When it comes to Christianity, a word that we constantly hear is “faith.” We come to know that is something that we must possess and something that we must exercise when it comes to God and Jesus Christ. But I have come to the realization that many professing believers do not know and truly understand what the Bible talks about when it uses the word “faith.”

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.
(Habbakuk 2:4 - ESV)

For,

“Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”
(Hebrews 10:37-38 - ESV)

You may have heard the phrase spoken referred to as “faith alone.” Indeed, we are justified by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins. And this ministry will always promote that faith is how we are justified according to the formula of salvation presented in the Bible. But is this the only layer that we see of faith in the Bible? As we will see, it is not. For if we go a little further in Hebrews, this is what we find:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation.
(Hebrews 11:1-2 - ESV)

One of the best ways to understand this verse is in how we come to belief in Jesus Christ. Have we ever seen Jesus? More than likely not. Have we experienced the total fullness of eternal life yet while we still live this life? No.  So as believers, we are believing and trusting in Jesus Christ (whom we have not physically seen) and also hoping to one day be with Him for all eternity. This tells us that within the umbrella of faith is belief and trust. So to have faith in Jesus Christ means to believe in Him and trust in Him.

I will not list the passages here in this article, but take the time to read the entire chapter of Hebrews 11 before you continue reading this article. Now we are going to see another layer in faith. To have faith (belief, trust) should also actually lead to an action as you have read throughout Hebrews 11. The Bible tells us that it was by faith that these people we read about in the Scriptures were able to accomplish these great things. So we learn that if we have faith, there should be evidence of that faith that people should be able to see.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
(James 2:18-24 - ESV)

This portion of Scripture causes a great deal of problems for those who would subscribe to unconditional eternal security and believe that works do not play a role in our faith. It is true that faith justifies and is the conduit in which we can obtain salvation through Christ. But within that faith is not only belief and trust, but also actions and works. James is very clear that to have faith without works means that our faith would be dead. The works in our lives should give evidence that we have faith (belief, trust) in Jesus. And they will be taken into account when our faith is judged by God when we die.

Here’s an example. A person says that he has faith in Jesus but sleeps around with different women. Do his works point to a genuine and living faith? No, they don’t. Or picture a woman who says she has faith in Jesus but decides that she is going to lie about her taxes to the IRS. Do her works indicate that she has a true faith? No, they don’t.

And this brings us to our next point about faith. Faith doesn’t just include belief, trust, hope and works. But it also includes obedience to God. This is why holiness and overcoming sin isn’t an option for a genuine believer, it is a requirement. A true faith will cause a person to align himself/herself with what God commands. This starts in the heart and works its way to the mind and then is eventually carried out through an action/work.

But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
(1 Chronicles 5:25 - ESV)

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.
(1 Chronicles 10:13 - ESV)

That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
(Romans 11:20 - ESV)

When we have true faith, we allow God’s Spirit to work within us and we in turn, obey what He commands us. To disobey the Lord doesn’t only mean that we don’t love Him (according to Jesus in the gospels) but also means that we are breaking faith. Other translations may substitute words as as trespass and unfaithful in place of “broke faith” but it is still alluding to the same thing.

Look at Romans 11:20. It says that there were Israelites that were broken off (cut off from the Lord) because of their unbelief. Remember that belief is something under the umbrella of faith. So to have unbelief is to break faith in the same way that disobeying God is to break faith. And notice that in Romans 11:20, unbelief is contrasted with faith.  

And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people.
(Numbers 5:27 - ESV)

I used this verse because I find it very interesting that the same phrase of breaking faith is also used in the husband/wife relationship (which parallels the relationship between God and His people). So infidelity and adultery is also connected with breaking faith. If a woman commits adultery with a man other than her husband, then she is breaking faith with him (destroying the relationship between the two).

Now this also provides some food for thought for us. How many times did God liken the Israelites to a harlot in the Bible? Plenty. And why did He make such a distinction? Because of their idolatries, their disobedience and the unfaithfulness. In short, it was because of their lack of faith.

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