The spiritual meaning of faith in the Bible

The spiritual meaning of faith for Christians is a belief that God exists, that He is very interested in an intimate relationship with each of us, and taking action by being obedient to the God we believe exists.

Whew! That’s a mouthful. But that is what faith really is. It is more than just an intellectual. It has an emotional and active aspect to it as well.

In this post, I will be exploring the definition of faith through both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

What is the definition of faith?

The Cambridge English Dictionary online defines faith as great trust or confidence in something or someone. 

But this description is only one of several definitions. They also say that faith can be a particular religion or a strong belief in God or a particular religion.

The word faith has so many meanings and these meanings appear in Scripture in some way.

In this post we will explore the full meaning of faith across both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

What is the biblical meaning of faith?

The most popular biblical definition for faith is the firm conviction that something is true. This definition is inspired by Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (ESV)

But this is only one definition that we can glean from Scripture.

Let’s dig in!

Hebrew word for faith

There are two related Hebrew words used for faith in the Old Testament: aman and emunah. 

Emunah comes from the word aman. If the word aman looks familiar it is because the word amen comes from it too.

Both aman and emunah have related meanings.

Aman means to support, to confirm, to be firm. It carries the idea of security, stability, and permanency.

Emunah means steadfastness, steadiness, reliable, dependable, trustworthy, and faithful.

There are a variety of senses in which these Hebrew words are used in Scripture and different English words are used to convey the ideas.

Let’s explore a few.

Full meaning of faith in the Old Testament – Aman

The first time the idea of faith appears in Scripture is in relation to Abraham:

And he believed [aman] the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 ESV)

You will notice that it is the English word believe that is used to represent the idea of faith here. 

Aman is meant to describe the deep, secure and stable faith Abraham had in God and the promises of God’s word.

When Nehemiah mentions Abraham, he uses aman but it is the English word faithful that is used, carrying the same idea.

You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. You found his heart faithful [aman] before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. (Nehemiah 9:7-8 ESV)

Similarly, aman is also used to describe Moses’ character:

Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful [aman] in all my house. Numbers 12:7 ESV

If you know anything about Moses you know this one thing about him: His faith was rock solid, unshakeable even despite his weaknesses and the trials of his life.

The importance of the idea of unwavering faith is expressed to Israel through Isaiah:

…If you are not firm in faith [aman], you will not be firm at all.’” (Isaiah 7:9b ESV)

The use of aman here truly presents the idea of what true faith should be.

Full meaning of faith in the Old Testament- Emunah

The first use of emunah paints a literal picture of the idea of steadiness:

But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady [emunah] until the going down of the sun. (Exodus 17:12 ESV)

If you are familiar with this battle in the Bible, you will remember that Moses had to have his hand held up all day long…literally.

For as long as he was able to keep them held up, Israel would be winning. Steady, upheld hands meant victory.

It is no wonder that emunah is used in multiple places to describe God’s character and heart towards us:

The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness [emunah]  and without iniquity, just and upright is he. (Deuteronomy 32:4 ESV)

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful [emunah]  and sure. (Isaiah 25:1 ESV)

The Amplified version uses the phrase perfect faithfulness.

We can be certain that God’s presence and promise is stable, secure, and solid because that’s just who He is.

His plans for us are not an afterthought!

But God also values our efforts to ensure that our faith is solid and active.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith  [emunah]. Habakkuk 2:4

So then, we have to bring something to the table. We have to know in whom and what we believe. And if we make those claims, we must seek to live by them daily.

This is one way in which we can please God:

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully [emunah] are his delight. Proverbs 12:22 ESV

It is worth repeating … if we claim to stand on God and his word, that should be reflected in our character and the way we live.

Greek word for faith

The Greek word for faith used in the New Testament is pistis. The Hebrew word aman is translated into this Greek word.

Pistis means to be convicted and convinced that something is true. Synonyms include belief, trust, confidence.

It can also mean faithfulness, trustworthiness, reliability and dependability.

What is the Christian faith?

As it relates to God, faith is a combination of two things: agreeing that something is true AND having full confidence and trust in that something you agree is true.

Of course, with so many religions in the world, this could be interpreted in a million ways.

So pistis for the Christian is believing that God exists, that He is the sovereign ruler of the universe, and that through Jesus Christ we have salvation.

In addition to agreeing to these truths, we also have full confidence and trust in God. 

Basically we have both a knowledge of God that we agree to and we also have an emotional response that allows us to trust Him.

Just like aman, the word pistis is used in a variety of ways.

Christian faith in the New Testament

The book of Hebrews talks alot about faith. In fact, our go-to definition for faith is found in Hebrews:

Now faith [pistis] is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews [11:1 ESV]

Notice the use of words like assurance and conviction. This should emphasize the idea that there is an element of faith that has to do with being deeply convinced.

Pistis is often used to describe our relationship with God. After Jesus went back to heaven, Christianity was became a new religion.

Those who subscribe to it this new way of thinking and believing were called believers:

And more than ever believers [pistis] were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women… (Acts 5:14 ESV)

So then, pistis is also used to refer to the collection of beliefs or doctrines that we Christians subscribe to:

one Lord, one faith [pistis], one baptism, Ephesians 4:5 ESV

Pistis is also one fruit of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness [pistis]… (Galatians 5:22 ESV)

This shows us another meaning of pistis: trustworthiness. It is a characteristic of believers.

Therefore, our faith in God must inform the way we act towards each other in the body of Christ. We must be reliable and trustworthy in our dealings and interactions.

Just like pistis is a quality of every true believer, it is also a word that describes God himself:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23 ESV)

We could go on with these examples but I hope you get the idea of the word pistis in the New Testament.

What God says about faith?

In both the Old and New Testaments, God says alot about faith. But I would like to focus on just two things:

First, faith in Jesus is the way to salvation. The Greek word for believe in John 3:16 is pistis.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes [pistis] in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)

Second, if you truly want to please God, have faith in Him. Truly learn to trust Him:

And without faith [pistis] it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 ESV

Final words on the spiritual meaning of faith in the Bible

I chose to focus on those two verses because a word study is only good information if we do not apply it to our relationship with God.

Now we know that faith has an element of action that goes beyond just mentally agreeing that God exists. 

Faith means holding on to what we believe even when the storms of life are blowing.

It is also a requirement for salvation, it is a fruit of the spirit, it is a characteristic of believers, and it is the set of beliefs that makes us different from other religions. 

But best of all, it is a word that describes God’s consistent character of faithfulness that contrasts with our inconsistency.

I hope this was a blessing for you.

Terms of Use: The contents of this blog post are restricted to your personal use only. If you are a Bible study teacher, you are free to allow this content to influence the lessons you teach or the sermons you present. However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creator’s expressed permission. If you want to share this resource with others, please share the link to the blog post.