Faith refers to (1) the exercise of our capacity to trust someone or something, as, for example, a rock climber has faith in his or her rope; (2) a set of beliefs, such as “Catholic faith”; (3) a deeper, very personal movement of the heart toward God that includes the first two meanings, yet moves beyond them into personal fellowship with God.
Continue reading WHAT IS BELIEF?
John’s use of the “Word” to describe Jesus was a startling new application of a popular expression. The term was used widely by theologians and philosophers, both Jews and Greeks. It described the agent of creation (Psalm 33:6); God’s message to His people through the prophets (Hosea 1:2); and God’s law, His standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11). In Greek philosophy, “the Word” was the principle of reason that governed the world. Continue reading IN WHAT WAY WAS JESUS THE “WORD”?