What are your ism's? Everyone subscribes to some set of beliefs about God and the world, and we all have theories about why things are the way the are. In philosophical terms, these worldviews that we choose are called isms. Although everyone chooses to believe something about the world, no one is completely sure that their beliefs are 100% correct. Humanly speaking, it impossible to be completely certain about anything. My beliefs about a subject are usually only one of many different sets of beliefs or opinions that a person can hold on that topic. So we see that beliefs are relative, and not necessarily true for everyone.
Beliefs can change if a new piece of evidence comes up. Today, if I see a puddle in my driveway, I might believe that it rained yesterday. However, if I later hear from my dad that he washed his truck in the driveway today, I would throw away my hypothesis and instead believe that the puddle came from the carwash. Thus, a person can never be completely sure that their beliefs are totally correct. He chooses to adhere to that belief because he feels it explains the world around him most accurately. So, it makes sense to always have a bit of "healthy skepticism" about any "ism" we follow
Faith, on the other hand, is infinitely more certain than mere belief. There is no "fuzziness" in faith. Faith is not subject to evidence or anything that we see with our eyes. Faith sees what God sees, not what people see. So when the whole world is falling apart around us, we can start feeling afraid of the future or doubt God's love for us, or we ask God to help us see what God sees. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is being "certain," being "sure" of the things which we can't see or things that will happen in the future. This certainty about God and about our futures can only come from God himself.
Belief is passive, but faith is active. True faith can never stand still because faith is always followed by action. If you really have faith in something, you will not be sitting still or silent. For example, if I genuinely have faith that the chair beside me can hold me up, I will be willing to sit on the chair. So if I have faith that Jesus is the only way to God, then I can't stay silent about who Jesus is. My faith in the Gospel message compels me to live a life that pleases God and that makes Jesus known to others. Faith pushes us to a decision, to action. However, when we refuse to have faith and instead settle for belief, we restrict God from working in our life.
There are many examples in the Bible that show the clear difference between faith and belief. Peter stepped out of the boat in faith, not just because he had a belief that Jesus was walking on water. All the disciples believed that it was Jesus on the water, but only Peter stepped out in faith. The woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus' garment in faith, not in mere belief in Jesus could heal her. There were many sick people around Jesus, but only this women stretched out her hand in faith, being sure that Jesus would heal her.
One final thought is that belief and faith are very related. I think that belief can actually turn into faith, and here's my theory: Belief can only become faith when God is added to the equation. God's power becomes the catalyst needed to convert belief into faith instantaneously.
Today, I realized that my relationship with God begins to feel dry when my faith in God, that active, present trust in His gospel, is converted into mere belief in God, the mental assent that God's word is true. Even though I still believe that God's word is true, I am not actually putting my faith into action by meditating on it or applying it to my life. When my faith dries up or I allow doubts to uproot my faith in God, I can no longer trust God with all certainty or believe His word without doubting.
When God is left out of the equation, then the "reaction" above goes from right to left and my faith will becomes mere belief. However, if I start depending on God again and abiding in Him, the reaction goes in the way it needs to, from left to right. Thankfully, I can trust God to give me more faith when I ask him for more, since He is the "Pioneer and Perfecter" of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).
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