Believe It or Not

By the Rev. John Dreyer

"Faith" is an important word not only in life but also in Christianity. We hear such expressions such as "We are justified by faith," "Trust in your faith," or "It was my faith that got me through the tough times." Unfortunately, in many cases in Christianity today, "faith" has found its way back to itself; in other words, faith has become our object of belief. Luther says (I read it but can¹t remember where), "Faith can become your own idol."

What is faith? Faith does not know itself but only God. The meaning to the first commandment, "We should fear, love and trust God above all things" is really talking about what faith is all about. Faith concerns itself with confessing the true God (Rom. 10:9, 10; Jn. 17:3) and the life received through the forgiveness of sin by the atoning work of Christ.

Faith is not self-centered, but rather finds its focus in the one true God. When the psalmists and others sought comfort in this life, they found their comfort not in themselves but in knowing God as seen in Psalm 77 and 46 and other portions of Scripture. Again, faith has its quality in God, not in us. When we allow faith to focus upon itself, then it is viewed as a good work or what we produce by ourselves, thereby making us the authors of our faith.

Faith can also become merely about us and a moral life. When faith becomes the center of discussion and not God, we might ask: "Do I have enough faith? Do babies have faith? How much faith must one have to be really saved? I have not had a conversion experience, do I really have faith? Am I really forgiven?"

In our day, religion is determinative by the individual beliefs and not by the objective and shared truth from God. A false understanding of faith can lead to a false understanding of the Christian life. If the central hinge of faith is not God and His work alone, the focus and the life of the Church become defined by us and not God. For example, this way of thinking influences our perception of such issues as infant baptism, liturgy, prayer, and closed communion.

In conclusion, faith that centers upon itself results in uncertainty and no need for God. Faith that is centered in God and His gifts finds assurance of a certain life and salvation.

The Rev. John Dreyer is an admission couselor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.