Question:

A thing I am really confused on is when I look at the definition of faith in my Bible it says trust in or reliance upon something or someone despite a lack of concrete proof.  But there are some different definitions of the word like my dictionary on my computer says a complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Am I just going too far in this, or should I just take the concept?

Answer:

The American dictionary cannot be used to establish the biblical definition of faith. I do think that the definition you found is a good beginning point. However, I do not necessarily agree that biblical faith is belief without evidence. I believe that Christian faith is trust/belief/obedience which is supported by evidence but not “proved” by evidence. In fact, sometimes faith in God involves belief in spite of the evidence. This is a very big topic. Let me give you a suggestion. You should read Hebrews chapter eleven, and especially Hebrews 11:1-6 to establish a biblical definition of faith. I believe that faith is a very big topic and that even Hebrews 11 does not cover all that can be said about a biblical definition of faith, but it is a really good starting point–one you can build on as you grow in your Christian life. I would add James 2:14-26 and Romans 4. Many other passages can be helpful. Please let me know if you need more help on this topic.

John Oakes