The Easton’s Bible dictionary defines faith thus “Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Phil. 1:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, following the evidence on which it rests.”
Faith is a widely used and at the same time misunderstood word. Some of that confusion comes from the many different ways the word faith is used in everyday conversation; a quick look at Dictionary.com shows seven different uses! One common way that people use the word faith is to refer to belief in something despite lacking any evidence for it. But is that what the Bible means by faith? The answer is a resounding no! So, what does faith mean?
The Bible gives a definition which is found in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. From this particular passage, we see that the central feature of faith is confidence or trust. The word substance refers to assurance, confidence, or reality. This “substance” or “assurance” describes our inward response to God’s trustworthy, unfailing nature. We can be sure of the Lord’s promises because, as the writer of Hebrews goes on to show, biblical heroes of every generation have proven them to be true: “By faith, Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith, he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith, Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith, Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death” By faith Noah built the ark, saved his family, and became an heir of righteousness. By faith, Abraham obeyed God and left his home.
In the Bible, the object of faith is God and his promises. A clear example of this is Abram’s encounter with God in Genesis 15. In response to God’s promise of countless descendants, Abram “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Paul writes in Romans 4:20-21 “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”. Thus, faith means putting your trust in God and having confidence that he will fulfill his promises.
Faith is so important because it is the means by which we have a relationship with God: “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Faith is how we receive the benefits of what Jesus has done for us. He lived a life of perfect obedience to God, died to pay the penalty for our sinful rebellion against God, and rose from the dead to defeat sin, death, and the devil. By putting our faith in him, we receive forgiveness for our sins and the gift of eternal life. Genuine biblical faith expresses itself in everyday life. Simply put, faith means relying completely on who Jesus is and what he has done to make right with God.
Dr Ashwin Drummond
Laddertoheaven.co.in