The Bank of Faith

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:12b – “But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him.” (NRSVUE)

The other day, I was watching an interview with Yale Professor Teresa Morgan by C. J. Cornthwaite. The topic was how the meaning of the Greek word pistis, which we regularly translate as “faith”, shifted over the years. When we say “faith”, we often mean believing things that cannot be proven and maintaining loyalty to them despite outside challenges. But one interesting thing I learned in the interview was that in Classical Greek, pistis did not mean belief in that way. Instead, it could be connected to the idea of trusting someone to back up a debt. So in a way, to have faith in God was to accept God as “co-signing” the loan of your life.

I remembered this idea when I was reading the Second Letter to Timothy in preparation for this devotion, and came across the writer, presented as an older Paul giving sage advice to his protégé Timothy, using the word “deposit” to describe faith. And this got me thinking. How do we deposit faith?

The Paul of the letter has a strong belief in Jesus, a belief that Jesus will save him for eternity, even if he rots in prison or faces execution. But, as you might imagine, those things would be a threat to faith. When we are places of stress and we need God’s presence and support, but do not feel it, our faith is strained and might disappear. But Paul trusts that Jesus will guard the faith that Paul has put in him until he needs it.

It is almost like depositing our enthusiasm in a kind of bank for a rainy day. And when we find ourselves doubting whether God cares for us, or even if God exists at all, we might look back and remember our former zeal and imagine that Jesus is holding it for us, inviting us to embrace that faithfulness once more. When we cannot repay our “faith debt”, Jesus steps in and covers the cost.

But this is not the only place Second Timothy talks about deposits. Paul not only trusts his deposit with Jesus, but also with Timothy. Timothy becomes an heir, who will carry that faith forward into the future. So, our faith is not just something we look to Christ to protect, but also to other people, to provide us with perspective.

How is your faith bank account today? Do you have a positive or negative balance? If positive, how will you invest that faith so that it can support you in the future? And if it is negative, how can you replenish it? Recognizing the love of Jesus can bring you comfort and courage in the darkest times. And looking to others for support can also be a way to maintain hope. Remember that even in the most difficult times in your life, you are not alone. No matter how much you feel that you have no faith or hope left, there is always someone you can trust to help you.

Prayer: Jesus, let me invest my faith in you so that I may know that you will always be with me. Amen.

Interview link: “What Early Christians Mean by ‘Faith’ (It Wasn’t Belief)”, C. J. Cornthwaite, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lGWh7s87rk

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