The Difference Between Belief and Faith

Beliefs are ideas that you hold to be true in your mind or heart, while "faith is confidence or trust in a person or entity."  You can believe in God without having trust in him.  "Even the demons believe—and shudder!" (James 2:19)  This verse can be a bit confusing or troubling until you take note that faith is not attributed to the demons, only belief.  Beliefs are tied to knowledge and discovery, while faith moves us to action and change in our lives.

Beliefs can be communicated with mere words, while faith cannot.  "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." (James 2:18)  This is presented as a challenge, since faith cannot be demonstrated or communicated without action.  This is not to say that beliefs are not important, they actually form the foundation for faith, but a foundation with nothing built on it has lost its purpose.

Thinking something to be true is just a belief, while publicly proclaiming that belief is an action, and a demonstration of faith.  Saying a prayer out loud adds weight to it, since that action requires more faith than just thinking it in your head.  Proclaiming it in public further magnifies this effect, as it is a further demonstration of faith.  Awhile back, I mentioned requesting a miracle on Facebook.  Using a public forum for that prayer was a deliberate demonstration of my faith, intended to add weight to that prayer request.

I have been going to a fairly "outside the box" bible study type group for over a year now, without really feeling any of the things that other people seem to be experiencing there.  My continued attendance is a sign of my faith in the significance of what I was witnessing there, even if I couldn’t necessarily understand it.  The first time I did feel anything outside the ordinary, (last night) I was unsure of what God was trying to tell me through that feeling.  My first reflex in most areas of life is to conceal what I am feeling, which is usually a sign of a lack of faith or trust, not to mention that it doesn’t help strengthen relationships.  Instead I openly shared what I was feeling at that point, in an attempt to discern the meaning of what was happening to me.  Acknowledging what I was feeling to those around me, was as significant of a step as perceiving the feeling to begin with, in that is shows trust in the people around me, and faith that God has put them there for a reason.

Hearing what God is telling us doesn’t require nearly as much faith as sharing what God is telling us.  That is one of the many principles that lead me to post things on here, that for a very long time I have kept to myself.