Faith. What Is It Really?

We've all heard people say you have to have faith to make something happen. Faith is important to our Lord too. He devoted an entire chapter in the Book of Hebrews to it. To fully understand faith we should know God's definition of it. The Lord defines faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews 11:1 reads, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” It is when we believe in something solely based on the authority of the source of the information or statement. We have faith in the works of God because they are stated in the Bible. It's the firm belief that a certain statement is true. We can't physically see or hear our Lord and Savior but by faith in His Word we know that He exists. The root of true faith is divine testimony; not whether or not what God says is reasonable. With man something may seem impossible. But with God nothing is impossible. (Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37) We believe it simply because He says it is so. The Bible urges sinners to personally believe in Christ as God's gift to mankind as a redemption from sin. We believe He was crucified & 3 days later He was resurrected & ascended to the right hand of God the Father. By having faith in Christ we are justified in the blood that was shed on the Cross. (Romans 5:9, 10:9)

Faith has been radically redefined over the past centuries. The new definitions rarely touch the complexities of the word in the original form. The most significant Hebrew word for faith is aman. It describes the absolute reliability, stability, & firmness of scripture. Aman is a word that means to support or uphold something reliably; such as the arms of a parent holding their child. As a child we had faith that our father would not hold out his arms out to catch us then move when we jumped toward him. We have faith in dad. We have the same faith in the hold God has on us. God, & His Words, are trustworthy, certain, & reliable. His arms are outstretched calling us to Himself. We only have to respond by going to Him.

Faith is a reliance upon & trust in God. The author of Hebrews tells us that one of the basic principles of followers of Christ involves faith toward God. Jesus and the New Testament writers’ teachings about faith are built on what is written in the Old Testament. Faith is required to please the Lord (Hebrews 11:6). God requires faith because it is the proper response to revelations He made of Himself. We have to believe in Him & His power. Faith toward God responds to what God has revealed both verbally & physically in Jesus Christ. Jesus' testimony & examples are the perfect means by which we can know God Himself.

Aman is the primary word for faith in Hebrew. The dominant New Testament word for faith is the Greek word pistis. Pistis is about an element of trust. It's a belief respecting man's relationship with God. As it relates to God pistis is the conviction that God exists, is the creator & ruler of all things, & is the provider & bestower of eternal salvation & life through Christ. We know & trust that these things are true. Relating to Christ it is a strong belief that Jesus is the true Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. We trust in Him. It describes a faith that is a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. Pistis faith for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" and is distinct from human belief or confidence. The Lord continuously gives new faith in the yielded believer through the Holy Spirit so they can know what He prefers. We sense direction from the Lord. Many times God will reassure the believer of His desires through the small voice of the person's conscience. Our conscience gives us deep feeling & conviction whether something is right or wrong.

Aman & pistis are two of the words in the Bible translated as faith. There are others but these give us a clear definition of what our Lord meant when He says we are to have faith in Him & what He says. We place our trust in God's Words because of His almighty & sovereign nature. Having this level of trust & faith in something we cannot see or hear may seem foolish to those who are not part of God's family; but for those who are one of the Lord's adopted children faith is essential.