(“Hope” is also covered in these notes because hope is closely related to faith. Both hope and FAITH have to do with what is not seen, but hope and faith are not exactly the same thing – Rom 8:24; Heb 11:27. See more on this below.)
faith – The English words “faith” and “belief,” and their cognates, are translations of the same root Greek word (“pistis“), and its cognates. How we ended up with two English words for one Greek one, I do not know. What I do know is that we Americans must remember that there is no difference in meaning between, for example, “having faith” and “believing.”
- Faith and HOPE are related, but are not the same thing – 1 Cor 13:13; Heb 11:1; 1 Pet 1:21
- Faith is a commandment. That is, faith is not an option; rather, we are ordered to believe, and are, therefore, being disobedient if we don’t – Mk 11:22; Jn 3:36; 6:29; 14:1; 16:7-11; Act 6:7; 17:30-31; Rom 1:5; 14:22-23; 16:26; Heb 3:18-19; 11:6, 31; 1 Pet 2:7-8 – This applies not just to those who call themselves “Christians,” but to everyone; Jesus died for every human being and therefore each and every one of us should believe in Him and have no excuse to not believe in Him unless we haven’t heard. Further to the point, consider that concept of “the righteousness of faith.” What can it mean except that unbelief is unrighteousness?
- The expression “the faith” appears in the Bible 38x (Gospels 0x; Acts 5x; Paul 31x; Jude 1x; Rev 1x).
- Doubt is anti-faith.
| Faith is… | Faith isn’t… |
| assurance (Heb 10:22; 11:1) | |
| conviction (Heb 11:1) | |
| doubt (Rom 14:22-23; Jas 1:5-8) | |
| speculation (1 Tim 1:3-4) |
As God saw that the light was good and separated it from darkness (Gen 1:4), so we must see faith as good and separate it from doubt and speculation…otherwise we have the light of twilight instead of the noonday sun.
FAITH v SPECULATION: 1 Tim 1:4; Rom 1:21; 2 Cor 10:5; John 4:22; 2 Tim 2:23; 1 Cor 8:2
More Notes on Hope and Its Relationship to Faith
See Heb 11:1. Hope is not faith – but it’s not nothing. It’s halfway there! Without hope, there can be no faith. Never give up hope! It’s the stuff faith is made of.
See Rom 8:24. Hope is the starting point for dealing with a God we cannot see. (Correlate note on Heb 11:1 above.)
Hope is not only the starting point for engagement with God – it’s the starting point for reengagement with God. (If you’ve never felt disengaged from God, you are a rare believer indeed.)
See 1 Tim 1:1. We will be without hope when Christ Jesus ceases to be.
When we read the Bible, we learn many things. Some of them we’re sure about, some we are not. It’s the things we’re sure about that will help us navigate life because those are the things of faith.
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