What is faith? That seems like an easy question to answer, after all, Hebrews 11:1 gives us a Biblical definition of the word:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV)
I originally learned this verse from the King James Version, but the way it is written here leaves me looking for a little more clarity. That is why I like to look at scripture using several different translations. Here are a few for Hebrews 11:1.
- AMP – Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
- CSB – Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
- ESV – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
- GW – Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.
- MSG – The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.
- NASB – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
- NLT – Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
- NRSV – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
- PHILLIPS – Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see.
I think, after looking at all these translations, my own rendering of this verse would read, “Now faith is the confidence in the expected outcome, the proof of spiritual things that cannot be perceived.”
Using that as my definition of faith, there are still a few more things that need to be understood:
- Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is the “author and perfecter of faith.”
- Romans 12:3 says that “God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
- Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:15 say that “faith grows”
So, it is clear that faith comes from God. It was created by God, and apportioned to us. We receive it by hearing the words of Christ, and that faith grows.
Many people try to capture the essence of what faith is, and sum it up in a sentence. I am listing a few of those here:
“Faith is simply doing what God tells you to do whether you feel like it or not—especially, in fact, when you don’t feel like it…. faith is operating on the reality that we know to be true, even though we don’t see it.” – Chip Ingram
“Real true faith is man’s weakness leaning on God’s strength.” – D. L. Moody
“Faith is the work of God’s grace in us.” – Charles Spurgeon
“Faith is not merely a sign that points toward a heavenly reality, faith is the substance of that reality.” – Alan Smith
“faith is putting ourselves in situations where if God does not show up, we are in trouble.” – Bruce D. Main
I would like to pose the question out to anyone who is reading this, “What Is Faith?” I am interested in any answer. I don’t care if it is a one sentence answer like those listed above, or pages worth of dissection the nuances of Ancient Greek. Whatever you are comfortable with, I just want to see a variety of thoughts on this basic principle of Christianity.
Feel free to use the buttons below to share this out with whatever other groups and social media you are associated with. I want a lot of answers on this.
Thank you all very much.
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