The New Testament and the Theology of Trust

Abstract This study argues for the recovery of trust as a central theme in Christian theology, and offers the first theology of trust in the New Testament. ‘Trust’ is the root meaning of Christian ‘faith’ (pistis, fides), and trusting in God is fundamental to Christians. But unlike faith, and other aspects of faith such as belief or hope, trust is little studied. Building on her ground-breaking study Roman Faith and Christian Faith, Teresa Morgan explores the significance of trust, trustworthiness, faithfulness, and entrustedness in New Testament writings. Trust between God, Christ, and humanity emerges as a risky, dynamic, forward-looking, life-changing partnership. God entrusts Christ with winning the trust of humanity and bringing humanity to trust in God. God and Christ trust humanity to respond to God’s initiative through trust in Christ, and entrust the faithful with diverse forms of work for humanity and for creation. Human understandings of God and Christ are limited, and trust and faithfulness often fail, but, before the end time, imperfect trust is never a deal-breaker. Morgan develops a new model of atonement, showing how trust enables humanity’s release from the power of sin and the suffering caused by sin. She examines the neglected concept of propositional trust, and argues that it plays a key part in faith. This book offers a vision of Christian trust as soteriological, ethical, and community-forming. Trust is both the means of salvation and an end in itself, because where we trust is where we most fully live.