Faith involves knowledge. For example, we are called to faith through some method of preaching or teaching. We are also sustained in our faith because of what we learn about God and ourselves. Both spiritual regeneration and renewal require spiritual knowledge. We might be emotionally moved to lay hold of what God offers us, but we would be hard pressed to move one inch toward God if we didn’t know the path to God and all of His benefits. Such is the Scripture in which we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Faith cannot exist without knowledge. Paul calls this spiritual knowledge the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Faith involves knowledge.
Although faith involves knowledge our faith is mixed with error and unbelief. So we can relax and breath a little. Our faith is imperfect: Many things are hidden from us because we are surrounded by less than accurate interpretations of life and faith or our own distorted interpretations. Then there is the special prerogative of God to test our faith. We might be compelled to apprehend what we cannot comprehended. We also have tendencies to disagree with each other for various reasons. There are also differences in spiritual maturity, religious tradition and the acceptance or rejection of social norms. All of these and more have the potential to contaminate our faith. The Scripture confirms that we see through a glass darkly until we all come into the unity of the faith. So for now, our faith is stained with imperfection.
We could even say that faith is mixed with unbelief. One bygone Biblical scholar wrote, that unbelief is in all men, always mixed with unbelief. In the Book of Mark, a father asked Jesus to heal his son with a mental illness: Jesus responded, if you believe, all things are possible with God. The father cried out, I believe help me with my unbelief! Jesus healed this son on the spot. It is evident that faith and unbelief was mixed together in this miraculous healing. Among other encouragements, this miracle leaves us with a measure of confidence that although our faith is mixed with unbelief it is faith nonetheless. And that an imperfect faith with sincerity is enough to reach upward, that we might believe that all things are possible with God.