Faith Part 1

Why faith is so important?

eternal life depends on it.

without it its impossible to please God

all things are possible to him that believes

What is Faith?

1) Greek word translated faith is Pistis.

2) Faith is confidence, fidelity, guarantee, loyalty.

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume πιστεύω, πίστις, πιστός, πιστόω, ἄπιστος, ἀπιστέω, ἀπιστία, ὀλιγόπιστος, ὀλιγοπιστία

pístis has the sense of a. “confidence,” “certainty,” “trust,” then b. “trustworthiness,” and c. “guarantee” or “assurance” in the sense of a pledge or oath with the two nuances of “trustworthiness” and “proof.”

A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament πίστις

a) faith, belief, trust, generally of the leaning of the entire human personality upon God or the Messiah in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness.

3) Pistis is used 243 in the New Testament

Hebrews 11:1 AMP

1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

4) The word “assurance” comes from the Greek word hupostasis. It’s a compound word of stand and under. It means to stand under a guaranteed agreement.

Its the Greek word for a title deed. Biblical faith is knowing with certainty deep in our hearts that we have what we ask God for, just as surely as a title deed proves that we own a piece of property.

Example:

When I’m setting up my business in the mall every year I do not have assurance of a spot until I have a lease agreement in place. Once I do that lease agreement is my assurance. (once I have that agreement I’m able to rest)

The same verse in the King James Version tells us that faith is our evidence of things we cannot see.

“Evidence” is from the Greek word elegchos, which literally means the proof of the charges in a legal court case that results in a conviction.

The word was used in a court of law for evidence significant enough to prove a case and result in a conviction.

5) In other words, our faith in God’s Word or His promises is all the evidence we need to validate our conviction.

Faith is the evidence that the things we cannot see are their in a world that is not revealed to the physical senses.

It’s called the spiritual world. And its more real than the physical world because the spiritual world made the physical world.

Assurance in what? In God and His promises alone. We can have assurance in many things but we want to have God and His word at the top of the list.

Some words I think of when I think of assurance is:

Confidence

Trust

Fully persuaded

Conviction

Evidence

Title Deed - Read amplified

a. I have a title to my 2014 Chevy Silverado pickup with my name on it. This would be enough proof for most people to be fully convinced and assured that it exits and I own it without them ever seeing it with their physical eyes.

b. My Dog Annie.

Q

c. How do I know that Angles surround my family and protect us from harm and destruction. I have proof right here in Psalm 91

D. How do I know that I’m already free from sin and darkness?

Colossians 1:12–13 (ESV)

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

This just isn’t mind over matter or positive thinking. It’s not a mental exercise but the God kind of faith is a spiritual exercise.

If you’re not absolutely convinced that you’ve already got it, you’ll either submit to or have to battle thoughts that you won’t get it. However, once you know it’s yours, how could you doubt you’d get it? This is simple, but so profound!

Are we fully persuaded in God’s promises?

The completeness of conviction and confidence expressed in the life of the believer, worked by the Holy Spirit. It derives from a reliance upon God and his promises alone, and results in boldness and steadfastness in service and in the face of difficulties.

Matthew 8:10 (ESV)

10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

The centurion (who is over 100 men) was used to being in a position of authority and seeing his words coming to pass and having that understanding made his faith great when it came to seeing that Jesus was a man of authority and believing what He said came to pass.

If we can’t believe that when we say something that our word is going to come to pass then we are going to have a hard time believing God’s word is going to come to pass.

Faith in God is faith in His Word and that He has the power and authority to deliver on His Word. Another words it’s backed by real authority.

Our currency is backed only by the word of the U.S government. Nothing else but their word. Not gold like it use to be.

Its important to believe in the integrity of God’s word.