Faith

While the Bible’s theme of “faith” can be understood in a variety of ways, it can be summarized as active trust and belief displayed through obedience. Faith does not suggest mere intellectual or cognitive belief in a proposition, doctrine, or even a person, though it does sometimes entail doctrinal belief and theological understanding (e.g., that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God who has come in the flesh). Faith is typically understood as involving the whole self—mind, heart, and body—in a relationship with God that expresses trust and a grateful response to His loving initiative.

Biblical Themes

While faith is more than intellectual assent, it necessarily involves a declaration, a promise, and ultimately, a person. The Bible commends a variety of expressions of faith, including belief in covenant promises, submission to divine commands, worshipful attitudes toward God, and adherence to doctrine. In the Bible, faith moves from Old Testament trust in the usually unseen God (Yahweh) to New Testament belief in and active submission to the person of Jesus, God in human form (John 1:14, 18; Col 1:15; Heb 1:1–3).

In the Old Testament, faith is best understood in the context of covenant relationship to God, who is the supreme example of faithfulness. Whereas God consistently reveals His faithfulness (trustworthiness, steadfastness, and consistency of character), people often fail to be faithful to God and to each other. Faith is an attitude of trust that shows itself through the people’s obedience to God. Noah demonstrates faith in God by his willingness to believe God’s promise of protection through the coming flood and his obedience in constructing the ark in accordance with God’s instructions (Gen 6). Abraham’s trust in God’s covenant promises was validated as “righteousness” (Gen 15:6) and was ratified on Mount Moriah when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, the son of the promise (Gen 22:1–19). Moses displayed faith in God through his commitment to serve as the instrument of God’s provision of freedom and deliverance, leading Israel out of Egyptian captivity (see the book of Exodus). The prophets expressed faith in God through their belief in the word of Yahweh that they had received and their willingness to proclaim that word to the kings of Israel and Judah, as well as to surrounding nations. Habakkuk proclaims, “the righteous shall live by his faith” (Hab 2:4). The connection between righteousness and faith suggests faith is the means by which to abide in God’s favor. In the New Testament, however, we see that faith is not only a personal action; it is a divine gift bestowed by God’s grace (Eph 2:8).

In the New Testament, the noun “faith” (pistis in Greek) and the related verb “believe” (pisteuō) both occur over 200 times, while the adjective “faithful” (pistos) is used over 60 times. The New Testament authors primarily view faith as belief in the incarnation and in Christ’s death and resurrection, such that a person’s life is shaped by those beliefs. Genuine faith differs from mere conceptual belief: even the demons believe Jesus is the Son of God “and shudder” (James 2:19). In the Gospels, faith often reflects a disposition of trust that God (through Jesus) will heal, save, or otherwise empower someone in the face of difficulty. Jesus proclaims that the practice of faith enables (or, when lacking, prevents) healing (Matt 13:58; Mark 5:34). In the book of Acts, faith takes on the meaning of assurance of doctrinal and theological belief, and, in particular, belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God (Acts 4:12; 6:7; 13:8; 14:22; 16:5; 16:31).

Paul, emphasizing that faith in Christ is based on God’s grace rather than on the works of the law, refers to Abraham’s faith as the precedent (Gal 3:6–14). James also cites the example of Abraham, though he argues for the complementary idea that genuine faith includes active obedience (Jas 2:20–24). Hebrews lists Abraham and others as heroes of faith, which they showed through their actions (Heb 11).

The common assumption that faith is primarily intellectual agreement to verbal propositions has led to a sense of indissoluble tension between Paul’s understanding of faith (“we are saved by grace through faith”; Eph 2:8; Rom 3:22; Gal 3:11) and James’ warnings that faith unaccompanied by action is not genuine (Jas 2:24, 26). However, this tension is resolved when faith is understood as active trust in the covenant grace of God and the personal Lordship of Christ. Paul’s emphasis on the grace nature of faith—as a gift in the context of covenant relationship with God—agrees with James’ insistence that faith be underlined by and expressed in obedient works.

Kyle A. Roberts

Further Reading

Faith CLBD