David777
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The term Faith is defined as belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust, confidence, reliance, or devotion. Faith is the opposite of doubt. More narrowly is how the term is used within the Christian Faith.
Webster's New World College Dictionary defines faith as "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence; unquestioning belief in God, religious tenets."
The word faith is only used 4 times in the Old Testament, while several times in the synoptic gospels and other NT books.
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_in_Christianity
snippet:
In recent decades, scholars have researched what [Hebrew] pi'stis meant in the social context of the New Testament writers. Several scholars who have studied the usage of pi'stis in both early Greek manuscripts and the New Testament have concluded that 'faithfulness' is the most satisfactory English translation in many instances. This recent research has prompted some to argue that New Testament faith and belief in Jesus should be understood in terms of faithfulness, loyalty, and commitment to him and his teachings, rather than in terms of belief, trust and reliance.
One sometimes hears the question from atheists as to why after the Crucificxion, Jesus only appeared to followers and not to the masses of others or authorities since doing so would have convinced far more others at a time when Peter's church was most fragile. That answer is simple. God did not want to give the precious gift of eternal life salvation to those that had chosen to not believe during the period when his son Jesus actually walked the Earth and rejected His proclaimed good word. Jews had to morally want what Jesus preached, value possible eternal life, and be prepared to change their lives for such. The rest would simply die eternally ending existence. The same is true today. There has always been much worldly advantage and fleshly pleasures, for those wealthy and with power that reject that moral level.
One needs to understand per the OT, God through Moses and prophets never offered Jews eternal life. I'll hypothesize, the UIE's I see as an ancient non-organic spirit race, from Adam's days did not view the vast majority of human's as worthy of eternal life that they probably had been giving to individuals of other moral alien organic races in the Universe for billions of years. Yet the Transfiguration shows they did indeed give some humans eternal life. By Jesus days, after centuries of failures trying to help humans via prophets, they were ready to give up so decided to give us one final last chance by publicly offering that gift of eternal life as they knew some were always worthy.
Webster's New World College Dictionary defines faith as "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence; unquestioning belief in God, religious tenets."
The word faith is only used 4 times in the Old Testament, while several times in the synoptic gospels and other NT books.
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_in_Christianity
snippet:
In recent decades, scholars have researched what [Hebrew] pi'stis meant in the social context of the New Testament writers. Several scholars who have studied the usage of pi'stis in both early Greek manuscripts and the New Testament have concluded that 'faithfulness' is the most satisfactory English translation in many instances. This recent research has prompted some to argue that New Testament faith and belief in Jesus should be understood in terms of faithfulness, loyalty, and commitment to him and his teachings, rather than in terms of belief, trust and reliance.
One sometimes hears the question from atheists as to why after the Crucificxion, Jesus only appeared to followers and not to the masses of others or authorities since doing so would have convinced far more others at a time when Peter's church was most fragile. That answer is simple. God did not want to give the precious gift of eternal life salvation to those that had chosen to not believe during the period when his son Jesus actually walked the Earth and rejected His proclaimed good word. Jews had to morally want what Jesus preached, value possible eternal life, and be prepared to change their lives for such. The rest would simply die eternally ending existence. The same is true today. There has always been much worldly advantage and fleshly pleasures, for those wealthy and with power that reject that moral level.
One needs to understand per the OT, God through Moses and prophets never offered Jews eternal life. I'll hypothesize, the UIE's I see as an ancient non-organic spirit race, from Adam's days did not view the vast majority of human's as worthy of eternal life that they probably had been giving to individuals of other moral alien organic races in the Universe for billions of years. Yet the Transfiguration shows they did indeed give some humans eternal life. By Jesus days, after centuries of failures trying to help humans via prophets, they were ready to give up so decided to give us one final last chance by publicly offering that gift of eternal life as they knew some were always worthy.
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