ARTICLE VII.
FAITH AND BELIEF IN CHRIST

§ 28. Faith in Christ is trusting in him as a revelation of truth and love. Jesus says, “Have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14:1).

§ 29. Jesus asked people to believe in him because he knew that he clearly saw the way to help them. If they would only trust in him, he would give them comfort and peace, put their feet in the right path, and enable them to conquer their sins. If we have faith in the wise, the good, the noble, the generous, we also become wiser, nobler, more generous; and as Christ is the wisest and most generous soul that we have ever known, faith in him is the strongest influence of all. His great hope of the coming of a kingdom of heaven on earth has inspired his disciples to overcome the evils of the world. His faith in the parental love of God has brought comfort to the sorrowful and the unfortunate. His faith in the triumph of good over evil has filled the world with a living hope.

§ 30. Besides belief in Jesus, there is a belief about him. We form this belief by study and reason. The good of having a distinct belief is that it saves us from doubt, hesitation, and confusion of mind.

§ 31. Unitarian Christians believe that the four Gospels contain an adequate historical account of the life, teaching, and character of Jesus. They believe him to be the Lord, Christ, or King, not in the same sense as were the former kings of Israel, but as one who is to be the master of the world by the power of the truth that he taught. That he himself held this view appears from John 18:37: “To this end was I born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” Some Unitarian Christians believe that Jesus wrought wonderful works of healing, but that it is possible that some of the accounts in the Gospels may have been imperfectly reported. Other Unitarian Christians reject the miraculous element in the Gospels altogether and yet believe in the leadership of Jesus.