In the introduction, we discussed the importance of living by faith in these last days. By faith we are to live our whole Christian lives (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17, Gal. 2:20, Heb. 10:38). It is vital then, that we have an understanding of what bible faith is. The word “faith” is mentioned 245 times in the New Testament alone, whilst the verb “believe” with a similar meaning is mentioned 268 times! If we are to live by faith, we need to understand what it is and how to apply it in our lives. In this chapter, we will define faith and some of its characteristics. In later chapters, we will discuss how to apply and live by faith.

 1.  Faith is a Firm Persuasion, Conviction and Trust  God.

The word “faith” is the Greek word “pistis” and means “…persuasion, credence: conviction (of religious truth or the truthfulness of God), esp. reliance upon (Christ), and constancy in such a profession.”¹ Faith is being convinced, persuaded in the faithfulness and truthfulness of God; His Word and character.  E. W. Bullinger defines “pistis,” “faith” as a “…firm persuasion, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight, or knowledge: a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God in His Word.”² Faith means that we rely upon, trust in, confide in, and take refuge in God and His promises. It is to believe that God is who He says He is in His Word. It is to believe that He will fulfil all His promises spoken to us personally as individuals and corporately as a Church.

Faith is an act of the will, a decision of the heart to believe and actively trust God in our lives (Prov. 3:5-6, Rom. 10:10). It is having a daily relationship with God, knowing that He cares about every aspect of our lives (Matt. 6:25-34). Faith is trusting God to save us (Eph. 2:8), deliver us (Heb. 11:34), keep us (1 Pet. 1:5), heal us (Matt. 8:17, 1 Pet. 2:24), prosper us (3 John 2) and ultimately resurrect us (1 Cor. 15:51-58). Faith moves us out of self-dependency to God dependency. It is a supernatural trust in a supernatural God. Faith is a supernatural grace rooted in the heart moving beyond the realms of reason and sight: “It is the nature of faith to believe God upon his bare word…it will not be saith sense: it cannot be saith reason: it both can and will be saith faith, for I have a promise for it.”³ Faith rests assured in the bosom of our Heavenly Father confidently trusting Him in all things.

2. Faith is Divine:  Eph. 2:8, Gal. 2:20:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God…” Eph. 2:8

We all possess a natural human faith that we use on a daily basis. This faith operates in the natural realm, governed by the five senses of taste, touch, sight, smell and hearing. This natural faith is grounded in the five senses. It is rare that it can believe in things that cannot be investigated by these five senses. However, the faith God imparts to us is divine. It has its beginnings in Him and is spiritual (Mark 11:22, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 2:8, Heb. 11:3). Divine faith comes by the hearing of the Word of God (Rom. 10:17, Eph. 2:8). It is God given faith of the heart that relies and trusts in Jesus for salvation. It is the faith resident in God Himself whereby He created the universe. It is supernatural faith coming out of His spiritual nature (Mark 11:22, Heb. 1:3). Divine faith goes beyond natural faith for it is a real spiritual substance imparted to our hearts when we believed upon Jesus for salvation (Eph. 2:8). It is not grounded in sense evidence but in the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Natural faith fails, but the God kind of faith endures under all circumstances and trials (1 Cor. 13:13). This faith in us will overcome and change the natural circumstances of our lives that seem impossible to sense and reason (1 John 5:4). An example of this is seen in the life of Abraham who believed God's promise to him of a son despite his natural circumstances (Rom. 4:19).

3. Faith is a Gift from God: Eph. 2:8:

“…it is the gift of God…”

This divine faith is a gift from God. No one earns faith, it is a gift. Since it is divine faith, from God's very being, it is obvious that human beings do not naturally possess it or can acquire it themselves. God gives it to us as a gift. We cannot believe by our own ability, but need the assistance of the Holy Spirit who imparts faith to us to believe in Jesus. In Ephesians 2:8, it is referred to as a gift. The word “gift” is the Greek word “doron”, which means “a present:…gift, offering.”⁴ Faith is a “gift of God”, whether it be saving faith, the measure of faith to exercise spiritual gifts or the gift of faith imparted by the Holy Spirit to do extraordinary works (Rom. 12:3, 1 Cor. 12:9, Eph. 2:8).

 4. Faith is of the Heart: Mark 11:23-25, Rom. 10:9:

“…shall not doubt in his heart…” Mark 11:23

“…and shall believe in his heart…” Rom. 10:9

The heart is the centre of our being. In the scriptures, the word heart and spirit are sometimes used interchangeably. Faith resides in the centre of our being, our hearts our spirits. Romans 10:9, says that we believe with the heart for salvation. At conversion, we were given the faith to believe upon Jesus as our Saviour (Eph. 2:8). Faith operates in and from the heart. Unless we believe God with our heart, we do not really believe God at all. Many believers confuse head faith (mental assent), with heart faith. Mental assent is agreeing with the truths of God's Word; that Jesus is saviour (Luke 2:11), redeemer, provider (Matt. 6:32), healer (Matt. 8:17), and sanctifier (1 Cor. 1:30). Mental assent is an important ingredient to faith. We must have a correct doctrinal understanding of God and His Word. However, if this knowledge remains only in our minds, and we fail to put it to work for us, it will do us no good; it is mental agreement with no corresponding actions (James 2:14). Heart faith is a relationship with God that trusts Him to do what He says He will do. It is a decision of the heart to believe the promises of God. It is a conviction and knowing of the heart, a spiritual knowing. In the natural realm, the heart of man is a living organism. In the spiritual realm, the centre of our being is our spirit. It is living and pulsating with the life of God. Faith resides in this living part of our being, our spirit. Mental assent is an intellectual agreement to bible truth, but it does not really trust God. Faith that resides in our spirits is alive and will produce tangible results in our lives (James 2:17).

 5. Faith is a Spiritual Law: Rom. 3:27:

 “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”

To say that faith is a Spiritual Law is to describe it as a principle or a settled rule of action in the spiritual realm. It is the “rule” and “law” of the Kingdom of God. It is through obeying this law of faith, by exercising our faith in God and His promises that we receive everything that we need from the Lord (Mark 11:23-24, Rom. 3:27). In Romans 3:27, Paul uses the expression “law of faith” to denote this principle or law whereby all things are received from God. God has determined that faith is to be the principle or law by which we are to receive anything from Him (Heb. 11:1, James 1:6). God's kingdom operates by spiritual laws and principles. Faith is the method of operating in God's kingdom (Rom. 3:27). If you believe God with your heart and fulfil the conditions of His promises, your prayers will be answered (Mark 11:23-25, Luke 17:6). All through the bible, we see men and women using their faith and receiving answers to their prayers (Heb. 11:1-40). In the natural realm, money is the means of purchasing and exchanging goods. In the spiritual realm, the realm of God's kingdom, faith is the principle whereby all things are received from Him. All our prayers must be in faith, believing that God hears us and gives us our requests that are in accordance with His Word (Mark 11:23-25, Heb. 11:6, James 4:3,).

 6. Faith is a Spiritual Substance: Heb. 11:1:

 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The biblical definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the substance of things...” From this scripture, we learn three essential truths about the nature of faith. Firstly, that faith is a spiritual substance, secondly that faith is the substance of things hoped for and thirdly, that faith is the evidence of things not seen. We will look at these three points in the following Faith-Facts.  

Faith is a real spiritual substance. It is the substance of the things hoped for. Spiritual things are real, in fact more real than natural things (2 Cor. 4:18). For instance healing is a real transference of the tangible healing anointing of God into your spirit then into your body. The things of the spiritual realm are real. It was the spiritual realm that brought the material realm into existence (Gen. 1:1, John 1:1). It was through faith that God created the worlds (Ps. 33:6, Heb. 1:3). Faith must therefore be substance and “tangible” to create things that are material. The heavenly spiritual substance of faith that came out of God’s own being created the material universe that we now see. Faith is a spiritual substance. Spiritual things are substantial, they have tangibility. In his teaching on the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15:44, Paul teaches us that there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. The spiritual body that we will receive when the Lord returns, is a real body composed of spirit (1 Cor. 15:44). Faith is a “heavenly material”, it is substance, otherwise it could not affect and change the physical, natural realm (Matt. 17:20).

 7. Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped for: Heb. 11:1:

 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.”

 Secondly, we learn that faith is the substance of things, that is, it substantiates, or gives substance to the things we are hoping for. The Greek word for “substance” is “hupostasis” and means “a setting under (support)…concr.essence… foundation.”⁵ It means that which is a foundation or structure for something else. Thayer defines the word as “confidence, firm trust, assurance…”⁶ It is the confident assurance that the things hoped for (prayed for) are coming to pass. Our faith stands in the place of the things hoped for until they are manifested in our lives. When we think of the words, “confidence, assurance” we think of a sense or a feeling of certainty. Now faith does have these qualities yet goes beyond them. The “confidence” and “assurance” of faith is concrete, real, spiritual. It is a spiritual substance, a real spiritual presence in the heart of the believer. In this verse, faith is the foundation or structure of things hoped for, i.e. things being prayed for. This can be interpreted to mean that our faith gives reality, substance to the things we believe for. We could say that faith is the foundation, structure or “spiritual raw material” of the things we are hoping for to happen.

Now the “things” we are hoping for include the fulfilment of the words and promises of God in our lives. For instance, you may believe God for healing based upon His healing promises (James 5:14-15, 1 Pet. 2:24). Your faith stands in the place of your healing until the manifestation comes into being. Your faith is the foundation and substance of your healing, actually imparting reality to this “thing” hoped for. Barnes comments that faith is “…something that imparts reality in the view of the mind to those things which are not seen, and which serves to distinguish them from those things which are unreal and illusive. It is that which enables us to feel and act as if they were real, or which causes them to exert an influence over us as if we saw them.”⁷ Faith makes real the unseen things of the spiritual realm. To make these things real to us, faith itself must be a real spiritual substance.

8. Faith is the Evidence of Things not Seen: Heb. 11:1:

“…the evidence of things not seen…”

Thirdly, we learn from Hebrews 11:1, that faith is the “evidence” of things not seen. The things not seen pertain to the spiritual realm and the realities of our salvation. Although these things are not seen, they are real, in fact more real than that which is seen (2 Cor. 4:18). The Greek word for “evidence” is “elegchos” and means “proof, conviction, evidence, reproof.”⁸ Thayer says it means, “…that by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced of their reality.”⁹ The existence of our faith is the proof or evidence of the existence of what we do not see with our natural eyes. The presence of faith in our hearts is proof or evidence of the existence of what we do not see. Or to put it another way, the living faith that we may sometimes sense, as we trust God to fulfil His written or spoken Word to us, is the proof that He will do it. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Evidence is proof of the reality of something, proof of its existence. We have the evidence of the thing by faith. This faith is the “receipt”, the proof of the exchange that occurred in the spiritual realm between God and ourselves when we prayed for our needs and requests to be granted to us.

 9. Faith is a Work of the Spirit within us: Eph. 3:16-17:

 “…to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”

Natural human faith cannot believe in a supernatural God and receive Jesus as saviour and Lord. Only divine faith does this. We have already mentioned that faith is a gift from God. Actually it is directly given to us from God the Holy Spirit, who continues to strengthen our spiritual man to believe God in and for all things (Eph. 3:16). Without this strengthening of the Holy Spirit within us, our faith would be weak and powerless. The Holy Spirit works faith in us by strengthening us to believe God’s promises. He is the “spirit of faith” (2 Cor. 4:13). He imparted faith to us when we first believed upon Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9); He gives us the gift of faith (1 Cor. 12:9), and develops the fruit of faith in us (Gal. 5:22). Without His continual infilling (Eph. 5:18), our faith would be lifeless, unable to get results. This is where many believers miss it. They do not realise that even when believing God, they need to be continually filled with the life of God, the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The Holy Spirit energises our faith. Our faith needs to be anointed faith, filled with the life of God not mental agreement that many have instead of genuine bible faith. To keep our faith alive, our spirits need to be continually filled with the power and life of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16, 5:18).

 10. Faith is a Spiritual Power or Force: Gen. 1:1,   
       Heb. 11:3.

To say that faith is a force is to say that it has strength, energy and active power. Faith has all of these, for it is the very power of God. Through it, God created the material universe. Faith therefore is a creative force; it brought the material realm into existence out of nothing. We can see that this spiritual force was used to create this material universe, for science teaches us that the universe is in a state of expansion. Scientists reason that this expansion was due to a “big bang” that occurred at the beginning of the universe. However, they have no satisfactory explanation how this energy came into being to create the material universe. As believers, we know that God created the universe through the spiritual force of faith released through His words:

 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen. 1:1

 “…And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” Gen. 1:3

Scientists know that there is a power causing the universe to expand outwards, and that it had a beginning in time. We know that this power and force that brought the universe into existence was God’s spoken Word. The Psalmist declares that God created the universe through His Word:

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” Ps. 33:6

Therefore, the universe was created by God’s Word. His words contain His faith.

Romans 10:17 says:

 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So God’s written Word, the scriptures,  contains the faith substance, the faith material, the same material that He used to create the universe in Genesis 1:1, 2ff. Faith is therefore a spiritual power and force in that it creates and changes the natural, physical realm. Jesus taught us about the power of faith in Mark 11:22-23:

 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

 Now we know that the mountain Jesus is speaking about can refer to any difficulty in our lives. However, Jesus was not just speaking figuratively. He was teaching a powerful spiritual truth that faith could affect and even move physical objects. You see Jesus had earlier cursed a physical object, the fig tree and it withered (Mark 11:14). Note also that He told them to “have the faith of God.”  This is the literal translation of Mark 11:22. What is the faith of God? It is the same faith we see God using when He created the world and spoke to the planet to bring forth light, life and vegetation (Gen. 1:2, 3, 5, 6, 9). Jesus used the God kind of faith when He spoke to the fig tree and told His disciples they could do the same (Matt. 21:21). Faith therefore is a spiritual power and force that can change the natural realm.

 11. Faith is an Eternal: 1 Cor. 13:13:

 “And now abideth faith, hope and love…”

Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 13:13, that faith, hope and love are eternal. This means that we will always be exercising these virtues, even in Heaven. Remember faith pre-existed this natural realm for it was in God before He created this natural realm. Faith is eternal for we will always need to trust in the infinite God, seeing we are finite in our understanding and knowledge (Is. 32:17). Marvin Vincent commenting on this verse in 1 Corinthians 13:13 says: “…The essential permanence of the three graces is asserted. In their nature they are eternal.”¹⁰ 

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