Featured What is FAITH?

The Aoostle Paul wrote, ". . . faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. . . ." -- Romans 10:17-18. Citing the Psalms 19:4 , ". . . Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. . . ." And understanding "world" here to refer to the inhabited earth. And the message in that Psalm to speak of God's natural revelation.

The hearing of truth is the basis of faith.

 

Simply put, faith is belief, trust in the one who can do what he promised.

An evidence of faith is action; I believe so I change my actions based upon that belief.

Rob

 

Information is not knowledge unless it is believed. One cannot know anything without faith in that information.

We have faith in our own experience.
We have faith in our own thinking.
We have faith in the witness of others. (Which is our primary source for what we choose to believe.)

 

In a religious context it is believing without having seen, while in a secular context it is an assurance that the job will get done, i.e. I have faith that my wife will do something if she tells me she is going to do it.

 

In the Greek, faith is a verb. It is more than belief which is internal mental assent. Faith is external commitment and action to follow specific teachings.

 

Reference?

 

It is impossible to know anything without faith.

 

Any biblical greek dictionary would identify "pistos" as a verb, I suppose. There are several here that are well educated in biblical Greek.

English has no verb that exactly reflects "faith", which generally referred to following specific teachings, so it was translated as "belief". Belief suggests internal mental assent instead of outward action that reflected following specific teachings.

Jesus often used language that demanded those who claimed to trust His teachings to "follow" Him. He said, "take up your cross", "let the dead bury the dead", "your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees" and many other words that demonstrated that "faith" was far more than internal mental assent.

Those who did not commit to the very stringent conditions Jesus laid out for His disciples, they were said to be unworthy of Him.

For someone to have "faith" meant their lives were transformed by the teachings and they walked according to those teachings.

Peace to you.

 

πιστος as an Adjective.

The English usage faith as verb is now archaic, faith used as a transitive verb, meaning believe, trust.

 

I stand corrected. Pistis is a noun from the verb Pietho.

Perhaps you could explain what a "transitive verb" is? Why is the noun pistis (faith) used as a transitive verb (believe?), or maybe you are saying it shouldn't be.

 

The word faith is often used interchangeably with believed or trusted in scripture.

Genesis 15:5-6 (NASB) 5 And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.


Romans 4:3-4 (NASB) 3 For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

Romans 4:9 (NASB) Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Galatians 3:5-9 (NASB) 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 6 Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

So we see the foundational model - the patriarch of faith in the gospel - Abraham - Was counted righteous for his mere belief when God said the gospel to him.


Romans 4:11-13 (NASB) 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:16 (NASB) For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

So for this reason Abraham is the primary model of faith in the gospel. His example of faith is the scripture’s definitive answer to what is faith. All who are of saving faith (the faith which leads to righteousness) are derivative of the same faith as Abraham.

 

The scripture says demons believe God exists, but it says they deny the gospel (that Christ came in the flesh).

The case of Judas is interesting because his actions demonstrated he didn’t actually believe. Jesus confirmed that:

John6
64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.

Scripture clearly indicates Abraham was made righteous prior to circumcision, which was prior to offering Isaac, prior to leaving his homeland.

Romans 4:9-10 (NASB) 9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

Abraham was made righteous for his faith prior to being circumcised and more than a decade prior to offering Isaac.

 

While He was here, it was hard to deny. Now that he's not here, they refuse to acknowledge it.

This is where I get this notion:

[1Jo 4:2-3 NASB] 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.​

Bare in mind... I don't think that demons don't know about Jesus... I think they do know but will not confess it.

[Rom 10:8-11 NASB] 8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."​

To this I would add Abraham was 101 when Isaac was born. Isaac was in his 30's (probably) when they went to Mariah to sacrifice Isaac.

I agree with you that genuine faith is always accompanied by corresponding action. However, keep in mind this covenant of faith with Abraham was ratified (or as you say, made formal) by God in Genesis 15... 430 years before the Law of Moses was given. So the covenant of faith is truly apart from The Law... as the law didn't exist when the covenant of faith was made with Abraham.

[Gal 3:15-17 NASB] 15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is [only] a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as [referring] to many, but [rather] to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.​

Once the covenant of faith was ratified by God, it can no longer have conditions added to it. When The Law of Moses came 430 years later, it didn't modify or add any conditions to the covenant of faith God had previously made with Abraham. Therefore, the covenant God made with Abraham stands firm as the golden standard to define the kind of faith required for righteousness by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we can see that faith is truly apart from the law (as the law wouldn't be given for 430 more years when faith was ratified). However, The Law has never been apart from the covenant of faith... as the covenant of faith had existed for 430 years prior to The Law of Moses.

[Rom 3:21-22 NASB] 21 But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even [the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;​

So the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ was WITNESSED by The Law, but the covenant of faith is apart from The Law and The Law adds no conditions to the covenant of faith. The Law is the Torah, so we know that the covenant of righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe is shown in the Torah... and that's exactly what we see in Genesis 12-17.

Since the Holy Spirit had not yet come, we know the faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ Abraham had was mere belief and not some spiritual or mystical power. The power was in the preaching of the gospel... the SAYING of truth.

[Gal 3:8 NASB] 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, [saying,] "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU."

[Rom 1:16 NASB] 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

[Rom 10:13-18 NASB] 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" 17 So faith [comes] from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."​

It was God Himself who first preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to Abraham.