So, what is faith? In the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BDAG)1, under the entry for “faith” (πίστις, “pistis“) we find many nuanced meanings given its context and grammatical constructions. I refer you to the lexicon for a thorough examination of the word, but for the purpose of our study of faith in relation to the appropriation of the salvation God has accomplished on our behalf, the meanings are very straightforward. They are:
1. that which evokes trust and faith – a) the state of being someone in whom confidence can be placed, faithfulness, reliability, fidelity, commitment.” (e.g., Ro 3:3; Tit 2:10; Gal 5:22; 1 Th 1:4) (BDAG, p. 818)
2. state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted, trust, confidence, faith in the active sense = ‘believing’, in ref. to deity… (BDAG, p. 818)
a) God: …faith, trust, confidence in God Mk. 11:22; cp. Acts 19:20;… 1 Pt 1:21;… Hb 6:1;… 1 Th 1:8… – πίστις can also be characterized as faith in God by the context, without the addition of specific words; so in connection with OT personalities: Abraham Ro 4:5, 9, 11-13, 16, 19f…of Rahab…Esther…The OT heroes of faith Hb 11:4-33, 39…in Hb it is also true that God is specifically the object of the Christian’s faith, and Christ 12:2 is [‘the founder and perfecter of our faith’]. Cp. 10:38; 11:3; 13:7…Mt 17:20. Opp. doubt 21:21. Js. 1:6…5:15…Col 2:12. (BDAG, p. 819)
b) Christ – a) of belief and trust in the Lord’s help in physical and spiritual distress; oft. in the synopt. gospels: Mt 8:10; 9:2, 22, 29; 15:28; Mk 2:5; 4:40; 5:34; 10:52; Lk 5:20; 7:9, 50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42. Cp. …(the lame man) had faith that he would be cured Ac 14:9. (BDAG, p. 819)
…of faith in Christ, designated by the addition of certain words. By the obj. gen…Ro 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16ab, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9a; Js 2:1; Rv 14:12; cp. 2:13… By prepositional phrases: ..faith in [εἰς] Christ Ac 20:21; 24:24; 26:18; Col 2:5…Also faith in [ἐν] Christ Gal 3:26; Eph 1:15; Col 1:4; 1 Ti 3:13; 2 Ti 3:15 …Ro 3:25; 3:16b (cp. 1 Pt 1:21) (BDAG, p. 819)
d) πίστις if found mostly without an obj., faith, firm commitment a) as a true piety, genuine devotion…which for our lit. means being a Christian Lk 18:8; 22:32; Ac 6:5 = vs. 8 v1.; cp. 11:24. – 6:7; 13:8; 14:22; 15:9; 16:5; Ro 1:5, 8, 12, 17ab… (BDAG, p. 819)
So Christian faith is trust, confidence, the active sense of ‘believing’, firm commitment and true piety and genuine devotion to God and Jesus. It’s just what we know it to be from a broad reading of the Scriptures.
We should also note the following definition which emphasizes the content of what we believe.
3. Faith can also mean “that which is believed, body of faith/belief/teaching Jd 3; Ro 1:5; Gal 1:23… 1 Ti 1:19; 4:1, 6; 6:10, cp. 21: 2 Ti 2:18… (BDAG, p. 820)
An example of this would be Paul’s exhortation in 1 Cor. 16:13, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (CSB) This sense is important for our understanding of faith. We believe in the truth of certain theological propositions, as we might find in a confession of faith or a statement of faith. Therefore, faith is not wishful thinking ungrounded in objective, historical realities. It is not guessing or hoping or preferring something to be the case. Neither is Christian faith anti-intellectual. Faith and reason are not enemies. Faith does not exist in an intellectual vacuum that maintains “I just believe. If I have to prove or defend my beliefs that wouldn’t be faith.” Christian faith acknowledges that there is substantive justification and grounds for what is believed. Moreover, faith should never be employed to justify the acceptance of two contradictory doctrinal interpretations of Scripture. To propose that it is a function of faith to accept contradictory interpretations while passing the problem off as one of the “hidden things of God” is not faith but poor interpretation. We will run across this issue of using faith to justify contradictions when examining Luther’s view of faith below. Apart from contradictions, it may be said that faith is present when we are incapable of seeing something that is apparent only to God. (BDAG, p. 820) For instance we read in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”(CSB), which is to say the whole physical universe – including all space, time, matter, and energy. That entails that God created all things out of nothing (ex nihilo). How he did that? Hebrews 11:3 says that, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” (CSB) How God can create things out of nothing by his word, we simply don’t know! But there is no contradiction here.
In Hebrews 11:1 we have a definition of faith in the context of the “Hall of Fame of Faith.”
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (ESV)
This definition expresses that the Old Testament heroes did not know everything about what they were told by God to do but nevertheless became convinced of what was true about God and his future promises. In their relationship with God and his plans for the salvation of human creatures, as God gave them things to hope for and informed them of things that were to come, they lived assured and convinced that they would come to pass. That is what it means to live by faith. And that is the way of the Christian life. As we are justified by faith, we never move on from faith. Believing in the promises of God in Christ is the way the Christian life is lived out daily (1 Cor. 5:7; Hab. 2:4). Faith, not “works,” is what pleases God. For as it is written, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb. 11:6, CSB) Moreover, as those who because of their new found faith in Jesus experienced suffering, the writer of Hebrews says,
“Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.
For yet in a very little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith;
and if he draws back,
I have no pleasure in him.
But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” (Heb. 10:32-39, CSB)
And Paul writes,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16-17, CSB)
And,
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20, CSB)
Finally, faith is also a Christian virtue, often coupled w. others of the same kind, esp. oft. w. ἀγάπη; 1 Th 3:6; 5:8; 1 Ti 1:14; 2 Ti 1:13; Phlm 5… (BDAG, p. 820)
[1] Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3d ed. Revised and edited by F. W. Danker. Translated by W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, and F. W. Danker. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
The Truth of the Gospel 