Ministries, Charisms, Fruits – 6 Faith

One of the constant themes in the writings of St Paul is the central role of faith. In 1 Cor 12:9, he speaks of faith as one of the manifestations of the Spirit given for the common good. In his letter to the Romans, Paul insists that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ from first to last. No one will be saved by works or by following the requirements of the law. In Romans, Paul certainly says that there is a value in the law. They are the very words of God. But what God truly wants is not merely outward or physical signs and actions but the total obedience of the heart. Faith is not just faith in God but about believing and trusting that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him at his right hand, will raise us also to enjoy a glorious inheritance. Paul puts forward Abraham as the model of faith because he trusted that God would be utterly faithful to his promise to make him the father of many nations.

This faith, which is the free and loving gift of God’s grace, is the total obedience to God and not just intellectual assent. Thus this faith calls us to imitate Christ more closely who “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). It is by the obedience of faith that we become truly free. Sin, which has its root in disobedience to God, makes us slaves and burdens us. Faith is our liberation: “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Faith must involve the total transformation of a person’s life. It must transform what we do and say each day. We are to put on “the new self, created to be like God in holiness and righteousness”. (Eph 4:24).

But how are people to believe if others do not answer the call to go out and preach the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ? “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Rom 10:14). What greater joy can someone share with another than the good news about their faith in Christ? “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Rom 10:15).