For by grace you have been saved through Faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

In the same way Faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead. James 2:17

FAITH—It’s one of those words that we listen to others use and even use ourselves, all the while thinking we know exactly what it means, not giving it a second thought.But on closer inspection, we might find our definition is at best a little incomplete and at worst, God forbid, just wrong.

Peter Kreeft in his book Fundamentals of the Faith says we can speak of Faith in at least 3 ways. First, in a very wide sense as the world speaks of it—Second, in a biblical sense, as saving faith or the condition of salvation—and third, in its most specific, most technical sense as one of the three theological virtues.

Faith in the most general sense is simply a feeling of trust in or reliance on someone as when a Presidential candidate asks us to “have Faith in me”.

Faith in the biblical sense of Saving Faith is the act by which we receive God’s own eternal life (sanctifying grace). It is our saying Yes instead of No to God with our heart, our will, our entire being. To believe in this sense is to receive, to receive God himself.

Faith in the 3rd and most technical sense is the sense many Catholics learned from the Baltimore Catechism. “Faith is the act of the intellect, prompted by the will, by which we believe the truth of all that God has revealed on the basis of the authority of the one who has revealed it.”

The Protestant Reformation came about primarily because of these different senses of Faith. Just like the two verses at the beginning of this article. The Protestant reformers using Faith in the biblical sense, as Saving Faith, insisted that the Bible clearly taught that Faith alone was sufficient for salvation, while the Catholics were saying James clearly says that Faith without works is dead and that we are justified by works as well as faith. The Protestants were using Faith in its second broader sense, not as an act of the intellect which the Catholics were using.

When most of us think about Faith, two other words generally come to mind—the first one is BELIEF and the second is TRUST. We BELIEVE in God—We TRUST in God. Surely this is what Faith is. Even Webster’s defines it as belief or trust.

But while Faith does include belief, it’s much more than that. Belief is an act of the mind, while Faith is also an act of the will. Belief is an intellectual matter. I believe the sun will shine tomorrow: I believe I’m a good cook: Belief is an opinion. But Faith is much more than an opinion. Faith is where one person says to another: I choose to trust you and believe in you.

We sometimes think about the expression “a blind leap of faith”. But Faith is not a blind leap into the unknown. Faith doesn’t mean we should act contrary to all that we know to be true—and that we can just trust that things are going to work out the way we want them to. Faith is not a warmhearted step into the black hole of our hopes and dreams. Faith is based on our knowledge, understanding and experience. Blind Faith would be like diving into a dark room not knowing where you might land. Yet, if you go to sit in a solid chair, that has held your weight many times before, that is a Faith based on experience. You trust that chair. You don’t have to know how or why it holds you up, you just know it will.

And then there’s TRUST. But it turns out that Trust is an emotional matter—a feeling. I trust my doctor or my spouse or my children. Faith is not a feeling. Faith does however, often result in feelings, like trust, peace, gratitude and confidence. But even when we don’t feel trustful or peaceful, we can still believe, because Faith is not dependent on feelings. The act of Faith is ours. It is our choice to believe or not to believe.

So if Faith is something more than just belief or trust, what is it?

Faith is absolute trust in God—trust that could never imagine that He would leave or forsake you. It’s the supreme effort of our lives—throwing ourselves with total abandon and complete confidence upon God. It’s allowing God into our souls. It’s a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ—even when we’re doubtful.

So, how do we get Faith?

Here’s what Romans 10 says:

8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart”
(that is, the word of Faith that we preach),
9 for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
15 And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news
17 Thus Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

Faith comes from hearing the word of God—it’s a free gift from God available to everyone—and We are called and sent forth by Jesus and the church to share that word with our “neighbor”. And he said to them, ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15) So when we look around and see the growing number of people in our families, our communities, our country and our world  who have no Faith, we don’t have to look any further than ourselves for an answer as to why.

Maybe you feel like your Faith is too small—maybe you think it’s not strong enough.

How do we get more? How do we grow what we have?

It is good for anyone who wants faith to ask for it. God freely gives what is good to all who ask (Luke 11:9–12), and it’s good to ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5; Mark 9:24). Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith to be strengthened (Luke 22:32). As with any gift from God, it is our responsibility to exercise the gift and not become complacent, lazy, or apathetic (Romans 12:1–2, 6–8). Christians can find comfort and peace of mind knowing their Faith is from God, because He has said He will finish the good work He started (Philippians 1:6). God is the Author and the Perfecter of Faith (Hebrews 12:2a; Romans 8:29–30).

So, what about Your Faith?
What are you doing with it?
Do you need more, bigger, stronger Faith?

Just do as the apostles did.

And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5