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less Christians

Matthew 12:36&37
"36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Words have meaning. What we say and how we say things make a difference. Today, people are careless with how they use words. Christians often speak in ways to get along with the culture. 

For 400 years, no one said the phrase "Christian Faith." This phrase was first used by St. Augustin. He should have known not to say it this way. Implying that there are other faiths. As time went by, more and more theologians began using the term and then began using "faith" with other religions. Even applying "faith" to other disciplines.

In Augustin's time, there was very little known about other religions. Theologians very generously applied the Christian concept of faith to other religions. They did not stop to consider the consequences, and they did not know that "FAITH" is first used in a religious context by Jesus and His Disciples. And, they used it very specifically and exclusively. 

It would be great if Christians took measures to reclaim the term "FAITH." We can all be more careful with how we speak. As the president of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison says; "The less we speak like Christians, the less we are Christians."

This week's daily devotionals were inspired by a podcast interview of Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt. Author of the book "Faith Misused." This book is the culmination of his lifetime of work. He carefully researched this book for nearly twenty years. He documents the history and use of the word FAITH. How it's specific to Christianity. Faith is an innovation of Jesus and His Disciples. It's not indigenous to any other religion. Only three other scholars have picked up this fact. Dr. Schmidt details it all in his book "Faith Misused."
You can get the book here: https://www.cph.org/faith-misused-why-christianity-is-not-just-another-religion
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