Living a Life of Faith (no. 3)
When we consider the word “faith,” we must understand it is only used twice in all of the Hebrew Scriptures! That’s is correct – twice! The first is actually only found as the word “faith” in the KJV: Deuteronomy 32:20 – “And He said, ‘I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children n whom is no faith.’” The NASB, however, translates the Hebrew word here as “faithfulness” – ‘sons in whom is no faithfulness.’”
The second instance is found in Habakkuk 2:4 – “Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” The words "faith" in both of these verses are translated from a Hebrew word (and in the Habakkuk verse, its feminine form) from the root aman which has the connotations of to build up, to support as does a parent or a nurse, hence figuratively to be firm, faithful, to trust, to believe, permanent. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, page 11 of the “Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary”) This term (and its corresponding word from the Chaldean language and the derivative terms only twice translated as “faith”) are used in the text and translated as “faithful” 28 times.
Therefore, in Jesus’ mind and in the mind of the other Hebrew authors of our New Testament texts, the concept of faith is actually the concept of one being a faithful one who lives out his/her faith in and with their deeds, their actions, as the Apostle James was making very clear for us. Thus, consider the question Jesus asked in Luke 18:8b, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” A question is in order here. Would the meaning of Jesus’ intent be better understood if the word from the Greek, pistis, in this passage were translated “faithfulness” rather than “faith?” I believe it would.
There is a bias on the part of the translators of many of our New Testament passages, because of Paul’s great theological treatise in the Letter to the Romans wherein the apostle explored the nature of salvation by faith in the Messiah Jesus. However, if we examine the context of Luke 18:8, we see that this question was posed after Jesus’ illustration of perseverance in prayer via His parable of the persistent widow receiving justice from an unjust judge, because she faithfully showed up at his office every day, persisting in her petition for justice until she received that for which she tenaciously pressed him. Therefore, if we were to write our own “amplified” version of this ½ verse, it might read that Jesus asked His disciples, “However when the Son of Man comes, will He find His own faithfully persevering in prayer on the earth?”
Remember, that famous passage of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God’ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Might we conclude this thought with our own amplified version of verse 10? “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the faithful, persistent execution of good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would faithfully walk in them.” Such would truly reflect those who are "Living a Life fo Faith!"
What do you think?
