"I believe..."

Faith is essential to being a Christian: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb.11:6). But what is faith? Is it wishful thinking, or holding something to be true without any evidence? Is it a characteristic that some people have but others don’t?

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Faith means assenting that something is real even though it can’t be seen or proven. That doesn’t mean that there’s no evidence for it. Neither the existence or non-existence of God can be demonstrated conclusively but faith weighs up the evidence and comes to a particular conviction about God. It does much more than that, for to believe God exists makes no sense unless it includes a response of seeking and trusting him.

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Our English words belief, faith and trust are all equally valid translations of a single New Testament word. So all three aspects belong together, as part and parcel of what it means to believe. Having faith is therefore a conscious decision that God can – and should – be trusted. This is “the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom.1:5). Without that, our faith is just in our heads, not yet in our hearts.