Faith and peace

[RabbiKnife]

Is faith actual or only potential in the absence of peace in the inner man?

Said another way.  Can one claim to truly have faith in a then present subjective experience of anxiety or fear of loss? 

[Sojourner]

True faith is an impervious belief in salvation through the risen Christ, and an unwavering trust in His ability to keep and preserve us in the midst of adversity. Faith is not diminished by fear and anxiety experienced due to detrimental conditions and circumstances, but prevails over all things.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Palms 34:4)

[RabbiKnife]

All very true.

Does that have (or should it have) any impact on our faith in relation to discerning and doing the will of God?

Can we have faith that we are indeed doing God’s will if we are anxious or lacking peace?

[Sojourner]

Well Scripture tells us not to fear:

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

Negative feelings and emotions are part of humanity, and cannot be denied. Yet, those who trust in God will triumph in spite of them. Even after witnessing the power of God, Elijah was cowering in fear because of Jezebel's threats. Well, she ended up as dog poop. We can but do our utmost to serve God to the best of our ability, and trust that He will give us the ultimate victory.

[IMINXTC]

All very true.

Does that have (or should it have) any impact on our faith in relation to discerning and doing the will of God?

Can we have faith that we are indeed doing God’s will if we are anxious or lacking peace?

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." 2 Corinthians 12:8

A natural anxiety, often in the face of suffering, cannot be denied when seeking to discern God's will for our particular lives. This type of anxiety, rather than an absence of faith, compels us to seek the Lord for direction.


The real problem for the believer is anxiety without direct cause, or, living in unwarranted fear and doubt.

[Sojourner]

All very true.

Does that have (or should it have) any impact on our faith in relation to discerning and doing the will of God?

Can we have faith that we are indeed doing God’s will if we are anxious or lacking peace?

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." 2 Corinthians 12:8

A natural anxiety, often in the face of suffering, cannot be denied when seeking to discern God's will for our particular lives. This type of anxiety, rather than an absence of faith, compels us to seek the Lord for direction.


The real problem for the believer is anxiety without direct cause, or, living in unwarranted fear and doubt.

Amen. If we could deal with matters of the flesh on our own, we wouldn't need a Savior.

[ProDeo]

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

----

I wonder why faith is so important for God, perhaps we need it in eternity also?

[Sojourner]

I wonder why faith is so important for God, perhaps we need it in eternity also?

Not sure about eternity but faith truly is a critical aspect of one's relationship with God. In Hebrews 11, the "faith chapter", we're told that it's impossible to please God without faith, and that we must believe He exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

We read that Jesus largely ceased doing miracles altogether in Nazareth because so few there believed in Him:
(Matt 13:53-58)

We know Peter was able to walk on the water toward Jesus because he believed he could, but started to sink when he doubted, after focusing on  the circumstances around him instead of on the Lord. (Matt 14:25-31)

The woman with the issue of blood was healed through faith without any active intervention by Jesus, just by believing she would be healed by touching His garment. (Luke 8:40-48)

A centurion's servant was healed without Jesus even seeing him because the centurion believed Jesus had only to speak the word (Matt 8:5-13).

Faith seems to be like a spiritual conduit for accessing God's power and presence, sort of the way power lines bring power to us from the grid. Like a light bulb, we cannot fulfill the purpose for which we were created without being connected to our power source.

[Athanasius]

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

----

I wonder why faith is so important for God, perhaps we need it in eternity also?

What kind of relationship is it if you don't believe what the other person says, and lack trust, love, etc., with whom you claim to be in relationship with?

[ProDeo]

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

----

I wonder why faith is so important for God, perhaps we need it in eternity also?

What kind of relationship is it if you don't believe what the other person says, and lack trust, love, etc., with whom you claim to be in relationship with?

A&E believed God, then the temptation came and their faith in God crumbled. In eternity living in the presence of God (like A&E) and God says: DON'T xyz, we better have learned our lesson.

[Athanasius]

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

----

I wonder why faith is so important for God, perhaps we need it in eternity also?

What kind of relationship is it if you don't believe what the other person says, and lack trust, love, etc., with whom you claim to be in relationship with?

A&E believed God, then the temptation came and their faith in God crumbled. In eternity living in the presence of God (like A&E) and God says: DON'T xyz, we better have learned our lesson.

I suspect we'll also be morally perfect next time around. New creation, and all that.

[Stephen Andrew]

Thanks Stephen

Good News

[CrimsonTide21]

Is faith actual or only potential in the absence of peace in the inner man?

Said another way.  Can one claim to truly have faith in a then present subjective experience of anxiety or fear of loss?

I think yes.  However, I would also say it depends on what you mean by peace in the "inner man".  I do think that we are given a foundational peace and biblical joy when we have saving Faith.  If our "inner man" is troubled with doubt and anxiety, I'm not sure I would say that we have exhibited saving Faith.

Doubt, worry, depression, anxiety as a result of circumstances in our lives is the natural state of the fallen human being.  We can certainly have faith while also experiencing those struggles.  We are incapable of understanding the fullness of God's plans and that naturally leads to fear...even though we, at the same time, know that He is in control.  That said, I do think that we have the power to draw on the foundational peace of our salvation to give us poise and strength in these times.