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What is Faith?

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Published: 08Nov2007
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What is faith? Some people use it as a noun to delineate their belief system such as “Catholic faith,” “Islamic faith”, “Hindu faith”, etc. Some people use it as an alternate word for “desire” or “dream”. For most people, it is simply an ethereal word that means “wish,” or as Dictionary.com suggests: a “belief that is not based on proof” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith, definition 2.). However, the Bible takes an entirely different view of faith.

Faith is one of the Seven Spirits of God and is part of the very nature of God Himself. It is impossible for God to act in the absence of faith. All of creation was an act of faith. God spoke into infinite nothingness and said “let there be light.” Light had never existed in any form, only darkness and emptiness. In the first chapter Genesis, it is recorded eight times: “God said,” and it was so. Whenever God speaks, it is a prophetic statement, but prophecy without faith is powerless and useless. God only speaks in faith, because He can never compromise Himself, and every word the Lord speaks is prophetic.

In Hebrews 11:1, we learn that:

... faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, NKJV)

So we see that Scripture considers faith a motivating, enabling, and empowering force. Notice that in this passage we have another word that has been considered rather ethereal in our language, namely “hope.” Most people consider “hope” a word that simply means “desire,” but that is almost the exact opposite of what Scripture considers it:

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:24-25, NKJV)

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12, NKJV)

The phrase "full assurance of hope," involves two Greek words, the first of which is “plerophoria,” which, according to Strong's exhaustive concordance, means entire confidence, which essentially means an idea that is completely settled in one's heart. The second Greek word, “elpis,” means an expectation or confidence. Therefore, the phrase, "full assurance of hope," means the “absolute expectation of an idea that is completely settled in one's heart,” which is a far cry from the vain expectation that we have come to assign to the word, "hope."

Yes, faith and the Spirit of Faith are far different in the eyes of God than in our own eyes. We consider faith to be a word associated with unfulfilled desires which we would like to have, if possible, while the Lord God considers them to be the power behind all His mighty works.

Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com , and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

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