"None of us knows, and this makes it a mystery,
If life is a comedy,
Then why all the tragedy?
Three and a half pounds of brain try to figure out
What this world is all about
And is there an eternity?"

Faith and knowledge. The concepts themselves seem at odds with one another.

They are not mutually exclusive; the firmest faith does not need knowledge, but knowledge helps to cement it in our frail minds.

But what are they?

What does Scripture say of faith?

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." --- Hebrews 11:1

Faith does not require sight. In fact, this verse would seem to indicate that faith is trust without sight. It is, as the verse says, the "assurance of things hoped for."

But does faith preclude knowledge?

"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" --- Romans 1:17

If something is revealed to us, doesn't that mean that it is evident? Wouldn't that mean that it is visible? Yet here Scripture says that the righteousness of God (something rather visible, at least in part) is revealed "from faith for faith."

So then, faith and knowledge can coexist.

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;" --- Proverbs 2:6

God even gives us knowledge.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." --- Romans 10:17

This knowledge comes from Christ, and is for the strengthening of our faith. It is not to abolish, outmode, or destroy our faith; it is to complete it. To cement it firmly in our minds.

If someone were to say "The earth is round," without supplying proof, anyone who accepts what he says does so on faith. If he then provides evidence from orbiting satellites or spacecraft, our faith is confirmed and cemented.

Just as we have faith in the law of gravity, so too do we have faith in Christ. For though we cannot see gravity itself, we see the effect it has on everything around us.

The moon's gravitational pull is an invisible force, yet the effects are quite visible; the ocean's tides ebb and flow because of it.

This runs very strongly against the ideas of the world. The world claims that we have no facts, no basis for our faith. Yet the fact that we can breathe the air and that we can comprehend the sound can traveling through it proves that He exists.

We who know must endure in our faith, unable to see gravity but in awe of the ocean waves.