What Faith Is

I think that I must prove to Jesus, Father and utilise HS to do this, that I am a good vessel of HS.

If I fail to, theyre welcome to call my faith insincere due to the works.

I likely do go to Hell anyway as I am a convert and spent much of my life being a sinful scumbag. We will see.

Or, more likely than not, you will either be buried and slowly decay, or be incinerated in a fiery furnace.

I would imagine that a Universal Super-Intelligence, would find the human concepts of heaven and hell a tad silly, but amusing and typical.

Sola fide is heresy.

Id argue the concept of sola anything is heresy, all of it works together.

but the grace of God enables the hope of salvation. "Saved by grace through faith" "how can they believe except they hear? How can they hear without a preacher" "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"

So the word of God is powerless unless it is believed.

And grace is made void if there is no faith.

Mind you this is all in connection to salvation.

God is holy, gracious and the word regardless if believed or heard.

It seems we have some agreement.

Saying faith is all you need is putting God in debt and trying to do the bear minimum. We are saved by grace.

Also, there are like five different solas, so it can’t even be sola anymore.

If Christianity is such a big movement, maybe people should look into it to see if it’s true. It’s a big deal and a concept that has impacted the entire world for a very long time.

Would you tell me why you disbelieve Christianity or would you like me to tell you why I believe in it?

Feel free.

And a concept

You said it.

If it were fact based, it wouldn't be a concept.

So beardy man was around as a concept long before the Christian adaptation.

Probably because of beardy men who inevitably grew beards.

Faith is central to Christianity 

because it is the foundation of belief, trust, and a relationship with God. It involves believing in God's promises, relying on His character, and accepting Christian truths, particularly that of Jesus Christ, as the basis for salvation and life. Without faith, Christianity is seen as a hollow set of rules and beliefs, but with faith, it becomes a trusting, committed relationship with a creator. 

Cause I know the context in which it happened. I know i'm not lying about details. This is why I don't use any sort of substances when engaged in spiritual practices. There have also been situations where things have happened or where beings have appeared and I have no idea who they are. I actually have to research to figure it out.

From your spiritual practices, you believe in a divine revelation of sorts? It will help me if you explain your spirituality and how you are interacting with other holy entities--if that is what you do.

If Christianity is such a big movement, maybe people should look into it to see if it’s true. It’s a big deal and a concept that has impacted the entire world for a very long time.

Would you tell me why you disbelieve Christianity or would you like me to tell you why I believe in it?

Feel free.

I don't remember the whole context of our conversation, but I like to finish ideas with people so I'll continue.

I first believed in it because of how I was raised and the impressions my parents, school, and church had on me. Now that I am older and I have had more exposure to alternative ideas and their logic, my intellect has compounded the ways I contemplate my faith by subjecting it to scrutiny based on increased knowledge and critical thinking skills, which has led to a reinforced belief in Christianity.

So beardy man was around as a concept long before the Christian adaptation.

Probably because of beardy men who inevitably grew beards.

What do you mean the "Christian adaptation" of a beardy man? Which beardy man? --and don't say Santa Claus

But one excludes God, if I understand correctly, and I think that side is wrong because in all possible scenarios there is no logical explanation for God not existing.

We are talking about a transcendent reality, which is to say, it transcends logical analysis.

Some aspects of God can't be logically understood, though He's revealed Himself sufficiently in the Bible.

You believe the Bible reveals God, which is fine, but I know the Bible very well, and what I know isn’t in it, are any “proofs of” or “arguments for”, the existence of God.

The basis of biblical faith is not inferential reason. It is personal encounter. Rather than make an argument for the existence of God, the Bible describes the encounter with a personal, moral, liberating, and transcendent power and presence.

You have chosen to believe that the Bible reveals God, and others don’t choose to believe that, but either way, it is not a logical conclusion, it is a choice we are free to make, and it is a matter of faith. 

I am fine with not knowing every answer about God. It is natural to not fully understand one's Father, but the people that disagree and say that they can completely know God by declaring Him fake are the same people that don't even do everything they tell themselves to do, so why would they think their mind is superior to God's? A perfect mind would know better than an imperfect mind. Makes no sense practically that a sinful person would think they know better than an inerrant being (aside from the fact that they make mistakes about things)

I is my contention that, if a person’s Theism is logically arrived at rather than discerned, if it a matter of detached rational analysis rather than participation in a transcendent experiential reality, then I think they are doing it wrong. A religious belief that is some sort of logical inference instead of immediately known, is not authentically religious.

The nature of the Bible itself is a proof, in that it is a historical document. Provided its credibility is established, it can be used to defend the existence of God.

You have chosen to believe that the Bible reveals God, and others don’t choose to believe that, but either way, it is not a logical conclusion, it is a choice we are free to make, and it is a matter of faith. 

I think it is objective that one can learn more about the Christian God from reading the Bible that describes Him and details examples of His personality and actions.

The basis of biblical faith is not inferential reason. It is personal encounter. Rather than make an argument for the existence of God, the Bible describes the encounter with a personal, moral, liberating, and transcendent power and presence.

I think you are saying that faith is not logically discerned, it arrives from experience. I agree with that. However, logic and knowledge do impact faith. Tangible information can change a faith or even create a new one.

I think the Bible can be comprehended logically, yet there are truths in it that are mystifying. Though not all truths in it our beyond human perception, so I don't fully agree with you saying that the Bible does not "make an argument for the existence of God." In fact, we are encouraged to argue on our Lord's behalf to witness via acting upon the Holy Spirit with the truth provided to us in the Bible.

Remember the Albert Einstein said, ‘The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends. No interpretation, no matter how subtle, can (for me) change anything about this.’

I find the Bible to be quite liberating. The bible is not just made up of the "mythical stories" Einstein spoke. There are also poetry, philosophy, wisdom, and history, so his view of the Bible is uneducated I will say.

I also wonder under what philosophy Einstein was operating when he said that?

I likely do go to Hell anyway as I am a convert and spent much of my life being a sinful scumbag. We will see.

You wouldn't say that if you believe in Justification.

Einstein was a Jew and did not believe in the afterlife. So for all his great achievements he lies buried for good.

Some Mesopotamian or Egyptian pre-GOD or another, before they invented razors.

Prior to that I'm guessing that Og and Ug the cave boys had beards and came to similar conclusions in a naive and primeval sort of way.

Don't believe the Flintstones for a minute, that's just US propaganda.

In essence, faith is a trusting relationship with God, acting on his word , and relying on his power rather than human strength.

Hebrew 11:1 faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Prior to that I'm guessing that Og and Ug the cave boys had beards and came to similar conclusions in a naive and primeval sort of way.

They realized if they cut their facial hair they would lose all their testosterone and be powerless

They are certainly beardless and powerless today. It was all idolatry.

They are certainly beardless and powerless today. It was all idolatry.

Yeah, what a brotha gonna do? Where’s my testosterone at?

I digress but I put off shaving my beard way too long. Like every other day or every third day I should shave, but I wait like four or five days instead which makes me look bedraggled.

On the other hand, the hair on my scalp is getting better and better because I started taking better care of it. I guess that was the trade off

It doesn’t show in your Avatar your hair or beard.

It doesn’t show in your Avatar your hair or beard.

Mhm, and it won't bc my privacy is valuable, especially at my age. Also I am trying to live the kind of life detailed in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ^11 "to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² so that you may walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone."

As for my beard you wouldn't want to see it bc it hasn't matured--not full, and my scalp hair was thinning at one point so it doesn't look great rn. But I did a lot of research into natural methods for regenerating hairline and maintaining good hair health. Ever since using the knowledge, I have only seen benefits, so I am confidently anticipating a head full of hair in a few months to a year.

My hair doesn't look that bad, just a bit recessed on the sides of the hairline. But the hair is already growing back, just need those vellus hairs to become terminal hairs and then we're cooking.

Main thing is: I stopped using shampoo a few months ago. My hair hasn't been this healthy in years. I am never going back. I wash hair with raw eggs and sometimes honey.

I heard raw eggs and honey are good for your hair. Hope you achieve your goals.

I will. Ever since I stopped using shampoo and started washing hair with raw eggs 2x-3x a week, my hair has been less greasy, less flaky, less itchy, less irritated, and more balanced with oil. It's not scratchy anymore, and it's cleaner without drying up from harsh shampoo chemicals. Also hair that was receding has started growing back. I've only received benefits from this, and the goal is to keep on progressing.

There are other things I do too for optimal hair health, but no poo and eggs are some big changes

You are demonstrating your faith in your homemade shampoo.

You're right. I've stuck with it because of objective results, and there is some science I can use to back up the practice

In my opinion, hair is a nuisance.

And I find it somewhat bizarre that people will invest time effort and money titivating their head hair and then even more time effort and money removing hair from everywhere else.

So just in the interests of research, how hirsute or not are your lower nooks and crannies...And do you apply eggs and honey to these regions too.

He caught your interest. Now you want details. lol!

Don't be coy...It applied to you both.

I just use regular shampoo. Sorry to disappoint.