Definition of faith

Before getting to the heart of the matter, we must first acknowledge a statement made by Dr. Raoul Wafo, which I humbly but wholeheartedly agree with.

"Faith is the most important concept in the Bible, yet it is the most misunderstood and poorly explained."   — Dr. Raoul Wafo

In this day and age, everyone has their own personal approach to faith, as there are so many sources of information. Sometimes it is equated with belief alone or even with personal development.

In short, that is not the subject of our analysis.

What exactly is faith from a biblical point of view?

Etymology of faith

We talk about faith every day, but this is the first time in my life that I have taken an interest in the exact etymology of this word, i.e., its origin in Greek, Latin, or other languages.

• The word "faith" comes from the Latin "fides."

Fides means: trust, loyalty, fidelity, credibility, commitment (keeping one's word).

Originally, faith was not primarily an abstract belief, but a relationship of trust and loyalty.

In ancient Rome, "fides" therefore referred to a person's reliability, the value of their word, and the fact that they were trustworthy.

When someone had "fides," you could rely on them.

Having faith, therefore, means relying on someone, not just thinking something.

• The word "faith" comes from the Greek "pístis"

 (πίστις)

In the New Testament, the word translated as "faith" is the Greek "pístis."

It means: active trust, inner conviction, loyalty, committed adherence

Pístis comes from the verb "peíthō": to convince, to persuade.

In other words, faith is a conviction that leads to action.

• The word "faith" comes from the Hebrew 'emunah (אֱמוּנָה).

In the Old Testament, the word often translated as "faith" is 'emunah.

It means: firmness, stability, constancy, loyalty.

It has the same root as amen: it is certain, it is solid, I stand by it.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT "For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes!’ And through Christ, our ‘Amen’ ascends to God for his glory."

I understand better why the doctor says, "Faith never fails!"

Difference between faith and belief

• Belief is an intellectual commitment; it is what you think is true. It concerns the mind, it can remain theoretical, and it does not necessarily require action. For example: I believe that God exists, I believe that sport is good for your health.è You can believe without ever acting on it.
• Faith is committed trust. It is what you choose to live by. It engages the whole person, it involves trust, and it leads to action. For example: You act based on what you believe, you move forward even without having complete control.
• Faith is belief put into action.

Definition of faith

• According to Hebrews 11:1 NLT, "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.." Dr. Raoul Wafo, in his series "The Secrets of Faith (5 parts)," explains that there is a firm assurance, but that it must be demonstrated. How, you may ask? Through our actions and the way we speak, the way we see or perceive situations.

Let's look at some other definitions of faith according to Dr. Raoul Wafo.

• Faith begins where God's will is known. According to the Man of God, no faith is possible outside of God's will for us.

For example, God clearly tells you that He wants you to be a doctor and devote yourself to it. You reject this information and want to have faith to be a soccer player. This is not possible because God is not with you in your soccer project.

• Faith is: I know that I know that I know that God will do it.
• Faith is trust in God demonstrated (through our actions, our way of speaking, and our way of seeing things).
• Faith is the arm that grasps God's promises; the promises are there, but faith is your arm reaching out to take hold of those promises.

Allow me to add four personal definitions to help us understand even better:

• Faith in God is not waiting expectantly for God, saying to yourself, "We'll see how it turns out"; "I pray, but I don't know what will happen."
• Faith is knowing as surely as you know your own name that God will do what He has promised you.
• Faith is also walking in the full revelation that nothing is impossible for God and that your answers to prayer do not depend on the answers to others' prayers. In other words, just because your neighbor had a negative outcome in a given situation does not mean that you will too.

Luke 18:27 NLT “He replied, ‘What is impossible for people is possible with God’”.

• Faith is your response to God's love.

What faith is

• A daily experience

You can have faith for one thing and struggle to have faith for another.

Each thing requires a different measure of faith.

At birth, we received a measure of faith, but faith works like a muscle. If we don't develop it, instead of increasing, it decreases.

2 Corinthians 10:15 NLT "Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow, so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended, but without claiming credit for work done in someone else’s territory."

• An individual experience

Each person is subject to personal trials.

Your neighbor's struggles of faith are not necessarily the same as yours.

Why? Because your destiny is not the same as your neighbor's.

Therefore, God will ask you to have faith that matches the expectations He has placed in you.

• An experience inspired by the examples of our forefathers and contemporaries

Our forefathers, beginning with Abraham, then our fathers in faith, and certain contemporary role models serve as our guides and models on this journey.

"Even presidents have advisors!" — Dr. Raoul Wafo

Certain people feature in what I might call the pantheon of faith because of their experiences and testimonies with God.

Your faith needs to be nourished and inspired by the experiences of your fathers.

What faith is not

• A ritual of declarations

For example: I know that deep down I am not convinced, but I make statements to ease my conscience.

• A mechanical act

For example: When I know that my faith is being shaken, I remain in denial instead of acknowledging that there is a problem and humbly and sincerely turning to God to resolve it.

• Passive waiting

Yes, faith works, but within a well-defined framework, because here too, we must not confuse haste with faith.

We will come back to this later.

In conclusion, we can say that faith starts from within and is demonstrated outwardly. It is because I know that I know deep down that God has promised me that I act accordingly with conviction.

Etymologically, faith is not believing without proof or vaguely hoping.

Faith is trusting, relying on someone, standing firm, committing oneself through words and actions.

That being said, where do we start? We start by assessing our faith.

Is your faith strong or weak? If not, why? Try to identify the causes in all sincerity.

The starting point for healing an illness or changing a situation is to determine the causes and then humbly go to God, asking for His help and asking Him to come to the aid of our unbelief, to help us in this process because having the will is not enough; we need His grace.

Take courage, hold on.

Victory is yours.

We are together.

SBE