What is faith?
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What is true faith? The question I’m asking here is not what the object of true faith is supposed to be, but, rather, what is faith itself? For many in the world, and even for many who call themselves Christians, I fear that we have little to no concept of the essence of biblical faith. Some see it as a leap in the dark. Others might use phrases like “blind faith” in describing it. Still others might imagine faith as some “thing” which we conjure up within us that helps us cope with the things of life. Many seem to have faith in their “faith,” taking comfort in the fact that they consider themselves religious. Others take comfort in having some vague sense of God and religious things, yet never really look at the object they’re supposedly trusting in.
None of these things, however, are biblical faith. It is very helpful here that the Bible itself gives us God’s own definition. Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The word “substance” is translated elsewhere as “confidence” (Hebrews 3:14). And “confidence” is a compound of the two Latin words con (with or having) and fide/fidere (faith or trust). And hope, biblically speaking, is an eager expectation of sure things. Thus, firstly, faith is having confidence in things which we are eagerly expecting. It is not an intuition nor is it wishful thinking.
Faith is also the evidence of things not seen. It is the proof, or the conviction, of things which our physical eyes are not currently perceiving. The Holy Spirit brings unseen things to the eyes of our hearts and souls, creating faith. This is in line with the definition of belief, which is to be persuaded or convinced or convicted or sure of something/someone. It is impossible to have faith in something you have no evidence of, or that you’re not persuaded of, or that you’re not convinced of. Faith is always founded on knowledge, it is rooted in evidence. Faith, then, is not blind. It is sure of its object. Faith is more than a mental assent to the truths of God, but faith is not less than that. The more one studies God in Jesus Christ, the more one digs into the Word of God (which produces faith – Romans 10:17), the more the Holy Spirit convinces one of the saving power and love of Jesus Christ. The more one studies what God has revealed of Himself in the Bible, the more one will find Him trustworthy.
Biblical faith is not ignorant of the supposed object of its trust. By definition, you can’t have faith in something you are not looking at. And by definition, you can’t have faith in something you’re unfamiliar with. Faith is always in something. I believe in someone because they have proved themselves to be trustworthy. And the more they prove their trustworthiness to me, the more faith I will have in them. It would be absurd to place the lives of my wife and children into the hands of a complete stranger. It would be unthinkable to pour everything I own into something of which I am completely ignorant. Likewise, it would be madness to refuse to get to know the Person in whom I’m entrusting my undying soul. Yet, for some reason many people function like this in the most important realm of our existence – our eternal destinies.
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We should never let people discourage us from studying the object of our faith – namely, God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible. Those who would keep us from pressing into the Scriptures are trying to turn us away from seeing our God and Savior Jesus Christ and are, thus, attempting to dwindle true faith. To obscure and hide the object of faith is to kill faith itself.
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John Kastamo
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