What do we believe about believing [bible study series]

o Lesson 1
1. Is faith rational?"Faith is a sure confidence of things which are hoped for, and a certainty of things which are not seen." hebrews 11:1 tyndale Bible
faith is belief:In the Greek "pisteuo" is the same word translated "believe" or "faith". So to have faith is synonymous with believe

Thomas Aquinas: This medeival philosopher divided up the word believe into 2 separate categories Faith and Reason.
Unfortunately all the educated world followed this path.
Faith was to believe in something illogical. Reason was to be skeptical of everything and believe only became possible after you failed to disbelieve it. today these thinkers still exists.
skeptics(reason) and Fideist(faith)
Christian Belief is a healthy balance of Both. We are skeptical of every religion that does not match the Bible. Yet we believe in everything the Bible says.

believeing is presuppositional based upon recieving revelation..
Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven
hebrews 11:3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Faith is blind in the sense that we do not recieve it based upon our own intellect or imagination, faith was not our vision.
2Corinthians 5:7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Colossians 2:18
18Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Is faith reasonable?
1 Corinthians 14:33For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Question: How does understanding faith and belief in this way effect your understanding of these following passages? If faith were irrational how would you have understood them?

john 1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Do you imagine a god to be real? Or do you really believe in God?
o Personal belief explaining that Christ is the object of faith.
"Remember we only need the faith of a mustard seed because it is not about how strong we believe, but what/who we believe in."
whom do we say that He is? matthew 16:13-20

the transfiguration
matthew 17:1-8

It is not "keeping the faith" in a set of principles or a religious organization. romans 11:22-24, Matthew 3:9, John 5:39

Also how personal faith leads to religious liberty.
John 3:5-8, Mark9:39-40, acts 4:12-21

when you believe in christ what are you believing?
How strong do you need to believe? Where does the power come from?
If the government can not save your soul How can it have authority over your faith?
o FAITH alone(part 3)
John 3:16-18,36, 5:22

Romans 3:19-38, 4:9-16

Justification
Catholic vrs. Evangelical/ infusion vrs. Imputation
The meaning of the word justification in scripture.
Deuteronomy 25:1, 1kings 8:32, proverbs 17:15
Scripture shows that...
Baptism is not essential to save
Acts 10:44-49
Church membership is not essential to save
Acts 8:27, 36-39
The law is not essential to save
Colossians 2:14-16
Speaking in tongues is not essential to save
Acts 16:30-34, 1corinthians 12:7-11
o Only believe
We believe the gospel
1corinthians 15:1-4
The gospel can not be altered
Galatians 1:7-11
The gospel can not live with the law
Romans 7:1-6
The self righteous do not submit to the righteousness of Christ.
Romans 10::2-10
Legalistic Religious works are not of faith, they are of the flesh.
Galatians 1:1-13
There is one destiny for those judged according to their deeds.
Rev. 20:12-15
o what belief can do
working for salvation verses working because of salvation

ephesians 2:10, romans 5:18-6, 8:1-10

James 2 understanding the use of justification and other words in the pre-pauline letter.

The bema judgement(rewards)
2Corinthians 5:10, rev4 etc.