More Than a Belief
Imagine you are a king or queen in ancient times. Your army has been victorious over a fierce enemy. After many months of hard-fought battles, you have completely defeated this enemy and now claim their territory as your own. Now all the resources of this territory are under your control. And so are the people who live in the cities and villages of this land. You’ll need these people to understand that things have changed. There is a new king and with a new king comes new expectations, new laws, and new requirements. You need them to see you as their new king and to submit to your authority.
So, as we explored in the previous blog posts, you send out messengers to announce your victory and new rule. These “sent ones” take this message (called a gospel) throughout the land. They tell the story of who you are as their new ruler; what kind of a ruler you are, how you became ruler, and why you are the best ruler they could have hoped for. These messengers announce the good news that they have a new ruler. Its good news because you’re their ruler, and you’re a good ruler.
After weeks or months the messengers have shared this messaged in every corner and with all the people in the kingdom. And as the messengers return to you they give a report. ” We’ve told the people about your victory and how you are a worthy and righteous ruler. And after we shared our message with them, many of the people decided that you are real.”
What a King Wants
In today’s world of misinformation and attention-grabbing headlines, it probably seems important to establish the new king or queen’s credibility right off the bat. However, a king desires more than just being acknowledged by those who have recently become part of their kingdom. They expect their authority to be recognized. They expect the people to fully commit to serving them. They want a pledge of allegiance and obedience to their decrees and laws. They expect loyalty. They don’t just want people to believe in them – they want the people to be faithful to them.
Faith is a kingdom word.
We sometimes use “faith” and “belief” interchangeably, and there’s definitely some overlap in their meanings. But “faith” goes beyond just agreeing with ideas. It’s about having belief with trust. It’s about being faithful, showing allegiance, and making a commitment.
This may cause some confusion or anxiety, and one of the main reasons for that confusion is that choices of interpretation are made during the translation process. A lot of times, when we see words like trust, faith, belief, faithfulness, or similar ones in English, the original Greek word in the manuscript is simply “pistis”.
Pistis
Sometimes, it is more precise to translate “pistis” as “belief” or maybe even “trust.” I’m not saying that’s completely incorrect. But, what would we call the trust or commitment someone has towards a king? What word or concept can describe one’s faithfulness to a king? The notion of faith as just believing or agreeing with an idea doesn’t quite fit in that situation. Faith as allegiance or commitment seems to make more sense when it comes to kings and kingdoms.
Faith As Allegiance?
If you’ve made it this far, I’m guessing that you might be a bit uneasy about this. I totally get it because I felt the same way when I first came across this kind of explanation. In just a moment, we’ll dive into some Bible texts to see how they shed more light on what faith really means. But before we do that, I want to make it clear that this idea of faith as allegiance, commitment, or loyalty isn’t some new concept made up to back some obscure theological idea. It is as ancient as our biblical texts.
There was an historian named Appian who recorded political and civil upheaval in the Roman empire. He wrote in Greek (the same language of the New Testament), and because he wrote about the period of Roman Civil war, he recorded the various alliances and allegiances that shaped that period. Here is an example of his writing:
While Antony was at Tibur nearly all the Senate, and the greater part of the knights, and the most influential plebeians, came there to do him honor. These persons, arriving while he was swearing into his service the soldiers present and also the discharged veterans who had flocked in (of whom there was a goodly number), voluntarily joined in taking the oath that they would not fail in friendship and fidelity (pistis) to Antony;
APPIAN CIVIL WARS 3.46
A Greek historian named Plutarch also demonstrates the usage of the word “pistis” in a kingdom context in the historical events about which he wrote.
But suddenly a rumor came that Otho was slain in the camp; and presently appeared one Julius Atticus, a man of some distinction in the guards, running up with his drawn sword, crying out that he had slain Caesar’s enemy; and pressing through the crowd that stood in his way, he presented himself before Galba with his bloody weapon, who, looking on him, demanded, “Who gave you your orders?” And on his answering that it had been his duty and the obligation (pistis) of the oath he had taken the people applauded, giving loud acclamations, and Galba got into his chair and was carried out to sacrifice to Jupiter, and so to show himself publicly.
PLUTARCH GALBA 26.2
There are actually a bunch more examples from around that time where they use the word “pistis” to talk about being loyal or devoted to a king or ruler. But today, our job isn’t to go deep into Roman history written in Greek. I just wanted to point out that, apart from the Bible, the word we translate as “faith” was regularly understood as “allegiance” by the original audience of the New Testament. If you wanna check out more examples, go ahead and search for how the Jewish historian, Josephus, used the word “pistis”.
Let’s recap real quick…
Once the king comes out on top, he starts taking charge of a fresh land. He sends out his messengers to spread the word about his triumph. And at the end of the story, these messengers ask the audience to do something. What? To show their response by ditching any previous loyalty to another king, and to fully devote themselves to obeying and following the new king’s rule. The appropriate response to the announcement of good news that there is a brand new king and kingdom is to pledge their faith and loyalty to that new king.
I hope that from now on you will notice a connection between faith, obedience, and authority that is often present in the scriptures.
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
Luke 7:8-9
Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Luke 8:25
Jesus speaks to his followers about faith in the context of loyalty and allegiance
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Luke 22:32-34
The desired response to a preached gospel is faith. The desired response to the announcement of a new victorious king is allegiance. Jesus is Lord (king).
- Will you pledge your loyalty and allegiance to him?
- Will you recognize his authority over you? Will you submit to his teachings and laws?
- Will you let go of any previous commitments and turn away from any others that have claimed authority over your life or demanded your obedience?
- Will you have faith in King Jesus?
What about Salvation!?!
If you are asking that question or you are frustrated with me because I’m challenging our understanding of the Gospel and faith, don’t give up yet. I believe that Jesus saves! Its the center of my faith. I’ve simply come to the conclusion that the gospel of Jesus is about Jesus’, not me. Thats why the books in our bible that tell the story of Jesus are called the Gospels. Or more accurately, “the Gospel according to Matthew (Mark, Luke, or John). So hang tight! I will have an entire blog post about salvation as a kingdom word. But you’ll have to wait for it.
Additional Scriptures and Discussion Questions
One way to see how faith as allegiance or loyalty helps us understand the scripture text better is to simply replace the word faith with one of the other words. Lets try it together:
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
original: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
modified: Consequently, loyalty/commitment/allegiance (to Jesus) comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Questions:
- Does anything change in your understanding of this passage when we substitute one of the other words for faith? What?
- Do you get the sense that the scripture is calling for something more than agreement with an idea about Jesus?
- What does the author of Romans want for the audience of his letter?
James 2:17
original: In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
modified: In the same way, loyalty (to Jesus) by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Questions:
- How have you understood this verse from James in the past?
- How does the meaning of the verse change when considering faith as loyalty to King Jesus?
- What happens to the faith vs works conversation when we understand faith as loyalty to Jesus?
2 Timothy 4:4-7
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Questions:
- Thinking through all of our blog posts so far, what is it that Timothy being instructed to do?
- What does it mean to have “kept the faith” in light of our definition of faith?
Next week’s Topic: Baptism and Repentance
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Tanner H Griffin 
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