Faith according to Karl Peschke (Christian Ethics, Volume 2)

Theological faith is usually conceived of as assent to truths contained

in biblical revelation and doctrines proposed by the church as dogmas of

faith. Yet faith is not primarily assent to a specific set of propositions. Faith

is a personal encounter with God a self-disclosure of the divine Father and

on the part of human beings, the openness of their hearts for him. Faith

opens the way to the knowledge of a person. The one who believes shares in

the being and the world of the other. Faith is the manner and means by

which we gain an understanding approach to a person. This is so true that

without faith, the reality of a person remains closed in its most profound and

real sense.1

Faith in Holy Scripture, according to the Old Testament and the New

Testament, is a personal encounter, trust, commitment and a total obedience

to God; a total self-surrender to God and does not reserve anything to his

own self-asserting well, but commits himself unconditionally to the holy

will of God and imitating Jesus Christ. With all of this total surrender we

acquire the fruits of joy and peace.2

The affirmative duty is to profess the faith to others for the sake of the

kingdom of God, to safeguard our faith, because there are offenses against
1
Peschke, 13.
2
Peschke, 14.
faith which are pride and distrust. These lead to refusal to submit to God and

not to trust God’s sovereignty. Total distrust in God’s goodness results it in

atheism and secularism which create offenses against the Christian faith

which is infidelity, heresy, schism and apostasy. With all of this things, our

duty is to safeguard are faith and build up a strong relationship with God.3

3
Ibid., 26.