Understanding the Christian Faith

Defining the Christian Faith
Introduction
When defining the Christian Faith, one must focus on three aspects of that faith: 1) the cognitive, 2) the relational, and 3) the behavioral. The Christian Faith is based upon a cognitive process—i.e., a determination in the mind to accept the doctrines of the Christian Church, which primarily teach that Jesus Christ is God and that the salvation comes by way of Christ and His Church. Next, the Faith is based upon the trust that the individual has in God according to the doctrines he has received: believing what he believes, he trusts God to save him. This is what is meant by “Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith has a very real relational aspect to it because it does involve leaping from where one is now to where one hopes and wants to be—which is with God. Lastly, the Faith is also based on the behavioral process that follows—i.e., the believer now must make an act of faith, a demonstration of his belief that shows he is not merely paying lip service by recognizing the doctrines as true while ignoring their application in his life but is rather conforming his life to his belief system, that is, to the doctrines of the Church, in so far as he has developed his trust in or relationship with God. The behavioral aspect is what is alluded to in 1 John 3:18: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” The cognitive precedes the relational which precedes the behavioral, and yet all three flow into and out of one another so that they are mutually reinforcing. This paper will show how to know what the Christian Faith is one must first understand the cognitive aspects, then the relational aspects, and finally the behavioral aspects of the Faith.
The Cognitive Aspect of the Christian Faith
The cognitive aspect of the Christian Faith is based on the application of one’s reason to the revelations and teachings of the Christian Church in a process of discernment to see whether the claims of Church are credible or not. This is why the scholastics say that faith is based on reason.[footnoteRef:2] The mind has to consent to the truths that the Church teaches before an act of faith can be made or before faith can be professed. Faith is therefore, in the beginning, a rational assent of the mind to the facts laid before it, which teach, namely, that: 1) Jesus Christ is the Son of God; 2) He died on the Cross in reparation for the sins of world; 3) His sacrifice atoned for the sins of mankind and opened the gates of Heaven, which had been barred since the fall of Adam and Eve. The Christian Faith encompasses other teachings and doctrines as well, but these are the preeminent points that have a historical basis. [2: Ratzinger, Joseph. "Relativism: Central Problem for Faith Today." ORIGINS-WASHINGTON- 26 (1996): 309-309; Snyder, David C. "Faith and reason in Locke's Essay." Journal of the History of Ideas 47, no. 2 (1986): 197-213.]
In order to have faith in God, one first has to know of God; to have faith that Christ is the Son of the God and Redeemer of the world, one has to know of Christ, His actions, and Why He is the Savior. Faith is dependent upon knowledge. One cannot have faith in Christ if one does not know Christ: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17)—that is to say, before one can hope in Christ or develop the relational aspect of the Christian Faith, one must first hear of Christ and come to understand the reasons for believing in Christ’s divinity.
The Relational Aspect of the Christian Faith
The relational aspect of the Christian Faith is dependent upon the trust that blossoms once the mind has given its assent to the doctrines of the Church. That is to say, once the Word has been heard and accepted, faith can begin to be developed. Faith is not just like a coupon that one receives in the mail that reads, “Good for one free entry into Heaven”—on the contrary, Faith is like a membership that must be used: if it is not used it does one no good and on Judgment Day one will be judged for not maintaining one’s commitment to the faith. To be committed to the faith means to develop the relational aspect of the faith—the trust in God that God wants people to have in him. Trust is essential for making an act of faith, which is what the behavioral aspect of the faith defines. But to get to the behavioral aspect, the trust aspect—the relational aspect—first has to be there. 1 Peter 1:13 explains: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” In other words, to be ready to act in faith, one must trust in God’s grace—trust that the grace is there and will be there to strengthen one in all one’s actions. To get there, one has to develop one’s relationship with God—one has to move from assenting to the truths of the faith to investing one’s person in the faith—i.e., to opening one’s heart to God’s love. In this manner, trust is established.
The relational aspect of the faith is seen in a number of places in the Gospels: for instance, Mary Magdalene who cleaned the feet of Christ with her tears and mopped them with her hair after being saved by Him from stoning made this act of thanksgiving out of complete love and trust for her Savior.[footnoteRef:3] Or, as Lee notes, “Magdalene is right to assume that Jesus is to remain with her”[footnoteRef:4]—that is the extent to which the trust she has developed compels her faith: she trusts wholly in His mercy because it would be against His nature to ever abandon her. There is also the story of the Roman centurion who asked Christ to heal his servant, saying: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8). The centurion did not need a big show or any spectacle—his trust in Christ was absolute. In other words, the Roman centurion had heard of Christ’s deeds, had seen Him from afar, and his mind had assented to the truth. With his request, he developed his relational aspect of his faith: he placed his trust fully in God to resolve his issues. [3: Craymer, Suzanne L. "Margery Kempe's Imitation of Mary Magdalene and the" Digby Plays"." Mystics Quarterly 19, no. 4 (1993): 173-181.] [4: Lee, Dorothy A. "Partnership in Easter Faith: The Role of Mary Magdalene and Thomas in John 20." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 17, no. 58 (1995): 37-49.]
The Behavioral Aspect of the Christian Faith
James 2:17 states that faith without works is dead: this means that in order for the Christian Faith to come alive, it has to be accompanied by action. Once the trust in God has been affirmed and the relational aspect of the faith developed, one must begin to apply the doctrines and precepts of the Church to one’s life—this is what is meant by the behavioral aspect of the faith. One must begin to behave like a Christian. This is easily accomplished by following the two main dictates of Christ: 1) love God above all else, and 2) love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself (Mark 12:30-31). In these two commandments is the whole of the law as far as a Christian should be concerned. It means that one has to demonstrate charity; one has to keep God’s laws—i.e., the 10 Commandments (to do so is to demonstrate one’s love for God).
It is in one’s behaviors in daily life that the full extent of one’s faith becomes known. The faith should translate into life, just like a seed grows into a tree. The faith starts in the mind but then is manifested outwardly in one’s actions. If it is not manifested in this manner, how is one’s faith of any use? The Christian Faith is meant to serve the soul, to open it to God’s grace, that the grace might transform the life of the person. It is meant to give peace and joy and strength to one and free one from depression, from fear, from darkness.[footnoteRef:5] This is also what is meant by the informing of the character by the Christian Faith: the faith must establish the character and shape it so that one begins acting as a living reflection of Christ in the world.[footnoteRef:6] The behavioral aspect of the faith is meant also to help to communicate the Word to others in the world. Faith comes by hearing, it must be remembered. For the faith to grow throughout the world it has to be communicated—and those who have the faith have to be the ones to do the communicating: this is why the Christian Faith cannot be something that one hides under a bushel—but rather the light that one shines from atop the hill (Matthew 5:15). [5: Smith, Christian. "Why Christianity works: An emotions-focused phenomenological account." Sociology of Religion 68, no. 2 (2007): 165-178.] [6: Pike, Mark A. "Christianity and character education: Faith in core values?." Journal of Beliefs & Values 31, no. 3 (2010): 311-321.]
Conclusion
To understand the meaning of the Christian Faith, one must understand how the aspects of the Christian Faith are interrelated. The acts of faith that Christians make help to reinforce the cognitive aspect of their faith, as they see in their own lives and in the lives of others the good fruits that come about as a result. The good fruit from the good tree further strengthens one’s trust in God, which in turn should facilitate the further development of the behavioral aspect of the faith. So the faith is therefore, in this sense, a continuous feedback loop that continuously strengthens so long as it is operating on all cylinders. The facts and doctrines of the Faith must first be assented to in the mind: one must first admit that Christ is God and came to redeem mankind: this is the cognitive aspect. Second, one must place one’s trust in God and believe that God will do as He has promised: this is the relational aspect. Finally, one must act and demonstrate the faith in the world—and this is the behavioral aspect.
Bibliography
Craymer, Suzanne L. "Margery Kempe's Imitation of Mary Magdalene and the" Digby
Plays"." Mystics Quarterly 19, no. 4 (1993): 173-181.
Lee, Dorothy A. "Partnership in Easter Faith: The Role of Mary Magdalene and Thomas
in John 20." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 17, no. 58 (1995): 37-49.
Pike, Mark A. "Christianity and character education: Faith in core values?." Journal of
Beliefs & Values 31, no. 3 (2010): 311-321.
Ratzinger, Joseph. "Relativism: Central Problem for Faith Today." Origins-Washington-
 26 (1996): 309-309.
Smith, Christian. "Why Christianity works: An emotions-focused phenomenological
account." Sociology of Religion 68, no. 2 (2007): 165-178.
Snyder, David C. "Faith and reason in Locke's Essay." Journal of the History of Ideas 47,
no. 2 (1986): 197-213.