The Nature of Faith

By now we have clear historical evidence that Paul taught a central claim: God welcomes into His favor all who believe the good news announced by Christ. This teaching is often summed up as Justification through Faith.

Because this doctrine plays such a foundational role in the apostle Paul’s theology, we need to look carefully at what we mean by faith and belief, and at the kind of mental state these words describe. I will begin by examining how these words are used in modern English. Before we can understand their Hebrew and Greek counterparts, we must first understand what goes on in our own minds when we use them. The best way to do that is to reflect on our everyday thinking as expressed in our native language. Once we have done this, we can then compare our usage with that found in the biblical languages.

Righteousness Through Faith

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, 'The one who is righteous will live by faith.'”  — Romans 1:16, 17 NRSV.   

We now turn, in our search for salvation, to the gospel Paul announces in Romans 1:16. What Paul means here is fairly clear: the good news proclaimed by Christ is the means by which God’s infinite power acts to rescue people — Jews and Gentiles alike — from both the guilt and the grip of sin, provided they believe that message.

Paul goes on to explain this by saying that in the gospel a righteousness of God is revealed — by faith and for faith. He supports this claim by pointing to an ancient prophecy, spoken in the face of looming disaster, which declares that the righteous person will live by faith. In other words, as the gospel is preached, a veil is lifted. Something previously hidden is now made visible: a righteousness that comes from God. This unveiling happens through faith and is meant to lead people into faith. Through it, God’s saving power is released for everyone who believes.

Religion and Theology

Few words carry more weight in modern life than the word religion. We generally feel we know exactly what it means. We recognize religious people and religious questions, and we speak easily of the world’s many religions. Yet it is striking that the word itself appears only rarely in the English Bible — and when it does appear, it does not always mean what we now mean by it.

In a few passages, such as Acts 25:5 and James 1:26–27, the word refers mainly to outward forms of worship. In Galatians 1:13-14, “the Jews’ religion” corresponds to what we would call Judaism. Elsewhere, as in Acts 13:43, the word religious is better translated simply as devout. This contrast is telling. While Scripture uses the term sparingly and inconsistently, modern speech uses it often and with confidence. That modern usage, therefore, should guide our definition. There is little to gain by forcing the word back into meanings it held only occasionally in biblical translation.

Even so, clearly defining religion is harder than it looks. Although the term feels familiar, popular abstract words tend to be slippery. Different people use them in slightly different ways, which makes precision difficult. In practice, most definitions of religion tell us more about the author’s perspective than about any settled meaning of the word itself. Almost every new book or article on religion offers a new definition. This one will be no exception.

Still, I must explain what I mean by religion before going further. I believe the definition I propose captures what is always meant when the word is used seriously, and that it includes what is common to all its legitimate uses. It is neither broader nor narrower than ordinary usage allows.