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The words ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ that we encounter so often on the pages of Scripture simply mean ‘trust.’ Although they are two distinct words in English, they are both translating a single Greek word, Greek being the original New Testament language. We need two words to get the meaning across properly in English, which is common in any kind of translation process from one language to another. Heaven/sky, just/righteous, holy/saint/hallow, tempt/test/trial: it’s quite common that we have several words for one Greek word.
We tend only to use ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ in religious contexts these days. And yet the Greek word they translate in our Bibles was a thoroughly secular (non-religious) word at the time the New Testament was written. It just meant ‘trust’, ‘depend on’, ‘entrust oneself to’. It’s something that everyone did, and when we see the meaning, it’s quite clear why this is the case. This is how Louw and Nida (a prominent Greek Lexicon) defines the word (tellingly, BDAG, the other major Greek-NT dictionary, is virtually identical in wording):
‘To believe something to be true and, hence, worthy of being trusted. … In a number of languages the equivalent of [faith/believe] is simply “to think to be true” or “to regard as true.”’
Understanding that ‘faith’ in the Bible means ‘trust’ and that it’s not a religious word is revolutionary thinking in its own right! As an exercise, try to read your Bibles this week with the definition of ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ as ‘trust’ in mind. Try and substitute ‘trust’ every time you see ‘faith’ or ‘belief’, and let the Scriptures take on a fuller meaning for you as you read them. So, for example, Mark 1:15:
‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and trust the good news!’
