Faith: Being in Tune with God's Justice

Faith: Being in Tune with God's Justice

Dhyanchand Carr

Many of you may be quite surprised to learn that the Old Testament doxies do not have a word for faith. There is only a word for faithfulness. In the New Testament, the dominant meaning of the word faith is not simply subscribing to a creed nor to put one's trust in God for one's salvation. Rather, it is to live in accordance with God's purposes for peace with justice in the world. This is clear in the letter to the Hebrews and the letter of James, which interpret liberative actions of the Old Testament persons as actions motivated by faith. Thus, according to such a perception, a humanist who is motivated by compassion and a concern for a just social order, even if he/she were an agnostic or an atheist, could be seen as one who lives by faith. In some mysterious ways, it may be said. God's grace is active in that humanist's life. And even if many profess a firm belief in Jesus Christ but lend support to the continuance of unjust systems and structures, we should regard them as people of "unfaith" or "anti-faith" for their lives do not testify to the constraining power of the love of God in them.

Remembering how the New Testament interprets the liberative actions of Old Testament persons in terms of faith, we could almost say that totally secular actions of socio-political nature are interpreted as 'saving actions' or actions which proclaim the presence of the hidden power of faith. What is the relationship then between the religious term, faith, and people's commitment to justice? The ways in which faith is defined by the authors of the

letter to the Hebrews, the letter of James and the gospels must be carefully studied. This task is most urgent as even today we are governed by a narrow understanding of Paul's emphasis on the primacy of faith as simply trusting in Jesus for one's own personal salvation from damnation in hell. Therefore, we shall first begin with Hebrews and go on to see how James and the gospel writers agree with that epistle and finally seek to probe into the prevailing misunderstanding about faith, particularly with reference to Paul's emphasis on the primacy of faith.

Faith According to the Letter to the Hebrews

The letter to the Hebrews was, in all probability, written when the destruction of Jerusalem was just around the comer. The chances of deliverance from the impending doom were few. So the author seems to be concerned about strengthening those with weakening knees by making them look back to the ways in which people had acted according to God's purposes although they had not seen God and although indications that they would succeed in their venture were few. It is in this respect that the author defines faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). This definition has been understood as referring to heaven as the things unseen. We do not suggest that it does not refer to heavenly things at all. Rather, we do want to suggest that "things unseen" refer more to unrealized dreams for liberation and justice and "in what we do not see" is included the certainty of a vision of the invisible God.

In Hebrews 11:23-31, the bold and venturesome actions of the parents of Moses are interpreted as actions of faith. Yet, the parents of Moses would not have known the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their nation had been under bondage for more than 400 years. God did not seem to care. So it is improbable that they believed that God would somehow save their child. They were simply attracted by the beauty of the child. Their parental affection

and their willingness to risk the wrath of Pharaoh were motivating factors in enabling them to hide the child in a basket hoping that someone might save it if its Hebrew origins were concealed. The writer to the Hebrews, however, sees faith in their action because it contributed to God’s purposes. This faith was devoid of all creedal content. There was even no clear vision beyond the desire that the child might somehow survive. Yet, in the light of what happened, their action is interpreted as an action motivated by faith.

When Moses grew up, he learned that he was in fact a Hebrew. He could have continued as if he was a member of the family of Pharaoh but he chose to identify himself with his own people who were oppressed as detestable foreign slaves. Again, this act is interpreted as an act of faith. According to the author of Hebrews, Moses' action was motivated by a vision of the ultimate salvation. However, inasmuch as Moses did not even recognize God when God first called him out of the burning bush and in view of his hesitations (see Exodus 3:14-4: 17), we can say that he did not first identify himself with his own people because of faith but because of human compassion. But his action eventually led to the deliverance of his people from slavery and oppression. Hence, it is interpreted as an act of faith. In verse 26, the author interprets Moses' action as done on behalf of Christ while verse 27 says that he left Egypt as if inspired by the invisible God. The interesting fact to observe is that Moses' actions of leading the people out of slavery after being "called" by God through the burning bush experience in the wilderness of Midian are seen as actions of faith. But they arose out of his impulsive sense of solidarity. Hence, the actions of Moses even before he was called, which originally had no religious or spiritual motivation, are seen by later reflection as acts of faith. Therefore, according to the author of Hebrews, acts of human solidarity, i.e. solidarity with the oppressed, are acts motivated by Christian faith even if the person were totally unaware of what we would today call the "faith dimension."

Moses and his parents are by no means an exception. The author of Hebrews goes on to cite the example of Rahab, a professional prostitute. In all probability, the two men sent to spy out Jericho went to her home purely seeking pleasure. But this context provided Rahab an opportunity to get to know who the men were and their recent history of deliverance from Egypt. She was moved with compassion when she learned that they were in fact "refugees" or "asylum seekers." The officialdom of the walled city of Jericho, however, acted exactly how all the modem cities respond to those who want to settle in if they are without status, wealth and professional skills. The police of the city sought to put a stop to the likely influx of fugitives from Egypt. But Rahab thought otherwise. Such an attitude of compassion transcending national loyalties motivated her to protect the two Hebrew spies from her city's police. This act is interpreted as an act of faith. It is true that the Book of Joshua tells us (Joshua 2: 1-19) that Rahab helped the men escape because she foresaw that Jericho would be destroyed by God and so she changed her loyalties in the light of the assurance given by the men to save her and her family. But we should clearly understand such an interpretation as bordering on the fantastic. Rahab was indeed later converted to the faith of the Israelites, got married to Solomon, an important ancestor of King David (Matt. 1: 5-6). But when she actually helped the two men, she must have done so without knowing what was going to happen. Her acts were but purely motivated by human sympathy, which transcended narrow national loyalties. Yet, this was later interpreted, and rightly so, as an action of faith. The author of James puts her on par with Abraham and holds her as an example of faith (Ja. 2:25). The author of James seems to suggest that a mere profession of faith, without actions to testify to it, is bogus; but a mere act of human sympathy is an indication of faith that is simply not openly acknowledged.

The Understanding of Faith in James

We have already referred to how James agrees with the letter to the Hebrews in interpreting acts of human sympathy as acts of faith. But the real significance of James' understanding is to be seen in James 2:5 where he makes a bold statement that God has made the poor of the world to be rich in faith and the inheritors of God's kingdom. Everyone who gets to know the poor of the world would certainly be impressed by their willingness to share their meager resources, their commitment to the corporate, and their readiness to put themselves at risk for the sake of fellow sufferers. Could we say that it is this perception about the poor, which led James to say that God has made them to be rich in faith? By this affirmation that it is God who makes the poor of the world to be rich in faith, notice that James avoids the danger of suggesting that human beings unaided by God could indulge in acts of real compassion. Rather, according to James, God is the only source of all that is good. So if the lifestyle of the poor is studded by spontaneous gestures of solidarity and compassion, we can say that they have been made so by God and not that they have obtained that state by themselves.

The Understanding of Faith in the Gospels

"Your faith has saved you" was an often-repeated word of assurance by Jesus. Such reassuring words are usually found in the context of the healing miracles. What is actually meant by faith in these contexts? It is usually understood as the person's unshakeable belief in Jesus' power and willingness to heal. At other times it is understood as having a creedal content especially as those who seek the help of Jesus address him either as son of David or as Lord (e.g. Matt. 8:10,9:2,9:22,9:27-31).

What should be pointed out, however, is that Jesus commends people for their faith not on the grounds of their belief in

his power but because of their ability to transcend restraints of culture and tradition. It is unusual boldness or unusual humility, which evokes a word of appreciation from Jesus.

Let us take the case of the hemorrhaging woman. Not only did she believe that if she managed to touch Jesus she would be healed, she was also ready to break all conventional taboos and reach out to Jesus (see Leviticus 15:19-28). So when Jesus commended her faith, we must understand that he commended her courage in breaking conventional taboos. Faith is also indicated where unusual humility is recognized. For example, the centurion's faith received public acknowledgment not so much because he recognized the authority Jesus had but more so because he felt unworthy to receive Jesus under his roof. The Canaanite woman who besought the Lord to heal her daughter was commended not because she believed that Jesus had the power to heal, but because she was ready to concede that God's favor should rightly be directed towards the lost sheep (i.e. the scattered, harassed and marginalized groups of society) and that insofar as she belonged to the privileged section of the community she would be prepared to be satisfied by the crumbs falling off the table of the children. It is this extraordinary humility, which is commended as saving faith (Matt. 15:21-28, Lk. 16:20-21).

Yet, if it is only because of such an understanding, mere belief that can perhaps move mountains, if it is devoid of the necessary resonance with the purposes and values of God's kingdom, there comes the sharp criticism (see Matt. 7:22-23). Therefore, to know God does not imply that we simply acknowledge God's greatness. Even the devils tremble at God's name (Ja. 2:19. Jn. 8:54-56), but the devils do not have faith. Faith, therefore, is that which enables us to be in tune with God's purposes. This of course is possible only if God helps us. Therefore, we say, on the one hand, that all actions motivated by the God-given or God-inspired resonance with God's purposes are to be recognized as

acts of faith and, on the other hand, a mere creedal affirmation of belief in God, God's goodness or God's power will not do. While a clearly formulated creed may help in evoking such a resonance, we must also say that many resonate with God's purposes without necessarily being motivated by an articulated system of beliefs. The truth, however, is that if one's life is in tune with God's purposes, then, whether that person is a believer, God alone inspires him or her. To know this is to know God and to know oneself.

Pauline Emphasis on Faith as Complete Trust in God

At the very outset, we stated that we must see why Paul would put so much emphasis on faith as trusting in God. That Abraham believed in God and God counted it as righteousness (Gen. 15:6) is his proof text (Rom. 4:3). But Paul also quoted Hab. 2:4, "The righteous one shall live by faith" - i.e. faithfulness (Rom. 1:17). First of all, as a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents and as one brought up in the pharisaic tradition which was strictly legalistic, Paul, when converted by a vision of the risen Lord, came to realize that it was his very religion that led him to persecute the Christians. Secondly, he also realized that the pharisaic tradition had given him a false confidence that, by living faithfully according to that tradition, he would be serving God's purposes. This was proved wrong; His religion had led him away from God; in fact, into an anti-God direction. He was in line with those who, blinded by religious zeal, had crucified Jesus Col. 2:14-15) and (I Cor. 2:8. He realized to his horror the legitimizing role of religion and the fanaticism led by legalistic religion. So Paul was trying to counter those claims by saying "faith alone" and not legalistic religion would put one in tune with God.

Paul also emphasized that the gospel brought freedom – i.e. freedom from religion (e.g. Gal. 5:1 and II Cor. 3:11). So Paul's understanding of faith as the only criterion to be in tune with God was in the context of a religious legalism which legitimized

injustice and which blinded people with a false zeal. Therefore, Paul was only too ready to concede that many gentiles (i.e. non-Jewish people) who did not adhere to such a legalistic religion were often more righteous than many zealous Jews (Rom. 2:14-15). He would go so far as to say that such non-Jewish people showed that God had imprinted the law of righteousness in their hearts.

Because Paul became acutely conscious that the law, originally given with a good purpose, was turned into the power of sin (I Cor. 15:56), he asserted that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, Paul's emphasis on faith as trust in God has nothing to do with confessing Christian faith being devoutly orthodox. Rather, Paul wants to affirm that only those enabled by God can truly please God. It is this humble acknowledgment, which governs all that we seek to do for God, which should be described as faith.

Such faith is not contrary to our involvement for justice. Such faith does not lead one to acquiesce in the face of falsehood or injustice. Paul himself did not hesitate to challenge Peter when Peter acted contrary to the gospel (Gal. 2:11-21), Paul also used the privileges of his Roman citizenship to appeal to Caesar when he failed to get justice at the hands of governors Felix and Festus. Earlier he used the same privilege to persuade the general to give him safe conduct under the threat of assassination by a Jewish extremist terrorist squad (Acts 23:12-25). His advice to the Christian slaves was to avail of freedom if they could for it was not right for any person to be a slave of another (I Cor. 7:21). However, the pragmatic constraints of the existing laws, which favored the rights of the masters and the tyranny of the Roman officials towards run-away slaves, made him counsel patience. Unfortunately, we have misunderstood Paul's emphasis on faith and we have isolated the texts of Pauline ethical advice from their contexts and have used them to support our quietistic inaction and narrow, selfish heavenward orientation. But I hope you would now

agree that the predominant meaning of faith is to be in tune with God’s purpose, i.e. to work alongside God constantly seeking God’s help for peace with justice.

Suggested Procedures

1. In small groups, share / discuss the following:

* What does it mean to have faith?

* How did you come to have such a definition of faith?

2. Share with the big group.

3. Engage in a biblical survey on the meaning of faith using the presentation here. What are the difference / similarity between your definition and the Bible's definition of faith?

4. What does it mean to genuinely profess faith in your situation / context as SCMers?

5. Dramatize your answer to question 4.