Religious faith, Christian faith, is an especial mysterious
state of the soul, or the soul’s abilities, simultaneously penetrating the
mind, heart and will, an active power, beginning, capable of totally dominating
the spiritual life, the beginning of everything, invigorating, guiding. Faith
is the flame, rising above the level of inner life, the witness of
"spirit," i.e. the highest structure of the soul. A believing person feels, that he has some kind of advantage compared to an
unbelieving person. Faith is the power, the key to the power, but it’s better
to express it through the marvelous, figurative expression by Saint John of
Kronstadt: "faith is the key to grace" Apostle Paul writes: "we
have access by faith into this grace" (Rom. 5:2) in Christianity through
faith. Apostle Peter refers to faith as "precious faith" (2 Peter
1:1). According to the ancient fathers’ figurative expression, faith is a ladle
that draws from the Divine source. It makes such achievements — which would be
completely impossible without faith — possible: they are expressed in the gift
of performing miracles. Christ promised, "In My name they will cast out
demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if
they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands
on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:17) — as confirmed
thousands of times throughout the history of the Christian Church. Thus, faith
provides the means for the human spirit to penetrate into the mysterious,
spiritual, unseen domain, which "is the revelation (i.e. exposure of the
activity of powers) of unseen things."
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