Expository Essay – Faith

Every living being possesses at least one type of faith in many diverse ways. It is defined by The American Heritage Student Dictionary that faith is “A loyalty, confidence, or trust in a person, thing, religion, or set of teachings, principals, or beliefs.” The beginning of faith came when answers to questions were needed, and faith was placed in different ideas. It is therefore concluded that faith came before all else because only when faith exists can there be love, joy, bliss, sadness, anger, hate, peace, respect, friendship, freedom, or honor: for these exist only in the trust, confidence, and loyalty that is faith. Faith is conviction, confidence, and commitment in a person, idea, custom, or duty.

The most valuable personal possession that one may own is faith. Faith is a loyalty that can be put into anyone or anything. Loyalty that exists between friends is an aspect of the faith that is put into each friend by the other. Another kind of conviction existing through faith is often found in a set of teachings of a religion or a religious belief. The many different kinds of religions reflect mostly on the many varying kinds of faith. Varying kinds of loyalties lie behind varying kinds of faith that are dependent on the unique belief systems engaging each person.

Although there are many kinds of faith, confidence is an aspect of all kinds of faith. The confidence obtainable in faith is very distinct from other manners of confidence. Faith and confidence are so similar that one cannot be in continuation without the other. Feelings and beliefs are very closely related; therefore confidence being the feeling of assurance, and faith being the belief in being assured, they are often mistaken for each other. Confidences through faith are in family, friends, mentors, values, and religion with the only doubt presented because insincerity or deceit may be the result. Very strong commitment is required when placing faith a person or thing, many people often shy away from putting their faith in others because they do not wish to leave themselves susceptible to deception.

There is a certain commitment in having faith in something or someone. To strongly commit to a person or idea, there must be a certain amount of faith in that person or idea. Once the faith is placed, it cannot be lost because it has been committed to. As in religion, when faith and beliefs are placed so strongly in one religion, that that religion has altered the state of thinking that faith can be placed anywhere else, it has been committed to that the religion in which one holds is the only religion that is just. This is so for many other subjects as well, making commitment another defining characteristic of faith.

The most valuable personal possession one may attribute is ones faith. It may be put it in everything or nothing at all, it is the one defining characteristic one may posses that is ones very own: only to be prejudiced by what one chooses to allow. Everything one does and says, thinks and feels are affected or influenced by ones faiths. Faith comes in different shapes and sizes, but in all it comes down to ones truth in beliefs. The faiths one put in others and the faith one has in ones self is the single most precise aspects of ones personality and being. Only when there is faith can there be love, joy, bliss, sadness, hate, peace, respect, friendship, freedom, or honor: for these exist only in the trust, confidence, and loyalty that is faith.