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How Did Paul Understand Faith? #684 · Scripture Central

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  What shall we say then? That the Gentiles which followed
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  not after righteousness have attained to righteousness, even
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  the righteousness which is of faith?
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  Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central and today's
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  podcast addresses the question. How did Paul understand faith?
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  Faith is an essential element of righteous living, often
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  emphasized in Paul's writings. The importance of faith in Jesus
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  Christ has also been discussed repeatedly by modern prophets,
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  including Joseph Smith, who declared it to be one of the
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  basic first principles of the gospel.
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  Without faith, we would not be able to fully access the saving
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  grace of Jesus Christ or reap all the rewards of eternal life
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  that he offers us. True to form, Paul's ancient
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  discussions of faith have richer, deeper meanings than can
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  be readily translated into English.
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  The word faith, as it appears in the King James Version of the
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  New Testament is a translation of the Greek word pistus, which
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  is best understood in terms of the ancient world's patron
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  client relationship. As is Grace, Brent J Schmidt has
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  observed that through the Greco Roman world, Pistus meant
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  knowing and understanding one's patron and developing a
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  relationship based on fidelity to that patron that ideally
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  resulted in a lifetime relationship.
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  As such, many instances of pistols in the New Testament can
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  be translated more accurately as loyalty or faithfulness, better
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  reflecting this relational understanding.
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  This view was also reflected in many Greco Roman attitudes
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  towards humans, relations with their gods, seeing the gods as
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  patrons who would forge relationships with mortals,
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  often for their betterment. For Paul and other New Testament
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  apostles and authors, faith likewise pertain to our
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  relationship with Heavenly Father, the only true God.
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  According to Schmidt, the disciple client understands that
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  God is the patron, shows faithfulness towards him, and
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  develops a relationship with Him.
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  This relationship is mutually beneficial as God desires a
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  closer relationship with us and is continually faithful
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  regarding His promises, and as we are faithful and loyal to
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  Him. This relationship is formed as
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  we make bilateral covenants with God which are ultimately for our
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  benefit. As God is faithful by whom ye
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  were called unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our
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  Lord. Just as God is faithful to His
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  covenantal agreements, He expects all who come to him to
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  share that faithfulness toward Him, accepting no divided
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  loyalties. Disciples should be faithful
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  only to God the Father and not to anyone else.
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  This command to be faithful to God only was expressed in no
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  uncertain terms by Paul as well as by Jesus himself.
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  No man can serve 2 masters, for either he will hate the one and
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  love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the
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  other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
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  All the cares of the world, including money and riches, are
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  not to come between us and the Lord if we expect to properly
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  maintain a faithful relationship with Him and receive the
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  blessings that He has promised us.
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  Because loyalty is demanded for proper discipleship, faith can
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  never be reduced to just passive belief in the Lord.
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  It requires constant action to demonstrate our loyalty to and
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  friendship with God. Thus Paul told the Philippians
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  that they must stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving
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  together for the faith of the Gospel.
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  Paul similarly taught in Romans Chapter 9, verse 30, that the
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  Gentiles which followed not after righteousness in times
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  past had now attained to righteousness, even the
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  righteousness which is of faith or faithfulness to their
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  covenants made initially at baptism.
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  This loyalty is discussed and demonstrated in depth in Hebrews
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  Chapter 11. After declaring that faith is
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  the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
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  seen, the author of Hebrews lists multiple individuals who
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  had demonstrated their loyalty to the Lord through their making
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  and keeping covenants with the Lord.
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  Included in this list are righteous individuals such as
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  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses,
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  as well as countless others who esteemed the reproach of Christ
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  greater than any earthly reward. Because of this loyalty, they
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  could be sure that the Lord would deliver them into a better
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  country, that is a heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to
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  be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city.
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  For Paul, faith in Christ was more than passive belief.
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  It reflected a deep commitment that was focused on action,
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  according to Schmidt. According to Schmidt, obedience
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  was the proper response to the relational pistis that
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  characterized Christ centered patron client relationships, as
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  explained in Paul's epistle to the Romans.
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  Although later theologians would declare faith to be an abstract,
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  passive, or mystical belief that required no action on our part,
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  the relational understanding of faith would be restored through
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  Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon and other inspired
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  teachings and revelations given through latter day prophets.
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  Similar to Hebrews Chapter 11, Moroni teaches in the Book of
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  Mormon that whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a
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  better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God.
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  Which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of
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  men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding
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  and good works being led to glorify God.
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  Covenantal loyalty and faithfulness allowed righteous
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  individuals in the Book of Mormon to meet with the
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  resurrected Savior, break free of bonds, baptize with fire and
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  the Holy Ghost, and ascend into the presence of God.
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  Faith is the principle of action and of power that must be
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  exercised in all we do. In the end, we are told that
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  salvation is the effect of faith and that without faith it is
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  impossible to please God. At the same time, God has
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  declared that this is my work and my glory to bring to pass
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  the immortality and eternal life of man.
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  Thus, as we continue to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and in His
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  Atonement, we can then rest assured that God will always be
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  faithful to us. Through our loyalty and
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  friendship. We can enter again into His
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  presence and enjoy eternal relationships with Him and all
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  the faithful. Thank you for listening to this
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  presentation from Scripture Central.
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  For more information, please visit scripturecentral.org.