“Paul’s idea of the relationship between knowledge and faith is certainly something I have not thought of before,” I pondered over the readings and turned to my friend, Hudson. “Even before I read the scripture in the same mindset I read Plato and Aristotle, I thought that faith and knowledge were related, but not the same.”
“And what do you think is the relationship of knowledge and faith?” asked he.
“Knowledge and faith are bound together, but knowledge begets faith.”
“I disagree.”
“I beg your pardon?” I huffed, “Actually, Paul talks a lot about how knowledge is revealed by God, and through a relationship with him, people attain a deeper knowledge. I do not mean to say that a relationship with Christ comes before faith; after all, from a human stand-point, how can one trust whom one does not know?”
“And what do you mean when you say, ‘to know’?”
“Well, there are two different kinds of knowledge to Paul. There is ginōsko, which means ‘to be aware, to understand’, and there is oida, which means ‘to know from experience’. Paul states that ‘the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness’ (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore, no one can fully understand God without first having knowledge revealed to them by the Spirit. Mary Healy states that ‘each act of preaching and hearing the gospel in faith involves an encounter between Christ himself and the bearer’ (Healy 138), affirming that there is a certain knowledge that is God-given.”
“So, do you mean to say that one may achieve faith through knowledge?”
“Yes, but not alone,” I replied.
“”Knowledge is a tool; it is objective,” Hudson interrupted, “Anyone can have it but that does not mean that they are guaranteed to use knowledge virtuously.”
“One may have knowledge and no faith, but one may not have faith without knowledge. Knowledge about anything can be gained, but faith is a different kind of choice. Anyone can have the knowledge (ginōsko) that Jesus died and rose again, though it is an act of faith to believe in the resurrection fully and apply it to life. There is nothing in the Bible (at least as far as I am aware) that advocates for blind faith. Whether it was the Lord’s past accounts of deliverance or God speaking to someone directly, the Bible heroes that acted in faith did not act without knowledge of God.”
“But can’t knowledge work against faith?” he reasoned, “Knowledge has the potential to sway someone away from the truth. What of atheists? What of evolutionists that refuse to believe in the Christian God because of their knowledge of science? Knowledge doesn’t lead to anything on its own. You’ve also said nothing on virtue. And what of revelation?”
“One thing at a time, dear friend. Paul said that God does not make himself hidden. There is evidence of God in all things, so that people are ‘without excuse’ (Rom. 1: 20)”. I never mean to say that knowledge always leads to faith, but one must have knowledge before one can have faith. Knowledge can lead to faith which inevitably leads to virtue which may lead to the hunger for more knowledge, and when knowledge (oida) increases, so does faith increase.”
“I disagree.”
“Don’t you always?”
We left the discourse there, but something inside me said that the peace would not reign for long.
Research and Ramblings 
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I loved the detail you went into in Paul’s arguments. I also loved the dialogue format you had the post in. Very well written!
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50/50
I loved the way you wrote this. The style with the whole dialogue is great. The thought process was also expressed well through this medium. Overall smashing good job ole gel!
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