Faith can be a frustrating word, right? Someone might say, “I'm a person of faith.” Another person might say, “I’ve lost faith in the economy.” Then someone else will say “I have faith everything will work out for the best.”
So it can seem like faith is just a vague hope that something good will happen.
But then we open the Bible and see that faith is the source of our confidence, purpose, and full life that lasts forever.
So what does this word that Christians use all the time actually mean? What does real faith in God look like, and how can we know if we have it? These are great questions. People have been asking similar questions for millennia. Scripture is full of stories, teachings, examples, and generation upon generation of individuals working out these questions with courage, vulnerability, and honesty.
Perhaps you’re not sure if you're a follower of Jesus or if you have faith in God. I think you’ll find this article helpful as you process. Faith is far more than something anyone could muster up on their own, but it’s also available to all.
So, what is faith?
A Simple Faith Definition
At its most basic, faith means fully placing your trust in something or someone. And for this article, the “someone” we’re trusting fully is God.
What Does the Bible Say About Faith?
Faith means fully placing your trust in God, but Scripture adds rich layers of spirituality and human history to the definition. It also helps us to see that faith is not always fully formed.
There's a famous chapter in Hebrews that lists many of the people in Scripture who are celebrated as heroes of faith for their fully placed trust in God. Let’s take a look at the beginning of that chapter.
Bible Verses About Faith
Here is verse one of Hebrews chapter 11 in three different translations:
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 NLT
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NRSV
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
Let's Add Our Definition of Biblical Faith
Now, let's try rereading these different translations and replace the word faith with our working definition.
[Fully placed trust in God] shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 NLT
Now [fully placed trust in God] is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NRSV
Now [fully placed trust in God] is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
What Does Faith Do?
When you think about faith and hoping for something, what do you hope for?
- Do you hope the world will get better?
- Do you hope for healing, whether it be physically, emotionally, mentally, or relationally?
- Do you want to belong without feeling afraid of rejection?
- Do you hope your friends, kids, or family will have a good future?
Hebrews 11:1 helps us form a picture of what faith in God is made of and how it connects us to reality beyond ourselves.
The author of Hebrews is saying that faith—fully placed trust in God—is what makes up our hopes. Not only that, our faith is actually evidence of what we can't see (like God and the plans He has in store for us).
In other words, faith is more than a vague hope of a positive outcome. Instead, it's confidence that God is bringing our hope to reality.
Have you seen all of your hopes come to a pass? Probably not. Have you seen some of them become a reality? Probably. But do you still hope for the ones that haven’t? Hopefully.
The Bible helps us see that our faith and hopes are evidence of an unseen God.
Faith Changes Our Perspective
Faith changes the way we see, the way we search, and the way we experience hope. This is why you meet Christians who have peace even when the world around them is chaotic, scary, or painful. Because faith in God is the substance of our hope.
Faith Can Be Scary
Sometimes, you also meet Christians who seem to lack hope, joy, love, patience, and other fruits of the Spirit. Most Jesus followers find themselves feeling disconnected from their hope at some point.
This is because faith can feel scary and unknown. It can be tempting to replace faith in God with the sense of certainty most of us often desire from information or performance.
Tempted to Lose Faith
We may want to replace reliance on God with facts and theology about Him. We may be tempted to replace humbling and centering practices of service, prayer, silence, solitude, and meditating on Scripture with religious performances or arguments that help us to feel right about our ideas and beliefs.
An Unseen Reality
But Hebrews 11:1 doesn’t say certainty or behavior is the substance of our faith. It says faith shows the reality of what we hope for. The Bible tells us that faith connects us to the unseen reality. Faith doesn’t make uncertainty disappear. It helps us connect with the unseen God.
How Do I Grow My Faith?
Here are two ways to grow your faith using Hebrews 11-12 as your guide.
1. Look to Faithful People in the Past
Much of the New Testament, including Hebrews, speaks to this question. You should read all of Hebrews 11, where you will see example after example of people from the Old Testament who, over time, learned to fully place their trust in God. We see people whose faith inspired incredible action that saved lives, changed nations, and transformed relationships for generations.
But not one of these heroes started or finished with perfect faith. Most of the people mentioned as heroes of faith had major doubts and made destructive choices throughout their lives.
Faithful People Aren't Perfect
They had moments of heroic faith, but they also committed murder, adultery, prostitution, conspiracy, and fraud, and on many occasions, they failed to fully place their trust in God.
In fact, Hebrews 11 finishes by summarizing these heroes as somehow incomplete with this cliffhanger:
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Hebrews 11:39-40 NIV
Faith Inspires Us
Wait, they never received what they had been promised? And we can somehow have something better than what these Bible heroes experienced during their lives? Let’s keep reading:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
Who Are the Great Cloud of Witnesses?
The great cloud of witnesses is everyone listed in Hebrews 11, and the mothers and fathers, grandparents, friends, and pastors who have gone before us and fully placed their trust in God in a way that inspires us to want more from our own faith.
They inspire us to overcome what keeps us from seeing God fully revealed in Jesus as the center of our hope.
2. Look to Jesus
In verse two, we see how to do this—by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Because He is the pioneer (other versions say author) and perfecter of our faith.
Jesus is the object of our faith, and He’s also the perfect example of what it looks like to live by faith. And not only that, Jesus came to show us what the unseen God is like.
You may be asking, “How can I grow my faith?” But it might be better to ask, “How can I fix my eyes on Jesus? How can I live my life in the way of Jesus?” It’s not that we don’t play a part in growing our faith—it’s that our part looks mostly like surrendering to Him.
Where Do I Look for Jesus?
Want to know more about who Jesus is and how He lived? You can start by reading, meditating on, and practicing His words and ways shared in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
How to Overcome Faith Challenges
If Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, then we can look to His life and teachings as a way to challenge, comfort, and sustain our faith as we experience faith challenges.
Dealing With Faith Doubts?
Do you ever feel like you don't have enough faith? Maybe you're wrestling with significant spiritual doubts, and you're not sure if your faith can hold on. Then you read verses like this one, which make you feel even worse:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NIV
Are Doubts the Opposite of Faith?
So are we doomed if we have doubts? I don't think so. In the Gospel of Mark, a father approaches Jesus, desperately asking Jesus to heal his son. Here's their conversation:
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24 NIV
God Is With You in Your Doubts
Jesus then proceeds to heal the man's child, showing us that the man didn't need "perfect faith" in order for Jesus to answer his request. So, if you're dealing with doubt, don't feel like your faith is failing. God wants to meet you in your doubts and can help you discover a healthier faith.
Sharing your doubts as questions may be one of the best ways you can fix your eyes on Jesus. On many occasions in Scripture, we see Jesus engaging with people’s questions by asking them another question. Jesus wants to continue the conversation, and it’s okay to ask Him your biggest and most painful questions.
Do I Have Saving Faith?
Have you ever been worried about whether or not you're really saved by Jesus? You've probably heard that you can be saved through faith. But faith in what? And how much faith do we need to be saved?
There isn’t a clear "biblical faith grading system" in Scripture. Jesus says that even faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. A little faith can make a massive difference.
If you want to know what it looks like to have a saving faith, check out this article, where I'll walk you through a salvation prayer.
How Does Faith Change Us?
Do we change into people who live and love like Jesus just by reading or believing His teachings? Jesus Himself knew we would need more help. He promised His Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit to come and live in us. It is by the work of this Spirit that we are formed into people who live and love as Christ.
Changed From the Inside Out
As faith opens our eyes to God’s unseen reality, Jesus shows us fully God’s loving character. As humans, we find ourselves in need of the Holy Spirit to transform us into people who live and love like Jesus.
As Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith comes into sight, we grow into the kind of people who want to live and love like Him.
Paul, a biblical author who wrote many New Testament books, wrote often about how faith, the Holy Spirit, and following Jesus work together to transform our lives from the inside out.
He wrote these words to the churches in Galatia about how the Spirit enables us to become more like Jesus as we follow the Spirit’s leading.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-25 NLT
Jesus provides an example for us to follow. And the Holy Spirit transforms us into people who live and love like Jesus—filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Why Have Faith in God?
Why have faith in God? Because faith in God changes us from the inside out. Day by day, faith provides us with confidence in God’s goodness and hope for God’s renewal of all things. It sustains us as we navigate life’s challenges and offers us a reason to keep pursuing Jesus’ way of life.
Today, you might be full of faith, or your faith might feel like it’s barely holding on. Either way, know that God is beside you and wants to help you grow in faith every day. Check out one of these resources to help you continue building your faith.
Continue growing in the Basics of Faith with this simple video series.