Faith and Trust

Think for a moment about the difference between these two sentences: “I believe in you” and “I believe you.” The first remark attests to my faith in you as a reliable person, whereas the second refers to my faith in the reliability of your statements or assertions. Obviously there is a connection between the two remarks, since I can fully believe you only if I fully believe in you.

This analogy represents the primary and secondary forms of the virtue of faith, as described in the Vatican II Decree on Divine Revelation. By primary faith we believe in God, in the person of Jesus, as the Revealer of truth (see Jn 14:6), who reveals the Father’s mind through the Spirit of truth (vv. 16-17). Yet by secondary faith we believe whatever he reveals to be true, especially as he reveals it through “the Church of the living God, the pillar and the bulwark of truth” (1 Tm 3:15).

Scripture often points out the clear relationship between whom we believe and what we believe; for example, John tells us that Jesus, “whom God has sent speaks the words of God” (Jn 3:34). When our belief (faith) is directed to the person of the deity rather than the revealed truths (teachings or doctrines) of that deity, then we refer to that dimension of faith as the virtue of trust.

The words “healthy” and “healthful” are often (wrongly) used interchangeably by persons who are not aware of the subtle nuances of the English language. Likewise, persons not aware of the nuances of words in theology often use the words “faith” and “trust” as if they were synonymous.

Trust is a special form of faith that is person-focused; it is distinguished from doctrinal faith, which is referred to generically as belief. Trust is a type of faith characterized by confident reliance on a sovereign being. Thus, to say meaningfully, “I trust in the Lord,” is to experience a comfortable reliance on him that brings with it the privileged blessing referred to by Jeremiah (17:7): “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”

Trusting in humans, (e.g., “having faith” in the police or in a surgeon or a psychiatrist) is usually a good natural trait, but it’s not the supernatural virtue we are dealing with here. The supernatural virtue requires that the trusted person must be sovereign and divine, as Paul reminds us: “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God” (2 Cor 3:4, emphasis mine).

If you start with expectant faith in a prayer of petition, then you already have a kind of belief in a future favorable outcome. That particular nondoctrinal form of faith overlaps the virtue of hope (see the following chapter on hope and trust). Merely expecting an answer to a prayer of petition would be the charismatic gift of faith referred to in 1 Corinthians 12:9. In Hebrews 11:1 it is called “the substance of things hoped for.”

Yet even such hope-filled faith is not trust. To have authentic trust as a virtue, a person must not just believe in a favorable outcome (healing, etc.), but rather be primarily focused on the reliability of the One being petitioned; the expectancy must be personalized--that is, person-focused. Jesus highlights this issue succinctly and emphatically: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (Jn 14:1, emphasis mine).

Failure to prioritize this personalization--a subtle requirement for trust--is why many faith-filled persons complain that their prayers are never answered. Their mistake is in primarily believing that their request will be fulfilled, rather than primarily believing in the reliability of the One who will fulfill it. (See my booklet and four-tape album titled When God Says No--25 Reasons Why Some Prayers Are Not Answered, distributed by CTM, Box 19100, Los Angeles, CA 90019-0100.)

In Hebrews 11:6, the author speaks about expectant faith--that is, faith that expects that one’s prayers will be answered. He trenchantly asserts that without that expectant kind of faith, “it is impossible to please God.” If you wonder why this expectant faith is indispensable for pleasing God (attaining holiness), then read carefully the rest of the sentence: “because anyone who comes to him must believe . . . that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”--not those who simply seek a favor and have only a background awareness that he is the source of that favor. The words in this statement that are overlooked by most readers of the Bible are precisely those describing personalism, the very element of expectant faith that characterizes the true champions of the exquisite virtue of trust: “those who earnestly seek him.”

When this specific form of faith called trust flourishes in your soul, you should humbly recognize it as one of many special graces from God (see Jn 1:16), not something construed only by your goodwill or by your pious human efforts. In addition, for trust to thrive and grow, you must depend confidently on the divine Gardener to water and fertilize it, for “it is God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:6).

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and tapes can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.

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