Imitate their faith?

 The latter half of the New Testament and especially the epistles often contain this exhortation: Imitate their faith, citing the example of some of the renown Christians of the times. 

However, this exhortation has led to some confusion.  Not the exhortation itself but the way we have interpreted it - or failed to understand it.  When Paul exhorts the Corinthians to imitate the lives of the faith of the apostles, he and the people whom he is speaking to are both alive and present.  But faith is not something that is evident in and by itself!  How does one 'see' faith?  It is only words and action that one sees.  In such a scenario it is easy to 'imitate' the action rather than the unseen source that propels it.  For a first-time believer or a person interested, the curiosity is aroused primarily by what he or she sees the other say and do.  It is only much later that the person may (or may not) come to see that what actually moves the doer to say and do what is said and done!  And what if the doer himself or herself is still struggling very much with one's own grasp of faith?  Nonetheless, what one sees is the action, not faith itself. 

On the other hand, how else is faith made manifest?  There is no other alternative method either.  It is purely by one's way of life that the other sees the depth of that person's faith.  

How does one bridge this gap? How does one make the journey from action to belief? Something pragmatic to the metaphysical?  One way of looking at it purely from the human perspective, is to see this whole process as a merely human endeavour.  In such a case, it is easy to forget the role of the Spirit! On the other hand, even when we acknowledge the role of the Spirit, it does not explain everything.  Why is it that so many witness the good works but not all are led to the faith?  If the Spirit was impartial then all would be 'faithful'.  Herein comes the role of the individual.  So it is not all the working of the Spirit - alone.  

Whichever way we interpret and understand the process, as humans there is always the danger of imitating actions, rather than imbibing the faith!  If we truly imbibe the faith, actions - good ones at that - will naturally follow.  It is more like a vicious circle: faith is seen through good actions; but good actions alone do not end in faith; and even when one does have faith, one does not have any other means than good actions to bear witness to that faith.