What’s the Difference between Knowledge, Belief and Faith?
By Bryan Rollins
Having grown up going to church, I realize that church lingo can sometimes be difficult to understand. We say things like I’m a believer or I’m a follower of Jesus. We also use terms like knowledge, belief and faith synonymously. It can be confusing. So what exactly is the difference and the interaction between these words?
What is knowledge?
Knowledge is information we learn through teaching or experience. We know what a chair is by its basic characteristics—an elevated seat on three to four legs. When we walk into a room to find a seat, we aren’t thinking about the basic characteristics; we’re thinking more about the location. We have seen and sat in chairs all our lives.
What is belief?
Belief is acceptance that something is true or that something exists. We believe in chairs because we know what chairs are. We have seen and sat in a variety of chairs. We believe they exist, and they serve their purpose to allow people to sit and rest. It’s pretty easy to accept the fact of a chair’s existence.
What is faith?
Faith is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Trust is when we let go of the consequences, and we put our behinds in the seat. We do so because we believe we can trust the outcome to the person or thing we are placing our faith in.
The analogy
Knowledge, belief and faith work together like this: A teenager walks into a classroom and picks a chair and sits down in it next to a friend. The teenager placed his faith in the chair because he knows what a chair is, he recognizes the chair, and he believes in the purpose of the chair. In order to place his faith in the chair, he had to believe that the chair would fulfill its purpose to hold his weight. And in order to believe, he has to know the purpose.
Faith in Jesus
Faith is finding rest in the knowledge and work of Jesus Christ. Before we have faith, we have to believe in who Jesus is and what He did for our salvation through the cross. Jesus invites the tired—the ones who are standing next to the chair of grace on their own strength—to come and find rest. The Psalmist writes, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). We find rest trusting in the knowledge and belief that Jesus lived the life we could not live and died the death we deserved to give us eternal life. We find rest in the hope that we will have eternal life with God in the new heaven and the new earth.
If you’ve never acted in faith to find rest in Jesus, then I want to invite you to LowCountry Community Church to “taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).
Bryan Rollins lives in Bluffton with his wife Erica and their two dogs, Mia and Gracie. He serves on LCC’s middle school team as a 6th grade group leader and on the Sunday morning greeting team.
Wherever you’re from, LowCountry Community Church is a place where your entire family can find a community to call home. Find your place to call home by planning your visit today.