ
Putting Faith in Jesus Christ
Faith in Jesus Christ is a central doctrine in Christianity, emphasizing trust and reliance on Jesus as the Son of God and Savior. The Apostles' Creed, an ecumenical statement of faith, affirms belief "in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord" [3]. This faith is rooted in biblical teachings and has been interpreted and articulated by various Christian traditions.
The biblical foundation for faith in Jesus Christ is evident in passages such as Romans 15:17, where the Apostle Paul expresses his "boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God" [1]. Faith is described as a persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true, with trust being its primary idea [2]. In the context of Jesus Christ, faith involves believing in Him as the Son of God and Savior, and trusting in His work and teachings.
According to Reformed theologian John Calvin, faith is "a firm and certain knowledge of God's benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ" [7]. This understanding is echoed in the writings of Charles Hodge, who notes that faith is "not merely an intellectual assent to the truth, but a heart-felt trust in the Lord Jesus Christ" [5]. The act of believing in Jesus Christ is seen as a commandment, with 1 John 3:23 stating, "And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ" [8].
The significance of faith in Jesus Christ is multifaceted. It is seen as a means of justification, with the Apostle Paul writing that "we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law" [5]. Faith is also associated with love and obedience, as expressed in 1 John 5:1-5, where those who believe in Jesus are said to be empowered to love God and others, and to obey God's commandments [10].
Different Christian traditions have nuanced understandings of faith in Jesus Christ. For instance, the Reformed tradition emphasizes the role of faith in justification and the sacraments, while the Methodist/Wesleyan tradition highlights the importance of faith in relation to love and good works [6, 11]. Despite these nuances, the core affirmation of faith in Jesus Christ remains a unifying element across various Christian denominations.
The historical development of the doctrine of faith in Jesus Christ is rooted in the early Christian creeds and the writings of the Church Fathers. Origen, in his work "De Principiis," emphasizes the importance of deriving knowledge from the words and teaching of Christ [9]. The ecumenical creeds, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed, affirm the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, underscoring the significance of faith in Him [3, 4].
Sources
- Romans “I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God. -- Romans 15:17”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Faith — Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Phil. 1:27; 2 Thess. 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests. Faith is the result of teaching (Rom. 10:14-17). Knowledge is an essential element in all faith, and is sometimes spoken of as an equivalent to faith (John 10:38; 1 John 2:3). Yet the two are distinguished in this respect, that faith includes in it assent, which is an act ”
- Apostles' Creed (Ecumenical) “Apostles' Creed (Ecumenical, c. 2nd-4th century AD), Section 2: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.”
- Athanasian Creed (Ecumenical) “Athanasian Creed (Ecumenical, c. 5th-6th century AD), Section 5: Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. Who, a”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 15: even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law.” iii. 24 : “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” v. 26 : “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians ii. 20 : “I live by the faith of the Son of God,” etc., etc. Christ our Ransom. Christ declares that He gave Himself as a ransom for many; He was set forth as a propitiation for sins; He offered Himself as a sacrifice unto God. It is th”
- Galatians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Galatians 5:6: 5:6 Faith in Christ Jesus provides access to all of God’s favor and grace, so no further benefit is available through human effort. Faith is expressed by exercising love toward others (cp. Rom 13:10; 14:17-19; 2 Cor 8:8-13).”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: in order to reach it. Nor even when it has reached it does it comprehend what it feels, but persuaded of what it comprehends not, it understands more from mere certainty of persuasion than it could discern of any human matter by its own capacity. Hence it is elegantly described by Paul as ability “to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” ( Eph. 3:18, 19 ). His object was to intimate, that what our mind embraces by faith is every w”
- 1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 3:22: And this is his commandment,.... Having mentioned the keeping of the commandments of God, the apostle proceeds to show what they are; that they are faith in Christ, and love to one another; which two are reduced to one, because they are inseparable; where the one is, the other is; faith works by love. That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ; Christ is the object of faith, and he is no, as he is Jesus, a Saviour; faith deals with him as such, and will have no other Saviour but he: and now to believe in him, is not merely to believe that he is the S”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. (part 1): PREFACE. 1. ALL who believe and are assured that grace and truth were obtained through Jesus Christ, and who know Christ to be the truth, agreeably to His own declaration, "I am the truth," derive the knowledge which incites men to a good and happy life from no other source than from the very words and teaching of Christ. And by the words of Christ we do not mean those only which He spake when He became man and tabernacled in the flesh; for before that time, Christ, the Word of God, was in Moses and t”
- 1 John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 John 5:1: 5:1-5 Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God have been born spiritually as children of God (see John 20:31). Such people are empowered by the Spirit of God to love him and others, and by their faith to obey God and overcome the evil temptations of the world. Through faith, they can love God and live in obedience to him.”
- Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 1:15: Faith in the Lord Jesus - Cordial reception of the Christian religion, amply proved by their love to all the saints - to all the Christians. Perhaps love here implies, not only the kind affection so called, but also all the fruits of love - benevolence, and kind offices of every description.”