Vines Expository

The word "faith" is a word that has different meanings depending on where it is located in the New Testament. It may be a bit disconcerting when you first learned this, but at the same time, we have to know.

In preparing this article, I looked at the word "faith" in a little pocket dictionary Merriam Webster I curious to know what I find. I found four meanings listed as follows: (1) allegiance to duty or a person who you could call the faithful (2) the belief or confidence in God (3) full trust and (4) a system of religious beliefs.

I then went to another book that I titled "Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words" by WE Vine. This is a reference book, a book definition of well-known words by students of the Bible. This book allows you to speak English in your King James Bible, look in the dictionary, and he will give the Greek word or words behind the English, and give you the meaning of these Greek words used in Scripture.

When I looked the word "faith" in the vineyard dictionary I found the Greek word behind him to be "Pistis". Vine says the word means, as the passage in which it is used, (a trust) (b) the reliability or fidelity (c) what is believed, the content of belief (d) the grounds of faith, insurance, and (d) a pledge of allegiance. It provides scriptural references for each of these uses.

If I had to stop this article now and go further with it than I did all of us must be warned of what has already been told we must be much closer to reading our Bible when we read about the faith . Faith is one of those words that we heard so long and so we read right on top of it not giving a thought, thinking we understand what is said without a pause for examination.

We believe that this means trust in God or the Lord Jesus and certainly. The word is used with this meaning, more than any other meaning of the word in the Scriptures of the New Testament. I do think the classic example of this kind of faith (trust in God) found in the New Testament is found in Heb. 11:17-19 referring to Abraham. The text reads as follows:

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had been promised to offer his only son, he was told," In Isaac shall thy seed be called, 'accounting that God has could meet, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. "(Hebrews 11:17-19 KJV)

The confidence (faith) in God in the highest degree. It is a faith we all need to develop, but note one thing about the faith - note that it is based on. It is based on "word of God." What had God promised to Abraham concerning Isaac? Abraham gave the word of God and was fully convinced God can not and would not lie (Titus 1:2 ).

"So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17 KJV) The biblical faith is never based on what a man thinks, a man of ideas or opinions, but on the word of God. If there is no word of God, then everything a man believes is not faith but opinion. Abraham had God's word - "In Isaac your seed be called." Noah had the same thing in regard to future floods and the need to build an ark. It was not his opinion that flooding has been come. It was the word of God on it.

Another use of the word "faith" is an unusual use, but is a scriptural faith as a spiritual gift. In 1 Cor. 12, is the subject of spiritual gifts (cf. v. 1). In verse 8, Paul begins listing the various spiritual gifts that were given to the Corinthians in verse 9 and includes the faith. He says, "to another faith by the same Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:09 KJV) I do not understand the nature of that faith, but it was such a force, Evi.