In this week’s Jewish Scriptural reading, we are introduced to Abraham, who is commanded by God to leave all that is familiar to him and to set out for an unknown destination.
Despite his advanced age, Abraham’s response is to proceed with alacrity and without question. No wonder that Abraham is presented as the archetype of a person of faith. God commands and Abraham obeys, because he believes.
In probing the meaning of faith, we must distinguish between two kinds of belief, defined by the prepositions that follow them: belief “in” versus belief “that.”
To portray a person as believing “that” something is the case is to say that he affirms the truth of the proposition. It is a cognitive claim about what a person believes to be true. To portray a person as believing “in” something is to say that a relationship exists between the believer and that which is believed.
Your dinner companion may declaim against the evils of excessive salt consumption while liberally employing the salt shaker. He clearly believes “that” too much salt is dangerous, but he nevertheless continues to consume it.
However, when we believe “in” something, that belief will be expressed in our actions. If our behavior is not consistent with what we claim to believe, our sincerity is suspect.
Believing “that” is simply an avowal of ideas, while believing “in” means to live in accord with those ideas.
It is not enough to hold correct beliefs. They must be expressed in daily life.
The Hebrew word for faith is “emunah” (from which we derive the word “amen”). This word occurs for the first time in the Bible in connection with Abraham. What is the nature of Abraham’s emunah? He demonstrated his trust in God through his actions. His faith was more than a belief that certain statements about God were true. It was not only intellectual, it was behavioral.
The Bible teaches belief “in” as opposed to belief “that.” Scripture is more about behavior than theology; more about morality than cognition.
The Prophet Habbakuk taught, “The righteous will live by his faithfulness,” meaning that the righteous person should conduct himself in accord with his beliefs. Faith demands more than wisdom or insight and more than professing or identifying. Faith is lived out in our daily lives.
As Henry Munroe said, “We live ourselves into religious thinking more than we think ourselves into religious living.”
Belief “that” makes for an interesting discussion; belief “in” makes for a significant life.
To paraphrase familiar words: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you act.
– Rabbi Mark S. Miller is rabbi emeritus at Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach.