I pulled this from Bible Hub, which uses Strong's Greek Concordance and HELPSTM Word-Studies as ref tools.
The only changes I made in copy-and-pasting this article were to edit some punctuation errors, edit some confusing paragraph structure to make each sentence more readable, and I typed out the full verses wherever a Scripture reference was given.
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Strong's Greek Concordance:
4102 - pistis: faith, faithfulness
Original Word: πίστις, εως, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: pistis
Phonetic Spelling: (pis'-tis)
Short Definition: faith, belief, trust
Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.
HELPSTM Word-Studies:
4102 pístis (from 3982
/peithô, "
persuade, be persuaded") – properly,
persuasion (be
persuaded, come to trust);
faith.
Faith (4102
/pistis) is always a
gift from God, and
never something that can be produced by people. In short, 4102
/pistis ("faith") for the believer is "God's
divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously
births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the
persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).
1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.”
[4102 (
pistis) in secular antiquity referred to a
guarantee (warranty). In Scripture, faith is God's warranty, certifying that the revelation He inbirthed will come to pass (
His way).
Faith (4102
/pistis) is also used
collectively – of all the times God has revealed (given the
persuasion of) His will, which includes the full
revelation of Scripture (Jude 3). Indeed, God the Lord
guarantees that all of this revelation will come to pass! Compare Mt 5:18 with 2 Tim 3:16.
Matthew 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”]
- The root of 4102/pistis ("faith") is 3982/peithô ("to persuade, be persuaded") which supplies the core-meaning of faith ("divine persuasion"). It is God's warranty that guarantees the fulfillment of the revelation He births within the receptive believer (cf. 1 Jn 5:4 with Heb 11:1).
1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.”
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Faith (4102/pistis) is always received from God, and never generated by us.
Romans 12:3 "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith (4102/pistis)." (NASU)
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith (4102/pistis); and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (NASU)
Galatians 5:22-23 "22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith (4102/pistis), 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
2 Thessalonians 1:11 "To this end (glorification) – indeed each time we pray about (peri) you for the purpose (hin ) of our God counting you worthy of the call – even that He may fulfill (His) every good-pleasure that comes from (His) goodness and work of faith, in (His) ability."
Reflection: Faith is only (exclusively) given to the redeemed. It is not a virtue that can be worked up by human effort.
- Faith (4102/pistis) enables the believer to know God's preferred-will (cf. J. Calvin; see 2307/thelçma). Accordingly, faith (4102/pistis) and "God's preferred-will 2307/thelçma)" are directly connected in Scripture.
Romans 12:2-3 "2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will (2307/thelçma) of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith (4102/pistis)." (NASU)
2 Corinthians 8:5,7 "5And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will (2307/thelçma) of God. ... 7But just as you abound in everything, in faith (4102/pistis) and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also." (NASU)
Hebrews 10:36,38 "36For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will (2307/thelçma) of God, you may receive what was promised. ... 38 BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (4102/pistis); AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM" (NASU).
(Note: I did not add caps for emphasis; it is written like this in small caps in the NAS Bible)
1 John 5:4 "For whatever is born of God conquers the world; and this is the conquest that has conquered the world – our faith (4102/pistis)."
- In sum, faith (4102/pistis) is a persuasion from God that we receive as He grants impulse ("divine spark"; cf. the Heb hiphil form of believe, *mn, in a later discussion). Faith is always the work of God and involves hearing His voice – whereby the believer lays hold of His preferred-will (cf. J. Calvin).
Habakkuk 2:1 "I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak in (Heb b ) me." (NASU)
Habakkuk 2:4 "Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live in his faith." (= 4102/pistis, "faith from the Lord")
More on what faith is . . . and isn't
- 1. In Scripture, faith and belief are not exactly the same. Faith always comes from God and involves His revelation therefore faith is beyond belief!
- 2. Faith is God's work; faith is never the work of people. We cannot produce faith ourselves, nor can we "drum it up at will." Rather, faith comes as Christ speaks His rhçma-word within (see Romans 10:17, Gk text).
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
- 3. In all of Scripture, only the term faith is ever used in the following way:
Romans 14:23 “Whatever is not of faith (4102/pistis) is sin."
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith (4102/pistis) it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (NASU)
Reflection: Nothing quite like this two-fold witness appears elsewhere in the Bible. These sweeping statements sober the heart and inspire the soul!
The Lord offers to inbirth faith in each scene of life – so that each matters equally in eternity . . . no matter how insignificant they seem (Lk 16:10 with Lk 17:6 and 2 Pet 1:2).
Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful (4103/
pistos**)
in a very little thing is faithful (4103/
pistos**)
also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”
Luke 17:6 “And the Lord said, "If you had faith (4102
/pistis)
like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.
2 Peter 1:2 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;”
Key quotes
"Faith always pre-supposes revelation" (W. H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis, 55).
"Faith is always a response to a divine revelation" (W. H. Griffith Thomas, Hebrews, 143).
"Faith . . . both in its initiation and every step of the way, is Spirit given . . . faith is God given" (W. Hendriksen, Galatians, 197).
"Faith precedes works, and is not something merely deduced by reason of existing" (D. Edmond Hiebert, Thessalonians, 2 Thes 1:11).
"Faith is always a gift of God" (L. Morris, John, p 520).
"The basis of faith is God's revelation of Himself . . . Christianity came to be seen as a faith event" (O. Michel, Dictionary of New Testament Theology).
"Faith is the divine response, wrought in man, by God" (from Berkof's Systematic Theology, representing the views of Barth and Brunner).
"Faith always has the element of assurance, certainty and confidence . . . and evidential value substantiating the thing we hope for . . . with faith, there is no strain or tension; rather, it has the element of assurance and confidence in it . . . if there is strain or tension . . . trying to persuade yourself to keep from doubting, you can be quite sure that it is not faith . . . faith is not the law of mathematical probability, . . . faith is not natural . . .faith is spiritual, the gift of God . . . you cannot command faith at will, faith is always something that is given-inwrought by God; . . . therefore, if you want to be a man of faith, it will always be the result of becoming a certain type of person" (M. Lloyd Jones, Romans, Ro 4:18-25).
"Faith is the divinely given conviction of things unseen" (Homer Kent Jr., Hebrews, 217, quoting Theological Dictionary of the NT vol 2, 476).
"Faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible order" (F. F. Bruce, Hebrews, 279).
"Faith is knowing what is His will toward us; therefore, we hold faith to be the knowledge of God's will toward us" (John Calvin, as quoted by R. McAfee Brown in Is Faith Obsolete?).
"Right faith is a thing wrought in us by the Holy Spirit" (Wm. Tyndale).
"We have made faith a condition of mind, when it is a divinely imparted grace of the heart . . . we can receive faith only as he gives it . . . you cannot manufacture faith, you can not work it up . . . you can believe a promise, and at the same time not have the faith to appropriate it . . . genuine, Scriptural faith is not our ability to ‘count it done,’ but is the deep consciousness divinely imparted to the heart of man that it is done, . . . it is the faith that only God can give . . . do not struggle in the power of the will . . . what a mistake to take our belief in God and call of faith . . . Christ, the living word, is our sufficiency . . . (Charles Price, The Real Faith, Logos/publications).
Note: On the distinction between believing (belief), and faith in the Scriptures see Js 2:19; Jn 10:38; Ac 8:13, 26:27,28; Ro 14:2; 2 Thes 2:11; 1 Jn 4:1; also Jn 2:23, 7:31, 12:42 and 4102/pisteuô ("believe").
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
John 10:38 “but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."
Acts 8:13 “Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”
Acts 26:27-28 “27‘King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.’ 28Agrippa replied to Paul, ‘In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.’”
Romans 14:2 “One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.”
2 Thessalonians 2:11 “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,”
1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
John 2:23 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.”
John 7:31 “But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, "When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?"
John 12:42 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;”
4102/pisteuô ("believe").
As in the Gospels, a person's believing (belief) is vital (cf. Heb 11:6). But a personal encounter with Christ (a true connection with Him and His Word) is always necessary for believing ("man's responsibility") to be transformed into faith (which is always and only God's word). See also Mt 8:10,13, 9:22,28,29, 15:28; Ac 20:21; Ro 9:32; Gal 3:9,22.
Matthew 8:10, 13 “10Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 13And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment.”
Matthew 9:22, 28, 29 “22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well. ... 28When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." ... 29Then He touched their eyes, saying, "It shall be done to you according to your faith."
Matthew 15:28 “Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.”
Acts 20:21 “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 9:32 “Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,”
Galatians 3:9, 22 “3So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. ... 22But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Summary
Belief and faith are not exactly equivalent terms. When Jesus told people, "Your faith has made you well," faith was still His gift (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 as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”). Any gift however, once received, becomes the "possession" of the recipient. Faith however is always from God and is purely His work (2 Thessalonians 1:11 “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,”).
Note: The Greek definite article is uniformly used in the expressions "your faith," "their faith" (which occur over 30 times in the Greek NT). This genitive construction with the article refers to "the principle of faith (operating in) you" – not "your faith" in the sense that faith is ever generated by the recipient.
[The meaning of the definite article in this construction is "the principle of faith at work in you," "the operating-principle of faith in them," etc. For examples see: Mt 9:2,22,29; Lk 17:19; Phil 2:17; 2 Pet 1:5, etc.]
Matthew 9:2 “And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven."
Matthew 9:22 “But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well.”
Matthew 9:29 “Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’”
Luke 17:19 “And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well."”
Philippians 2:17 “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.”
2 Peter 1:5 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;”
Faith (4102/pistis) involves belief but it goes beyond human believing because it involves the personal revelation (inworking) of God. Faith is always God's work. Our believing has eternal meaning when it becomes "faith-believing" by the transforming grace of God.
Reflection: Demons believe (and shudder) . . . but they do not have (experience) faith!
James 2:19 "You believe that God is one. You do well;
the demons also believe, and shudder." (
NASU)
**4103/
pistos
Strong's Greek Concordance:
4103 - pistos: faithful, reliable
Original Word: πιστός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: pistos
Phonetic Spelling: (pis-tos')
Short Definition: trustworthy, faithful, believing
Definition: trustworthy, faithful, believing.
HELPSTM Word-Studies:
Cognate: 4103 pistós (an adjective, derived from 3982
/peíthō, "persuaded") – properly, faithful (loyalty to faith; literally, fullness of faith); typically, of believing the faith God imparts.
[The root of 4103
/pistós, "faithful" and 4100
/pisteúō, "faith," are the same (
pist-), referring to
persuasion.]
4100
/pisteúō,
Strong's Greek Concordance:
4100 - pisteuó: to believe, entrust
Original Word: πιστεύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: pisteuó
Phonetic Spelling: (pist-yoo'-o)
Short Definition: I believe, have faith in
Definition: I believe, have faith in, trust in; pass: I am entrusted with.
HELPSTM Word-Studies:
4100 pisteúō (from 4102
/pístis, "faith," derived from 3982
/peíthō, "persuade, be persuaded") –
believe (affirm, have confidence); used of persuading oneself (= human believing) and with the sacred significance of being persuaded by the Lord (=
faith-believing). Only the context indicates whether 4100
/pisteúō ("believe") is self-serving (without sacred meaning), or the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith.
