What Does Faith in God Do?

[Sunstone]

What, if anything, does faith in God do for a person?

[Mister Emu]

Makes me a better person...

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Mister Emu

Makes me a better person...

OK, but how does it do that?

[Mister Emu]

OK, but how does it do that?

Two ways come to mind.

My faith causes me to think of those that I would cause harm if I were to seek out goals purel for myself.

And my faith causes me to stop and think about the individual harm that would come even if I were moving for "the greater good".

[angellous_evangellous]

It makes you sexier. Chicks dig folks who believe in God.

[Tiberius]

Originally Posted by Mister Emu

Two ways come to mind.

My faith causes me to think of those that I would cause harm if I were to seek out goals purel for myself.

And my faith causes me to stop and think about the individual harm that would come even if I were moving for "the greater good".

You should be doing that anyway!

if the only reason you do that is because of your religious beliefs, i wonder what that says about what sort of person you really are.

[tomspug]

Well, the idea is that faith in God (being faithful as in following the Word of God) doesn't make life easier or more fun or more accelerated. It improves life. It makes it more 'full'. The idea is that we, being sinful, don't naturally live the way we were designed by God to do. Sin is bad because it is harmful, sometimes destructive, and encourages us to live in such a way that makes life empty and valueless. Living a "full" life would be the opposite of this, feeling the joy and peace (aka the "fruits of the Spirit") that accompany a full life.

That fullness, that gift of the spirit, is found in faithfulness to God, and is experienced by those that do so (which I can personally attest to, with great passion). And a lot of people are faithful without even reading the Bible, because the wisdom of following the Word of God passes down through the generations. This is why you can see an atheist living a life more pleasing to God than a Christian. The "faith" comes first from believing that the words of God (as presented in the Bible) are good. The second step is actually attempting to follow them, "by faith". The joy that comes from being faithful is the reward of discovering the "fruit" that comes as a result of that decision.

Obviously, if there was no fruit, then wise and observant people would stop being faithful to God's Word. But lack of fruit is typically not the reason that people stop being faithful. Rebelliousness is usually the main trend, because many people simply want to live their own life rather than do what some God says, and that's totally their choice.

So, to answer your question in summary, I would say the fruits of the spirit. Definitely. But I would add to that by saying that faith in God isn't really about "doing" or "getting" anything. It's about being obedient and living life like you were born to, which requires trust that God is good (the prerequisite for faith in the first place).

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

It gives you confidence that your beliefs are the truth.
It makes you more worthy to be considered a Christian. (God rewards faith, in fact he demands it.)
It allows you to believe something even when overwhelming evidence seems to be stacked against it.
It can allow you to overlook the flaws in the bible and still believe whole heartedly in Christ.
It allows you to be able to cast anything aside that does not line up with your own beliefs, thus allowing you to feel strong in Christ.

Angellous_Evangellous does have a point. He says it makes you sexy. I think a Christian who shows strong faith definitely is attractive to other Christians. After all, to be faithful is an admirable trait when it comes to Christians. It's what everyone aspires to.

[Dunemeister]

Real faith in the real God creates holiness, love, and unity - in short, a new humanity.