CHRISTIAN FAITH IS A MYSTICAL
revelation in the human soul. It is
broader, more powerful, closer to reality than thought.
It is more complex than separate feelings. It contains within itself the
feelings of love, fear, veneration, reverence, and humility. Likewise, it
cannot be called a manifestation of the will, for although it moves
mountains, the Christian renounces his own will when he believes, and entirely
gives himself over to the will of God. "May Thy will be done in me, a
sinner." The path to faith lies in the heart; it is inseparable from pure,
sacrificial love, "working through love" (Gal. 5:6).
Of course, Christianity is bound up also with
knowledge of the mind, it gives a world view. But if it remained only a world
view, its power to move would vanish. Without faith it would not be the living
bond between heaven and earth. Christian belief is something much greater than
the "persuasive hypothesis" which is the kind of belief usually
encountered in life.
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