What Does the Bible Say About Faith?
Faith is the means by which humans relate to God and receive His promises. Hebrews 11:1 defines it as 'confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.'
Key Verse: Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
Old Testament Perspective
The Old Testament concept of faith centers on trusting God's covenant promises. Abraham is the paradigmatic example — his belief in God was 'credited to him as righteousness' (Genesis 15:6).
New Testament Perspective
In the New Testament, faith becomes the instrument of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus frequently commends faith and rebukes its absence.
15 Key Bible Verses About Faith
- Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen."
- Romans 10:17: "So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
- 2 Corinthians 5:7: "for we walk by faith, not by sight."
- James 2:17: "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself."
- Matthew 17:20: "He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
- Mark 11:24: "Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them."
- Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me."
- Hebrews 11:6: "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him."
- Romans 1:17: "For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”"
- Ephesians 2:8-9: "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast."
- 1 Peter 1:8-9: "whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory— receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
- Habakkuk 2:4: "Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith."
- Matthew 21:22: "All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”"
- Luke 17:6: "The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."
- Galatians 3:26: "For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus."