Faith in vs Faith that
Christianese is a language that believers grow up learning. They hear things and repeat them and before long they become doctrine. Whether it’s found in scripture or not.
One such phrase pertains to believers having “faith that Jesus died for their sins” or “faith that your sins are forgiven” or some other variation. And while these statements are not in and of themselves harmful they can lead to a theology that is.
The statement itself “faith that…” leads to the notion that our faith is merely in believing certain intellectual facts or historical details. This has on occasion been summed up in the debate between head knowledge vs heart knowledge, an argument that even James expounded on.
But the truth is. Nowhere in scripture can you find that statement “faith that Christ died” or “faith that our sins are forgiven”. In fact the phrase “faith that …” only appears 3 times in scripture and it never refers to belief in any historical data.
However, the phrase “faith in ….” appears 23 times, 18 of which refer specifically to faith in God, Jesus, our Lord or the work He is doing through our trials and sufferings. Faith in the Lord demonstrates itself in practical and tangible ways. We see this throughout every example of faith in scripture.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in James and Hebrews. In James’s epistle he draws a distinction between “faith that…” and “faith in…” in his argument that faith without works is dead.
James 2:14-17 (NKJV) 14 What [does it] profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what [does it] profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
In this passage James uses the example of a brother in need. When another brother sees his need he merely responds with “I’ll pray for you” (be warmed, be filled). James responses here is that this kind of “faith that” certain historical events have taken place is a dead faith.
James goes on to use Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac as an example of true faith.
James 2:21-23 (NKJV) 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
James argues that true faith manifests itself in practical ways. He then goes on to say that “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness”. He had faith IN God, IN His promises, the result of which was tangible evidence.
But James wasn’t the only one who recognized this. The author of Hebrews (some believe to be Apollos) wrote of this in his “Hall of Faith” chapter in Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:4 - Abel’s faith in God led to him offering a sacrifice.
Hebrews 11:5 - Enoch’s faith in God lead to him being taken up.
Hebrews 11:7 - Noah’s faith in God led to him building an ark.
Hebrews 11:8 - Abraham’s faith in God led to him leaving his home town and seeking the land God had promised.
Hebrews 11:9-10 - Abraham’s faith in God led him to stay and dwell in the promised land
Hebrews 11:11 - Sarah’s faith in God led her to conceive a child well past age.
Hebrews 11:13-16 - their faith in God led them to live as strangers in this world with their eyes set on His kingdom.
Hebrews 11:17-19 - Abraham’s faith in God led him to sacrifice Isaac concluding that God would raise him back.
Hebrews 11:21 - Isaac’s faith in God led him to bless the sons of Joseph.
Hebrews 11:22 - Joseph’s faith in God led him to give instructions regarding the removal of his bones that would occur at the exodus, 400 years later.
Hebrews 11:23 - Moses’ mother’s faith in God led to her disobeying the pharaohs command to give up her child.
Hebrews 11:24-27 - Moses faith in God led to him refusing to be identified with Egypt and preferring to be identified with the people of God.
Hebrews 11:28 - Moses faith in God led to him keeping the Passover feast in obedience to God.
Hebrews 11:29 - Moses faith in God led to him passing through the Red Sea.
Hebrews 11:30 - Israel’s faith in God led them to March around Jericho.
Hebrews 11:31 - Rahabs faith in God led her to disguise the Israelite spies and hide them.
and the list goes on. Each and every one of these possessed a faith IN God that manifested itself in practical ways. None of these possessed a faith that… their faith was in a person.
The difference between “faith that…” and “faith in…” cannot be overstated. One leaves a person secure in their deception, utterly unchanged. It demands no trust in the person or character of God. Their faith is dead because the object of their faith, mere intellectual facts, is also dead.
The other however, leaves a person focused on God as the object of their faith. Their faith manifests itself in tangible ways, and because the object of their faith is alive, so is their faith.
This might seem simplistic but the difference is profound. When we understand this we begin to see how man is saved by faith apart from the law.
Galatians 2:16 (NKJV)
“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Paul makes it clear that we are not justified (made right) through the law, but by faith in Christ. In each and every one of the 18 instances of “faith in” mentioned above it speaks of a faith in a living person. The Lord to whom we surrender, dying to ourselves, and living a new life “in Him”.
The tangible means by which we demonstrate our faith in Him are still as practical and relevant today as they were then. The decisions we make in our day to day life are viewed through the lens of His will and His kingdom. The fears and persecution we face are tempered by faith in His character and His promises. The living sacrifices we make of ourselves are offered by faith in His love and His worthiness.
Coming to Christ is not merely faith that… it is faith in.
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