What is faith?

Faith is defined by Webster as “unquestioning belief” in God and Jesus. Many people speak about “having faith in Jesus,” but what exactly does this mean? The Bible uses the phrase “faith in Jesus” synonymously with ‘belief’ in Jesus as Savior. For example, John 3: 16 states “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Romans 3:22–23 states that “righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When we place our faith in Jesus, we believe in Him, and God imputes Jesus’ righteousness to us.

Faith is mentioned in Old Testament only twice: Deuteronomy 32: 20 and Habakkuk 2: 4. Neither of these two verses relate to faith in Jesus. In the New Testament, Faith is mentioned almost 500 times. In the New Testament, faith becomes the supreme act of all human acts and experiences. Faith is trust in the person of Jesus, the truth of His teachings, and belief in His redemptive work at Calvary. Faith is not to be confused with mere intelligent assent to the doctrinal teachings of Christianity. It includes a radical and total commitment to Jesus as the Lord of one’s life.

A highly acclaimed author, Harriet Houser of Perry, Georgia, wrote an inspiring book about her son, Hentz, who injured his spine in a diving accident at Houston Lake near Perry. Hentz was confined to a wheelchair.  Houser entitled her book, “Of Things Not Seen”—hitch-hiking on the words of Hebrews 11: 1 which state: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  This book is highly recommended.  Mrs. Houser was a neighbor of United States Senator Sam Nunn when he was growing up in Perry, living close by.

It was in the Pauline epistles (13 books in New Testament) that the meaning of faith is clearly set forth. James, the brother of Jesus and reputed head of the Jerusalem Church, wrote that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). To have faith in Jesus means to trust Him fully and without reservation. On one occasion, Jesus healed two blind men. He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They answered, “Yes, Lord,” and He healed them” (Matthew 9:28–29). He did so based on their faith. The men simply trusted the power and goodness of the Lord and received their sight.

The key is belief in response to God’s love. Anyone who places his or her faith in Jesus has the promise of eternal life. Without faith in Jesus, we remain in sin and cannot be accepted into God’s presence in His perfect heaven. I close with my favorite verse on faith: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.^”  It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.