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Faith: To trust; to persuade, to draw towards anything, to believe; to obey. The assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgement that what another states or testifies is the truth. An entire confidence or trust in God’s character and declarations; and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God’s testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation and life. A strict adherence to duty and fulfillment of promises.
Greek: Pistis [pis’-tis] =faith [239], assurance [1], believe+ [1], belief [1], fidelity [1], them that believe [1]. (peitho); persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstract constancy in such profession; by extensive the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity. Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. The word is used of (a) trust, Rom. 3:25 ;1 Cor. 2:5; 1 Cor. 15:14, 17; 2 Cor. 1:24; Gal. 3:23 ; Phil. 1:25; Phil. 2:17; 1 Thess. 3:2; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 3:2; trust-worthiness Matt. 23:23; Rom. 3:3, RV, "the faithfulness of God;" Gal. 5:22 (RV, "faithfulness"); Titus 2:10, "fidelity;" what is believed, the contents of belief, the "faith," Acts 6:7; Acts 14:22; Gal. 1:23; Gal. 3:25 [contrast Gal. 3:23, under; Gal. 6:10; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thess. 3:10; Jude 1:3, 20 (and perhaps 2 Thess. 3:2); a ground for "faith," an assurance, Acts 17:31 The main elements in "faith" in its relation to the invisible God, as distinct from "faith" in man, are especially brought out in the use of this noun and the corresponding verb, pisteuō; they are a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God's revelation or truth, 2 Thess. 2:11, 12; (2) a personal surrender to Him, John 1:12; a conduct inspired by such surrender, 2 Cor. 5:7. All this stands in contrast to belief in its purely natural exercise, which consists of an opinion held in good "faith" without necessary reference to its proof. The object of Abraham's "faith" was not God's promise (that was the occasion of its exercise); his "faith" rested on God Himself, Rom. 4:17, 20, 21. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words.
Faith is not an inanimate object or thing. The Bible calls it a substance and, in its definition, has great purpose and reality in the spiritual world, ready, willing and able to manifest itself in the physical world. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Now how does it get any better than that?
In the building world of which I have spent more than 54 years, it is the building materials of what the blue print is calling for. It is also called the evidence of the thing one is hoping for. This is exactly the reason the scriptures speak to us about walking in faith and its ability to please God. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP)For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance. And for these scriptural reasons, the Lord has spoken thus to us. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT2) And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. It does not get any more serious than this. It is a ‘deal breaker’ in the game of life and not only does it keep us in the game of life here and now, it provides for us a ticket to the greatest and longest game of all time, Heaven.
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