Knowledge, Assent, Trust. The model of what faith is that Greg talked about said that in order to have faith in something, you must first know about it (knowledge), you must then choose to agree with it (assent), and you must then rely on it (trust). This seems like a more in-depth view of what faith is. The two notions of faith do not necessarily contradict each other. In fact, I’ll attempt to put them together. Faith is, (that is, in order to have faith you must have): knowledge of what it is you are about to commit to. You must then choose to accept it (this is regardless of weather it is correct or not, for this simply involves your own choice). You must then put your trust in it, and rely on it. Finally, you must hope that it is correct, since you are now relying on it.

So, to have faith in God, is to first hear what others say is true about there being a God. To read the bible and see what it says God is. Then choose to agree with what you’ve learnt. (This one is tricky, in that some people will need to learn more than others about God, in order to justify to themselves the choice of agreeing in the existence of God.) Then you must rely on the existence of God. (This is also a tricky one, because it is difficult to find something to rely on god for.) Then, as you rely on it, you hope it will actually happen, else your wasting your efforts.

But I think “Faith is Hope” will do just fine.

First you must have an object of faith (or Knowledge). Faith is not just a condition, an emotion, or something you catch (like a cold); it is a disposition toward something or someone. For us Christians, what that something or someone is, is important.

Second, you must assent to that something or someone, or have a positive disposition toward it. This speaks more to the cognitive or rational side, for example, being able to say you believe that the chair will hold you.

However, faith does not end with assent; it must also have trust. This is where the heart comes in, for example trusting that the chair will hold you - actually sitting in it if necessary. True biblical faith as I understand it requires all three: Knowledge, Assent, and Trust, involving both the mind and the heart.

For me, I lived most of my early years thinking that faith was merely the first two. My Christianity was part of my identity, but honestly it wasn’t much more than a label; at most it was fire insurance (something I kept stored away, hoping I would never have to use it). My faith had little transforming impact on my life from day to day, and for that reason, I don’t think my faith was “true” until much later when I made Christ Lord of my life. That is when my life changed and my relationship with Jesus became much more real.