Topical Encyclopedia
Faith, a central tenet of Christian belief, finds its objects in various divine revelations, among which the writings of the prophets hold a significant place. The prophets, as God's chosen messengers, conveyed His will, guidance, and promises to His people. Their writings serve as a foundation for faith, offering insights into God's character, His plans for humanity, and the coming of the Messiah.
The prophetic writings are replete with declarations of God's sovereignty and faithfulness, encouraging believers to trust in His promises. Isaiah, one of the major prophets, provides numerous assurances of God's salvation and deliverance. In
Isaiah 7:14 , the prophet foretells the birth of Immanuel: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel." This prophecy, fulfilled in the New Testament, strengthens the believer's faith in God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah, another prominent prophet, speaks to the new covenant that God will establish with His people. In
Jeremiah 31:31-33 , it is written: "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers... I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.'" This promise of a new covenant is a cornerstone of Christian faith, emphasizing a personal and transformative relationship with God.
The writings of the prophets also include calls to repentance and warnings of judgment, which serve as objects of faith by urging believers to align their lives with God's will. The prophet Joel, for instance, calls for repentance in
Joel 2:12-13 : "'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.' Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion." Such exhortations remind believers of God's mercy and the importance of sincere repentance.
Moreover, the prophetic writings often contain visions of future glory and restoration, which inspire hope and faith in God's ultimate plan. The book of Daniel, with its apocalyptic visions, assures believers of God's control over history and the eventual triumph of His kingdom.
Daniel 7:13-14 describes the coming of the Son of Man: "In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him."
In summary, the writings of the prophets are vital objects of faith, providing believers with divine revelations that affirm God's promises, call for righteous living, and offer hope for the future. Through these sacred texts, the faithful are encouraged to trust in God's unchanging nature and His eternal plan for salvation.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
2 Chronicles 20:20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall you prosper.
Torrey's Topical TextbookActs 26:27
King Agrippa, believe you the prophets? I know that you believe.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
The Old Faith Preparing for the New - Development of Hellenist ...
... Grecian thought with Hebrew revelation, two objects would naturally ... 171] Pseudonymic
writings were common ... ardent Messianic aspirations, and a firm faith in the ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter iii the old faith.htm
writings in connection with the Manich??an controversy
... Knowledge of Undoubted Things, and Then Demands Faith in Doubtful ... Faustus objects
to the incarnation of God on the ... is of Christ, and that his writings must be ...
/.../augustine/writings in connection with the manichaean controversy /
On the Sufficiency and Perfection of the Holy Scriptures In
... a man "wise unto salvation through faith, and perfectly ... the word which is comprehended
in the writings of the ... we affirm, that these are not objects either of ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 2 on the sufficiency.htm
Faith the Foundation of all Knowledge.
... For the latter is conversant about objects that are susceptible of ... as possible; for
he is a man of faith. ... right reason, and not found in writings or elsewhere ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter iv faith the foundation of.htm
Paul Before Festus and Agrippa.
... of the law of Moses, and of the writings of the ... by all those passions, which are
just objects of abhorrence ... of obtaining salvation, when he seeks it by faith? ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xxviii paul before festus.htm
A Look into the Hebrew Bible.
... our study not less richly than such simple, natural objects. ... to fear that the
foundations of faith are giving ... The group of writings known as "The Prophets" is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter i a look into.htm
The Hebrew Prophecies.
... authorities of the nation were the objects of their ... spring a noble race, with a purer
faith, in whom ... the destruction of Jerusalem,"from whose writings we may ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter v the hebrew prophecies.htm
Whether the Prophecy which is Accompanied by Intellective and ...
... to more numerous and more remote objects; even so ... predicated of the latter knowledge,
because faith implies an ... the authors of the "sacred writings," several of ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the prophecy which is.htm
Acts XVII
... the Thessalonian Jews, by showing that the writings of the ... but also in every place
your faith toward God is ... as I passed along, and observed the objects of your ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xvii.htm
Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... But whoever reads the sacred writings in the pious spirit ... because He was astonished
at the faith of the ... disobedient to His commands; as Faustus objects to the ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm
Resources
What does “from faith to faith” mean in Romans 1:17? | GotQuestions.orgWhy is faith without works dead? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is faith in God? | GotQuestions.orgFaith: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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