What does the Bible say about faith?

Faith, fides in Latin, is what we would normally define as the acceptance of a message based on an invisible reality, but which in the life of every believer should take on a richer and deeper meaning. In fact, faith, which in Greek is pistis, occurs in the New Testament 243 times and in the Italian language is often translated as faith, believe, confidence, trust, faithful, fidelity, loyalty, and obedience. This is because faith is much more than believing in something or someone. The faith that the Word of God teaches us is the combination of:

• BELIEVE: faith begins with believing, believing in God and what He does and says
• TRUST: God asks you, do you trust me?
• OBEDIENCE: faith is a consequence of obedience to the Word of God
• ACTION: faith is believing, trusting, obedience put into action
• LOYALTY: loyalty to Jesus is the final state where faith can take us

Believing

We all have beliefs. We have the firm hope that life can improve, we are convinced that we can achieve significant goals, we believe in the existence of God, we are certain that one day we will have a good job, a welcoming home, a loving family and much more. Every person has beliefs, but the simple act of believing does not guarantee that these things will come true. Believing is a fundamental step because it represents only the beginning of the journey of faith; believing opens the doors to the unheard of, gives us the vision of what could be. Abraham was a man who believed firmly, he performed gestures that were revolutionary for his time. He believed in an invisible God, without representations, without statues and altars, but he believed because he listened to the voice of God. Abraham, before anything else, before developing a deep faith, simply began with the conviction of believing.

Trust

Once we have faith, that brings us to the next step. Trusting is really complex. Many believe in God, but not all can trust Him completely. This also happened with Abraham; his trust grew over time. Trusting in God means trusting in His ways, His timing and His plans. Trusting means handing over something that is precious to us to someone, trusting that that person will take care of it without harming us. God asks you: Do you trust ME? Do you trust that I want to do good? Do you trust that I know you better than you know yourself? Do you trust the power of Jesus’ sacrifice and that you can come to Me whenever you want? Trusting is a process. Before Abraham could trust God completely, he trusted his schemes and tricks, but they didn’t work. Often, believers recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, but continue to do things their own way. Faith as trust is that place in Jesus. If we trust in ephemeral things, our faith will be unstable, but if we place our trust in Jesus, the solid rock, our faith will also be stable. Do you trust? If you do not trust, you cannot obey.

Obey

“Faith comes by hearing, by hearing the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Faith is activated by hearing and not by seeing, just as the example of Abraham teaches us. It is essential to be able to listen, because faith also includes obedience to what God communicates to us. Obeying the Word of God is an action that follows believing and trusting. In Genesis 1:27, God gave a command to Adam and Eve “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over every living thing”. Human beings must commit and work hard to respond to this command. God often commands us to do something we would never choose for ourselves, and obedience to that word, even if it is against our will and sometimes seems absurd, will lead to blessing. This represents the heart of the disciple. Faith is not based on a feeling, but is a conscious action that we choose to take. I make the decision to trust, to trust that God knows what is best for me, and to act on that trust through obedience. Without obedience, there is no blessing.

Taking Action

Obedience is costly, it pushes us to act and take risks. James in his letter makes it clear that “without works, faith is dead” Abraham initially believed, then with Hagar, Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac he learned to trust God. When his faith was put to the test, he risked everything by acting in obedience. James was referring to this: Abraham’s faith was complete only when he acted in obedience to the Word of God. Faith is action, not just thought or feeling. Acting by faith is risky, you could lose everything: comfort, possessions, certainties. Faith has no guarantees and often leads to failure. Peter walked on the water and then sank. So what do we do? Do we stand still and regret? No! We get up and take more risks. After Jesus pulled Peter out of the water, the two walked on the water again, this time together. Obedience is not telling God what I do for you, but what I do with You, not to get something, but for our relationship with God. When we take risks, we realize how much we depend on Him.

Loyalty

The Greek word Pistis (faith) encompasses in a single term what we translate as: faithful, fidelity, obedience, belief, trust, confidence and loyalty. We often do not think that faith also includes loyalty and devotion. The original meaning of gospel, in the Greco-Roman context of the first centuries AD, is “good news”. Initially, the gospel was proclaimed by the Greek and Roman people to announce the arrival of a new king. This was the good news: a new king, a new kingdom, a new empire with new laws, coins and edicts. Jesus uses the same term to indicate that He is the New Gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are called Gospels because through Jesus there is the inauguration of a new kingdom. The Magi, the shepherds and the angels went to Bethlehem to see the arrival of the new King in Israel, the King of Kings. Jesus announces the good news of a new kingdom: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19). If the Gospel is the announcement of a new King, how do you approach your King? You approach him with loyalty and devotion. We not only believe in the King, but we show him trust, faithfulness, loyalty, devotion and commitment.

Faith is not just believing, but trusting, obeying, taking risks, and demonstrating loyalty. That loyalty we see in Daniel’s three friends, who knew that God could have saved them from the flames of the furnace, but said, “Even if he does not deliver us, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:18). Faith is ultimately finding in our unshakeable and firm trust, loyalty to the King of kings.

Where are you at? Where do you feel you are now and what is holding you back from trusting, obeying and acting knowing that you may lose everything? If you have sunk like Peter, do not be discouraged, for after all Peter walked on water. Very often we focus our attention on the things that are in front of us, distracting ourselves instead from the things we do not see and on which we should focus. I see the storm, the waves, the consequences of my bad decision, but instead focus on God who is there, during the journey, in your choices and who knows and understands the risks and who ultimately appreciates the sacrifice of your obedience.

Angela I.