For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Many people claim to be very faithful and can even show how they actively relate to God and others. Some people are not so interested and even deny their faith. So, what is faith? Why is faith important or not important to us? Let's reflect together.
What is faith anyway? The human response to God's revelation is faith. Faith can be explained as a personal bond between man and God, as well as man's assent to all truths revealed by God with the freedom that man has. Man's belief in God can be described as an absolute belief and not a belief directed towards inter-being. Thus, human freedom to believe in God is directed towards a more sublime value, namely obedience to Him. Obedience (obey; Latin: ob-audire) is an attitude of surrender or voluntary submission to the will of God. We can also say that this surrender is a total offering of ourselves to God. We can understand this total obedience of faith in Abraham, who obeyed God's command, and he became the father of many nations (cf. Genesis 12 ff). Similarly, the Virgin Mary, with all her humility, accepted God's offer to give birth to Jesus Christ. "I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled," Mary said to the angel Gabriel. The pinnacle of obedience to faith that resulted in total sacrifice for mankind was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who willingly became like a human being and sacrificed himself in the event of the cross so that all humans would receive abundant grace from God. These models of the obedience of faith can lead us to a simple understanding of our response to God's revelation.
Faith enables people to respond to God's offer of love. God's offer of love can be found in a variety of things and events that people can experience every day. Humans respond to the offer given by God; humans believe or do not believe. Man responding to God means that man believes and trusts in everything that happens in his life. This means that humans freely and consciously accept the offer from God in the form of blessings and challenges in life that sometimes make us sad, disappointed, or even no longer believe in God. The freedom of man to respond to God's offer gives a new understanding of human life that is like God. The likeness of man to God is a sign that man needs to seriously consider God's offer of love. God does not remain hidden but is pleased to reveal himself to human beings. The document Dei Verbum provides an interesting insight into the meaning of faith.
"Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1; 15; 1 Tim. 1:17), out of the abundance of His love, speaks to men as friends (see Ex. 33:11; John 15:14–15) and lives among them (see Bar. 3:38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself." (Dei Verbum, 2).
God revealed Himself to man in a personal encounter. In this encounter, God not only introduces Himself but also reveals to man His plan of salvation. God's revelation is not information, but communication that invites participation. Man is invited to meet God and live in unity with Him. This personal relationship with God is the essence of revelation. And it happens gradually, step by step.
"The obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26; see 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5–6) "is to be given to God who reveals, an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals," (4) and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him." (Dei Verbum 5).
Thus, man's faith in God's revelation is certain, meaning that man believes in God, who gives signs of love through something visible and invisible. With faith, man tries to understand the signs of God, even though they sometimes appear dark to the human mind. This human limitation enables him to see the certainty of the infallible truths of God's revelation because God Himself is the Truth[1]. With faith, humans need to be grateful as a gift. This gift from God enables man to strive to maintain faith in the Word of God and ask God to grow our faith. Finally, faith and revelation become one basic guideline for the faithful to purify the motivation to live faithfully in the fellowship of God's love.
[1] Cf. 2Cor. 5:7, "For we live by faith, not by sight." Faith is illuminated by God to whom it is directed, yet it is often lived in darkness. Faith can be tested in severe ways, such as by looking at the reality of the world and its problems. It can also be seen in Acts. 26:24–25, the story of Paul's conversion, which was denied by King Agrippa.