half in such a way that part of it heads left and part of it heads right, and
maintain its trueness.
In a general sense, faith consists of countless truths. Faith is a combi-
nation of truths. Yet in a way the countless truths make one body. In the
body of faith, there are truths that constitute its limbs: some make the
limbs that are attached to the chest as its arms and hands; others are
attached to the pelvis as its legs and feet. Inner truths constitute the head.
The first truths derived from those inner truths constitute the sense organs
that are in the face.
Inner truths constitute the head because saying “inner” also means
“higher.” In the spiritual world, all things that are deeper within are also
higher. This is true of the three heavens that are there.
The soul and life of this body and all its limbs is the Lord God our
Savior. This is why Paul calls the church “the body of Christ” and says
that people in the church constitute his limbs, depending on the state of
their goodwill and faith [Romans 12 : 4 – 5 ; 1 Corinthians 12 : 12 – 31 ].
In the following words Paul also teaches that there is only one true faith:
There is one body and one spirit, one Lord, one faith,one baptism, one
God. He gave people the work of the ministry to build the body of
Christuntil we all come into a unity of faith,the knowledge of the Son
of God, and a complete life to the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ. (Ephesians 4 : 4 , 5 , 6 , 12 , 13 )
[ 2 ] As for the one only true faith being a faith in the Lord God our
Savior Jesus Christ, this was fully shown above, §§ 337 , 338 , 339.
The true faith exists in people who believe that the Lord is the Son of
God, because they also believe that he is God. Faith is not faith if it is not
faith in God.
Among all the truths that initiate faith and form it, the belief that the
Lord is the Son of God is the first. This is clear from the Lord’s reply to
Peter when Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said, “You are blessed, Simon. I say to you, on this rock I will build
my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew
16 : 16 , 17 , 18 ). In this passage and elsewhere in the Word, the “rock”
means the Lord in his role as divine truth as well as the divine truth that
comes from the Lord. The truth that Peter stated is primary—it is the
crown on the head and the scepter in the hand of Christ’s body. This is
clear from the Lord’s saying that he is going to build his church on that
rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The following words
§379 faith 455