In my last post I began exploring some other ways of seeing faith (aside from seeing faith as belief) which were not only instrumental in helping me through my own crisis of faith, but which have radically impacted how I have come to see things since. In doing so, I mentioned that one helpful way I found to compare these different ways of seeing faith was to look, not only at how each is understood in a positive sense, but also at how each is understood in a negative sense as well (by examining their opposites). In introducing some of these alternative approaches to faith, I noted that whereas the opposite of the currently dominant view of faith is typically understood in terms of doubt about certain ideas about God (i.e. ways of thinking), the opposite of these more ancient views of faith are typically understood primarily in terms of a lack of trust, commitment, loyalty, or allegiance towards God (i.e. ways of living). That is, to lack faith in these other senses isn’t to fail to believe a certain thing (although that may also be true), but rather to fail to live a certain way. With that broad outline in place, I then briefly explored perhaps the most personally influential of these alternative approaches to faith – namely, seeing faith as trust. 

In this post, I want to briefly highlight yet another approach to faith which I also found incredibly helpful during my crisis of faith. Although often described by many of the terms already mentioned above, this approach perhaps most commonly sees faith as described by the term faithfulness. That being said, and for reasons I will soon explain, I find it a bit more meaningful to frame this approach to faith in terms of seeing faith as love. But before we get there, let me first briefly unpack this idea of faith as faithfulness. After all, you may be wondering, what does it even mean to see faith as faithfulness (and isn’t that kind of circular in the first place, using the very term being defined in the definition itself)? These are good questions. In response, and to keep it simple, when I see faith in this way I don’t mean that I see faith as a general faithfulness to anything or everything, but rather that I see faith as a specific type of faithfulness – namely, faithfulness to a relationship with God. But what does it mean to have faithfulness to a relationship with God? In short, I think it means very much the same as to have faithfulness to any other personal relationship. That is, we exhibit faithfulness to a relationship insofar as we are faithful to the person with whom we have the relationship, whether a spouse, a partner, a friend, etc. Of course, different relationships will entail or require us to act (or avoid acting) in different ways in order for one to be faithful in the given relationship in view (i.e. just because I act in ways that exhibit faithfulness to a friend doesn’t necessarily mean I can act the same way towards my wife and still be considered faithful to her as a result, and vice versa). But, from a general point of view, faithfulness in one relationship will have a significant degree of commonality with faithfulness in any other relationship. 

One way to understand these commonalities would be by looking at a few closely related synonyms I’ve already alluded to previously, synonyms such as commitment, loyalty, and allegiance, to give a few examples. Another one that would perhaps be even more closely related would be the term fidelity. To be faithful, then, is to show fidelity, or commitment, or loyalty, or allegiance to another person; and, ideally, to show these qualities from the deepest level of our being. That is, from our heart – rather than merely from our head. Indeed, it is one thing to mentally commit to another person, but it is quite another to wholeheartedly commit to them. The latter seems to be much deeper and more substantive than the former, and therefore seems to exude a quality of faithfulness that is much greater than the former. Although, again, that doesn’t mean the former is problematic or should in any way be avoided. Rather one can – and perhaps should – seek to have both, at least insofar as one is able.

To extend things a bit further, although I’ve primarily been focused thus far on faithfulness to a person, I do think it worth pointing out that one can also exhibit faithfulness to non-persons as well (to use semi-philosophical talk for a second). That is, one can exhibit faithfulness to such things as animals (i.e. your dog), objects (i.e. your car), or – and perhaps most of all – even ideas (i.e. your beliefs). This distinction may seem pretty obvious or unobjectionable insofar as it goes, however I bring it up for one very important reason (and if you’ve been following me for awhile you can probably already guess why): namely, faithfulness to a person is not the same as faithfulness to ideas about a person. Similarly, faithfulness to God is not the same as faithfulness to ideas about God. Just as trusting in a set of statements about God is not the same as trusting in God, so too displaying faithfulness to a set of statements about God (whether doctrinal, biblical, or credal in origin), isn’t the same as displaying faithfulness to God. 

This doesn’t mean that statements about God are meaningless or unimportant (far from it!), rather it simply means that such statements are not properly the object of faithfulness to God. Instead, such statements serve as descriptors of, or signposts that point towards, the God to whom one is faithful. But we wouldn’t say that one is faithful to God simply because they are faithful to the signposts, rather one is faithful to God insofar as one is faithful to the reality to which the signposts point. That may be fairly uncontroversial as it stands, however where I may depart a bit from the norm is that I also believe this holds true whether one is faithful to the signposts themselves or not. In other words, I think one can be faithful to God – as described by a certain set of ideas about God – without necessarily being “faithful” by believing those ideas. Just as one can separate one’s trust in God from the things one believes about God, so too I think one can separate one’s faithfulness to God from the things one believes about God. The primary reason I think this is rooted both in my own intuition/experience on the one hand, and also on certain philosophical considerations related to the extent of one’s freedom of will. The latter is yet another semi-philosophical topic I will likely get to down the road, but for now I’ll simply suggest that it doesn’t seem one has as much freedom to willfully believe certain ideas as one does to willfully act on the basis of such ideas (whether one believes them or not).

That said, and to get back on track a bit, the other way to look at this way of seeing faith that I think worth pointing out (and which I’ve done previously) is to look once again at its opposite. Just as we did with the notion of faith as belief (where the opposite was doubt) and the notion of faith as trust (where the opposite was anxiety), when looking at faith as faithfulness the opposite seems to be – not doubt or anxiety – but rather… drumroll… unfaithfulness! Quite anti-climactic I admit, but perhaps a better word might be infidelity or, to use an even more common (and biblical) term: adultery. Indeed, this is likely what most people think of when they think of the term faithfulness in the first place, given its common use within the specific context of romantic and/or marital relationships. However, you may be surprised to find out that the use of the terms faithfulness and adultery in the Bible very rarely refer to this romantic idea we so often imbue it with today. Although it no doubt does address this particular meaning in certain areas (not least of which is the seventh of the Ten Commandments), for the most part its meaning lies elsewhere.

As one of my favorite scholars once put it, when the prophets slam Israel for being adulterous or when Jesus speaks of “an evil and adulterous generation,” they are not saying that there is “a lot of spouse swapping going on” (although that may also be true). Rather, they are calling out unfaithfulness, not to spouses, but to God. Perhaps yet another term that may help make this distinction even more clear is the term idolatry. Although it is no doubt true that the term is typically used in the context of worshiping idols, at its heart, idolatry signifies whenever one gives their ultimate commitment, loyalty, or allegiance to something (indeed anything) other than God. In opposition to idolatry, faith in this sense simply means giving ones ultimate commitment, loyalty, or allegiance to God rather than the many other substitutes we often put in that place. Whether a person (i.e. one’s spouse or significant other), an object (i.e. one’s money or possessions), or an idea (i.e. one’s philosophy or theology), anything that takes the rightful place of God as the ultimate target of our allegiance is, at least biblically, tantamount to spiritual adultery/idolatry. In short, faith in this sense means pledging our ultimate allegiance, not to the flag, or to the nation, or to money, or to power, or to success, or to desire, or even to family, etc., but rather to God. Indeed, the essence of this view of faith is captured perhaps most succinctly by the very first of the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me.” 

So far so good, you may think, but what does this have to do with faith as love? In closing, let me simply suggest that to be faithful to God (or any person for that matter) is, in effect, to love God (or that person). As Jesus himself summed up the greatest of the commandments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” And what does it look like to do this, or how is it exactly that we do this? As Jesus continues, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In short, to have faith in God is to love God, and to love God is to love your neighbor. And how exactly does one do this? In short, through practice: practices such as worship and prayer to God to be sure, but also (and perhaps most challenging of all) through the practice of living a life marked by compassion and justice for all. 

So to summarize this approach to faith as succinctly as I can: to have faith is to be faithful to God, to be faithful to God is to love God, and to love God is to love that which God loves. And what does God love? You and your neighbor, to be sure, but perhaps even more accurately – all of creation. To have faith then, is to love both God and all of God’s creation: you, me, my neighbor, your neighbor, the guy down the street, the girl across the world, the rich, the poor, the black, the white, the young, the old, the strong, the weak, the happy, the sad, the healthy, the sick, the near, the far, the land and its plants/animals, the ocean and its fish, the sky and its birds… you name it. To have faith is, in short, to love – to love truly, to love deeply, to love fully, and to love all.

I don’t know about you, but seeing faith in this way just sets my heart on fire (even despite my admitted failures in living it out all too often). All that said, however, there is yet one more way of seeing faith which has had a significant impact on me over the past few years, a way of seeing faith I hope to briefly explore next time.

Until then, thanks again for reading and – as always – stay curious, seek truth, and love well.

Cheers,