A conversation

Do “good” ethics equate to good morals and do either equate to godliness? Isn’t the definition of good subjective? If subjective then judgment is implied. If judgment is implied then who will judge? With respect to ethics the judgment is the collective opinion of men or government and what is moral is determined individually but God determines what is truly good. Men (should) judge men by virtue of law. We (shouldn’t) judge others when we doubt their morality or their motive and intent. We (shouldn’t) judge God when we doubt Him. God grants us the privilege to first judge ourselves. He provides all we need to make these “self determinations”. Here is where grace abounds. If our judgment is righteous our conscience is clear and our relationship with Him remains unbroken. If there is doubt in our heart then we judge ourselves unrighteous and the fellowship is broken. This is all to say that the just shall live by faith.

What is Good? (Note the caps)

This is where I find philosophy ends and its purpose is made clear. If men were actually able to define Good they could then easily define moral imperatives that could be used to establish the ethics necessary to answer the question “How should we live?” The judgment of men would then be righteous by virtue of knowledge and law could become commandment. Even casual observation would lead us to conclude that Good has not been defined either by substance or value. This is where faith begins. The humanist will insist that through understanding and enlightenment we can know Good and by faith pursue the knowledge necessary to ascertain understanding. The Christian maintains that God is Good and that knowledge of Him is only by revelation through Jesus and by faith pursues understanding God that he might have knowledge of what is Good. My opinion here is that a good philosophy will lead us to question our faith.

From what does faith arise?

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

But don't many hear but still don't believe?

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Odd, you mean by faith just knowing?

I don't understand your last question. Can you elaborate?

What do you mean by faith ?

With respect to a believer, faith is the invisible substance and evidence of our hope in the Truth that is revealed to us by the Spirit of God. For the humanist faith is a determined mental state of propositional attitude. A believer may also acquire a similar form of faith when they equate or substitute theology and scriptural interpretation to revelation.

“Truth that is revealed to us by the Spirit of God.” What is this truth revealed?

That Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

So faith is knowing this ?

For a believer faith is the invisible substance and evidence of this.

So it is not acquiring information but rather a thing one knows or is a thing one can believe for instance I can believe I am talking to person but you could just be a computer, when I see and hear you in person you could be a robot, then I have belief that I am talking to a person by means of my experience but my belief could be wrong? So my faith or mental accent in empirical data is from the experience or is from me giving accent to my experience that I know the data is true? Does the experience that I have dictate my belief or does my belief dictate my experience? This would become an important question when referring to saving faith verse mere belief wouldn’t it? Beliefs can be wrong but how is faith different?

And here is the separation of head and heart. We reason with our mind and deduce knowledge from understanding. We then learn to trust in our understanding. The faith of a believer is the acceptance of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that knowledge is not of the mind through understanding but revealed in our heart by the grace of God. We then learn to trust in God.

So what your saying is the head (intellect) can't be divorced from the (Heart) Emotions and will we must think of man as all theses things in balance we cannot have one without the other. One cannot separate the head from the heart or the heart from the head or the will from both?

I have a difficult time limiting the mind to intellect. I prefer to call what is of the mind understanding. The heart is the same, for although we might attribute emotion to the heart, that which is of the heart is spiritual and known only to God. The will can be turned by either or both. This helps us to understand true repentance. A change of mind, heart and will. It seems we are most happy when mind, heart and will are all turned toward (centered on) God. It seems internal strife occurs when there is a conflict between our head and heart.