how is faith different from mere opinion?

Question

because anyone can easily believe in anything, and in fact, anyone can believe they are guided by the Holy Spirit.

what if it's just an opinion in the end?

Answer 1

True faith is based on objective facts.
Jesus Christ was sent from heaven by God the Father.
Jesus Christ did die for the sins of the world.
Jesus Christ did rise again from the dead.
Those are the facts.
You may not believe them,
but those are the facts.
I have believed them, and they have totally changed who and what I am.

That's a fact.

Answer 2

An opinion is little more than a conviction held by somebody. I think that Pop Secret Homestyle popcorn is the best popcorn available because I've tasted it and tasted others, and from that I've developed my opinion. I can see, touch, smell, and taste this wonderful snack, and there is no faith involved. I use my five basic senses to form my opinion.

Faith is a conviction held by somebody that goes deeper than the five senses. I have faith that I will live to be 21, but I can't see that, smell that, taste that, etc. It's just more instinctual.

Also, yes, I believe the Holy Spirit guides me, but it's not purely based on faith (though a lot of it is). I have seen things, done things, experienced things that I believe indicate the existence of the Holy Spirit, compared them to accounts from the Bible, and found no discrepancy. Not that I've walked on water or anything like that, but I have accomplished what I thought was impossible and seen prayers answered in ways that can't be explained.

Answer 3

If you look at this with logic:

In science, an opinion becomes a hypothesis
While studying it, a good hypothesis becomes a theory.
A theory being studied and monitored and investigated closely, becomes a Law.
A Law can still be disproved, but for the most part has been studied carefully to makes sense. Scientists have faith in their Law. Now, many people see religion as a "Law". It has been tested and twisted, and people have been trying to discard it for centuries, but yet it still remains. If Christianity was just an opinion, created from faith, it has proven itself worthy many times. Faith in Christianity can never be completely disproved. It it was possible, it would have been done by now. Faith in essence, was God's opinion, and his opinion, skips the theory stage and goes straight to Law.

Answer 4

The bible tells us to study and show thy self approved so that we can rightly divide the word of God. If you know the word of God we know that anything that opposes his word is not from the Holy Spirit. You can not believe anything and think you are being guided by the holy spirit. Christians have to study the bible just as a doctor needs to study medicine. You can not live a christian life and not know what it requires. You are correct in what you say in a way. You can be guided by anything and think it is the holy spirit if you don't know Gods word.

Answer 5

It's possible to separate between opinions and facts. For example: it's a fact that obesity is unhealthy. It's an opinion that obesity is ugly.

Faith can argue with a fact. For example: it's a fact that life evolved spontaneously. Faith says, "nuh uh! God did it"

Answer 6

Opinion is the result, hopefully, of thought. People who form opinions have an obligation to marshall their thoughts carefully and process them logically.

Faith, on the other hand, is a matter of believing something. It doesn't particularly matter what one believes, or whether there is any factual basis for it.

Answer 7

Opinions don't lead to self-delusion... faith does.

The poster above, that says that faith is based on objective facts, hasn't got a clue what he is talking. Knowledge is based on objective facts. Faith (wishful, magical thinking) is a lame and pathetic substitute for evidence.

Bible verses are not 'evidence'. The OT is myth... the NT is a hoax.

Answer 8

Opinion you base on reasoning while faith is blind. You may change your opinion if good and valid arguments are advanced but you are likely to cling on to your faith no matter what evidence you have to the contrary.

Answer 9

I agree with Dan on the difference. Opinion is just your view on something, like if something is beautiful or if something tastes good or if something is cool. Faith is deeper than that. Maybe it's a calling of sorts. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Hebrews 3:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house-- whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Hebrews 11 gives a list of things accomplished through faith. Here is just a little bit of it.
32What more shall I say? I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,
33who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions,
34put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders.
35Women received back their dead through resurrection. Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection.
36Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment.
37They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword's point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented.
38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth.
39 Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised.
40 God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect.
These people had so much faith, that although they died before they saw God's promise fulfilled, they still believed. And God had something better for them. If faith was blind, why would people die for it. People won't die for opinion will they? But they will die for faith.
And I got this from a friend's friend's xanga:
Faith. What is faith? Found in a entry on dictionary.com it is defined by these nine things.
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
—Idiom
9. in faith, in truth; indeed: In faith, he is a fine lad.
If you ask me if I have enough I'll say yes but I can always use more. I have learned though to have more faith and for faith to grow it doesn't just poof happen. Faith is gained thru being tested and tried but God does not give us no more than we can handle. So I must stop worrying and have faith in the Lord because others who have faith in Him also have faith in me. The same to you when your faith is tried.
Sorry about the length. Just trying to give info.

Answer 10

An opinion is a best judgment. Faith is believing what someone tells you even when your best judgment tells you they are wrong.