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WHAT IS FAITH?

Faith is defined in the first verse of the faith chapter of the Bible, Hebrews 11: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The Greek word for faith is #4102 in Strong’s Concordance, which means persuasion, the conviction of religious truth, conviction of the truthfulness of God, or reliance on God. It comes from #3982, meaning to convince, to assent to evidence or authority, or to rely on by inward certainty.

The word “substance” is #5287, which means support or assurance. The word “evidence” is #1650, which also means proof or conviction.

This verse tells us that faith is the assurance that we will receive the things for which we hope, and it supports the knowledge that we will receive them. The Bible has promises for blessings in this life if we obey God, and it also contains promises for eternal life in the kingdom of God. Faith is the assurance that we will receive those promises.

Faith is also the evidence or proof of what we cannot see or what we have not seen yet. By faith, we know that God made the universe, although we cannot see God and we were not present at the creation. Faith is the evidence or proof that God exists, and it is also the evidence that He will keep His promises, even though we have not seen those promises yet.

This verse does not define faith in terms of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. If we could perceive the object of our faith, we would not need faith.