The Faith of Jesus

It may seem strange to talk about Jesus having faith. Isn't Jesus God the Son? Why would he need faith? This relates to one of the key beliefs of Christianity: the incarnation, in which God (who exists as a differentiated being with three persons) descended into humanity, taking upon himself human existence in all its contingency and weakness. Jesus slept. He cried. He ate and drank.

He had faith.

In one potent passage—Philippians 2:5-8—Paul describes a theology of "emptying." Jesus emptied himself of divine prerogatives and chose to live in human limitation for a time. He entered into our condition completely, giving up the independent use of his nature and position. There are many examples of this in the stories found in the four Gospels, such as Jesus not knowing when the end of this age will be, Jesus sleeping in the boat on the lake of Galilee, Jesus being unable to work miracles in Nazareth, etc.

The man many of us have faith in also had faith, faith in God his Father and in the Spirit his co-equal.

We could also talk about Jesus having faithfulness. Faith and faithfulness are both potential meanings for the Greek word pistis. But why am I making a big deal about the faith of Jesus?

Let's start by contrasting two translations of Romans 3:22:

Romans 3:22 NRSVue . . . the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe . . . .

Romans 3:22 NIV . . . This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe . . .

The NRSVue (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition) says Jesus granted the righteousness of God to his followers by means of his own faith. The NIV (New International Version), like nearly every English translation, says we obtained the righteousness of God by means of our own faith.

To state it more simply, in the NRSVue, we are "saved" by Jesus' faith. In the NIV, we are saved by our own faith. That's a pretty big difference.

The Contract vs. The Gift . . .

If you've been following this blog, you know that we are repeatedly contrasting the Common Reading of Paul (also called "justification theory" or the "Justification Gospel" or the "Four Spiritual Laws") with the Participatory, Transformational, Unconditional, Apocalyptic, Benevolent Gospel that Paul actually believes in.

The Common Reading of Paul is what you usually hear in Gospel appeals and sermons. God loves you, but sin separates you from him. If you have deduced that God is real and that you are guilty in his eyes, then you can accept a saving contract God is offering you through Jesus. God will reduce his requirement from sinless perfection to something much more manageable. Just believe "in Jesus" and God will take your faith as payment.

Paul's actual Gospel says otherwise. God looked on humanity with love and decided to become like we are in order to make us like he is. He undertook a journey of descent to humanity, living an example of perfect virtue, loving and forgiving people, submitting himself to inferior powers, faithfully going down all the way to death on a cross, rising again, and ascending to the right hand of the Father. And we are included in his journey. Paul says we died and rose with him. And those of us who find faith within us, we received that faith as a gift. We did not deduce it. God revealed Jesus to us and we responded to God's revelation.

The Common Reading is a contract: if you have faith, God will absolve you. The Participatory Gospel of Paul is a gift: God absolves you and gives you faith without condition. See "It's Not Free If It's a Discount" for more.

What Does Paul Mean by the Faith of Jesus? . . .

Jesus kept the faith all the way to the cross. He was faithful to give up his life for his friends and faithful to complete the saving mission the Father had given him.

Part of the evidence Paul uses to explain his view can be found in a verse from the Hebrew Bible. Habakkuk 2:4 says, "The righteous will live by faith." It could also be read, "The Righteous One will live by faith." Paul sees one possible meaning of this verse as follows: "Jesus will live / be resurrected because of his faith." In other words, Jesus continued to believe through his agonizing death that he would return to life dramatically, with his experience being a preview of the resurrection of the many at the end of the age.

Jesus believed in his Father and in the Spirit who empowered him during his time among us. He was faithful to carry out every act of love required of him.

More "Faith of Jesus" Verses . . .

Romans 3:22 is not the only verse that speaks of the "faith of Jesus." Consider these verses and the way the translations differ:

Romans 3:26 NRSVue . . . he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus . . .

Romans 3:26 NIV . . . so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus . . .

Galatians 2:16 NRSVue . . . not by the works of the law but through the faith of Jesus Christ . . .

justified by the faith of Christ and not by doing the works of the law . . .

Galatians 2:16 NIV . . . not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ . . .

justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law . . .

Galatians 3:22 NRSVue . . . that what was promised through the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe . . .

Galatians 3:22 NIV . . . that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ . . .

As Douglas Campbell explains, verses that talk about "justification" occur in a limited number of places in Paul's writings. They occur in sections that comprise less than 10% of Paul's writings. The other 90% of Paul speaks of the Gospel differently, as the Participatory Gospel.

There is a very good reason for the imbalance. The Participatory Gospel is primarily what Paul disseminated to his followers and congregations. As we will discuss in future posts, the "justification" passages occur when Paul is engaging in controversy with a specific rival group.

Further Questions and Issues Concerning the Faith of Jesus . . .

There were many years during which I accepted the Common Reading and its contract of salvation. I believed that I had accomplished something. I had figured out the answer to the ultimate question of the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. I had deduced the existence of God and the saving sacrifice of Jesus and I had earned salvation by my faith.

When I would hear scholars say, "It's the faith of Jesus that saves, not faith in Jesus," I assumed they were desperately searching for some way to soften things, to be more universalistic. I resisted. The Common Reading, once you've been indoctrinated into it, is hard to unsee.

How do we know that "faith of Jesus" is a better reading than "faith in Jesus"?

What does that say about the role of faith in the life of a Jesus-follower?

Why is faith heavily emphasized in the scriptures if all we need is Jesus' faith?

These are vital questions and we will not shy from them. For now, I leave you with this from Paul:

But God,

being rich in mercy,

because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our wrongdoings,

made us alive together with Christ 

(by grace you have been saved),

and raised us up with Him,

and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that in the ages to come 

He might show the boundless riches of His grace 

in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

—Ephesians 2:4-7