10. Faith – self-hypnosis or "assurance of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)?

Through faith, a person comes to God. What does the teaching of Agni Yoga say about faith? Faith is a premonition of knowledge. In the diversity of Beings, faith has a real foundation. Like an engine, it exerts energy and thus enhances the efficiency of space. One can welcome the tension of energy when it is associated with the manifestation of a beneficent substance. In this way we can point out the most manifested path of faith with a consciousness that is sublime and refined. Of course, the Hierarchy will be the megaphone that will make the heavens thunder"92; "Vera responds to self-hypnosis. Trust corresponds to introspection. Faith is indeterminate in essence. Trust confirms immutability. We follow the path of immutability."93

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of faith in the following way: "Faith is the fulfillment of things hoped for, and the assurance of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). St. St. Anthony the Great explains: "By faith a person cognizes everything invisible and imaginable. Faith, on the other hand, is the free conviction of the soul of what is proclaimed by God."94 Pdp. St. Maximus the Confessor wrote: "Faith is the power that contains everything inside in a good mood, or it is the very good mood that gives the prenatural, direct, perfect unity of the believer with the God he believes."95

Faith for a Christian is not a simple faithfulness to the Divine, not a psychological state, and not even knowledge of His existence, it is a life in continuous communion with God. One can believe in the existence of God, but not accept Him: "You believe that God is one: you do well; and the demons believe, and tremble" (James 2:19).

Can faith be called trust? Trust is rather a prerequisite for faith, its forerunner, without trust there is no faith, but trust in itself does not mean the unity of man and God. Faith, on the other hand, is unity, the full acceptance of God and the change of one's whole life in accordance with His commandments. Trust, on the other hand, does not imply a complete change in life, in contrast to faith, which lays the foundation for a new life of man, a life in communion with God, and produces a profound transformation of the entire way of being of man: "Faith consists not only in being baptized into Christ, but also in fulfilling His commandments. Holy Baptism is perfect and gives us perfection, but it does not make perfect the one who does not fulfill the commandments."96

Faith is the way to salvation: "... thy faith hath saved thee" (Matt. 9:22). God hears the prayer of faith: "Then Jesus answered and said to her, 'O woman! great is thy faith; let it be done to you according to your desire. And her daughter was healed in that hour" (Matt. 15:28).

Faith commands the elements: "Then he said to them, 'Where is your faith? And they said to one another in fear and wonder, "Who is this, that he commands the winds and the waters, and obeys him?" (Luke 8:25); «… if you can believe in any way, all things are possible to him that believes" (Mark 9:23); «… Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a mustard seed, and say unto this mountain, Go from here to there, and it shall pass; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matt. 17:20). It should not be thought that faith is autocratic, that it has its own power: faith is only a necessary condition under which God acts with His omnipotence. The performance of miracles depends both on the faith of people and on the miraculous power of God.

True faith is always manifested in action, first of all, in the observance of God's commandments: "In the same way, faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works' (James 2:17-18).

The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church teach about the importance of faith in the matter of salvation: "At the head of all virtues comes sincere faith, in which the soul is not wavering by thought, but completely rejects self-love. For for one who has just set out on ascetic deeds, nothing prevents him from fulfilling the commandments by deed so much as the most malicious self-love (pity for the flesh). It serves as an obstacle to success, even for those who are zealous."97

Fundamental differences

Orthodoxy Agni Yoga Faith is a complex concept of Christian theology, which includes the following aspects: response to God's call, trust in God, moral sense, communion with God, unshakable confidence in God's promises. Trust in the "mahatmas" gives them the opportunity to awaken the knowledge hidden in human nature, this awakening is a premonition of knowledge, or faith.