The Greek word for faith is πιστευω (pisteuoo) which means “believe, have faith, have confidence (in something or someone), entrust (something to another).” Here are some various proposed definitions of faith:
- Ryrie: “Faith means confidence, trust, to hold to something as true. Faith must have content. There must be confidence or trust about something. To have faith in Christ unto salvation means to have confidence that He can remove the guilt of sin and grant eternal life.”
- Erickson: The “positive aspect” of conversion whereby “one lays hold upon the promises and work of Christ” (310).
- Bible: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NASB)
- Luther: “Faith is God’s work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God…Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith” (An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, 124-25)
- Grudem: “trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins & eternal life with God” (308)
Biblically speaking there are three components of faith.
- Content (Acts 8:37; 16:31; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Thes 4:14; Heb 11:6): “Faith is a form of knowledge.”
- Agreement/Assent/Understanding (1 Cor 2:19; Heb 11:1; 1 Jn 4:1): Yet something more! (cf. James 2:19)
- Personal Trust: the most vital element and it involves action/deeds (Rom 10:9-10).
Knowledge/Content: Cannot have a contentless faith. Cannot have faith in faith. Cannot say that I am a faithful person without stating that they have a faith in something or that something. However, today it is virtuous to have a contentless faith. Can faith be in and of itself? Is faith an object? Always ask them what their faith is in? However, this is not enough. Christology of demons, James 2:19
Agreement/Assent: There are different levels of assent and doubt. With every belief there is a level of doubt. Mark 9:24; Thomas, Jn 20:24-25; Rom 12:3. It is not just a blind leap, but it is also not just a logical step. It is foolish to say that the greatest faith seeks the least evidence. Historical reaction against reason (Enlightenment). By learning more about God we don’t have less faith or less reason to have faith. Reason shows that faith is logical. “We believe that we may understand,” also shows that faith is necessary to truly understand biblical logic. People go to two extremes: logic only and a complete abandonment of logic. This combined with the previous is the status of demons.
Trust: This is the human element, and the most vital element. This is the emotional element, and it involves action and the alignment of the will. The first one is about the mind, but there is more than the mind that is required. Emotionally healthy spirituality requires authenticity and alignment of the mind, the heart, and the will. This is the confidence that God is who is says He is and someone who acts accordingly. There is an utter commitment of the heart and will upon the grace and care of God. There is a release of one’s will, dreams, anxieties, cares, concerns, plans, etc. over to God. There is a complete abandonment of oneself into the care and provision of God. With the alignment of the mind, heart, and will, there will be an alignment of one’s actions with the help and complete and utter dependence on the Holy Spirit. While faith is so simple that it can be explained as such, it is immensely complex in its inter-workings with the will, with one’s actions, and with prayer.
So let’s take the example of smoking. Someone can know that smoking is bad for them. They can know that it causes cancer and all the things about smoking. They can even advocate for it and agree with it. However, if they continue to smoke, they don’t believe the message(s) about smoking. In the least, they don’t believe the message(s) about smoking for himself. He may believe that these things are true for everyone else except him. However, if he does not stop smoking, then he lacks trust; he lacks faith.
