so what is faith?
does faith lead to spiritual growth?
does your faith define who God is to you?
does your belief in God define your faith?
what do you have faith in?

not blind faith...lol....just faith...and how does this contribute to you?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith
according to WIKI...abridged version...

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing or a belief not based on proof
2. a particular system of religious belief


3. first, conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds, ultimately the acceptance of the divine authority.
4. involves more than outward obedience to this authority, but also must be based on a deep personal understanding of religious teachings.
5. a conviction that something is
6. a determination to accomplish one's goals
7. a sense of joy deriving from the other two
8. requires a degree of trust, primarily in the spiritual attainment on the understanding in the truth of spiritual teachings and in the community of spiritually developed followers
9. volitionally, faith implies a resolute and courageous act of will. It combines the steadfast resolution that one will do a thing with the self-confidence that one can do it.
10. to investigate any teaching and to live by what is learnt and accepted, rather than believing in something simply because it is taught


11. the Greek word ('#######') which can also be translated 'belief' or 'trust'. the word "faith" generally corresponds to the Greek noun (πίστις) (pistis) or to the Greek verb (πιστεύω) (pisteuo), meaning "to trust, to have confidence, faithfulness, to be reliable, to assure".


12. a belief not to be distinguished by faith, but by the object of its faith.
13. belief in something when presented with adequate evidence that it is true.
14. includes doubt, since there is almost nothing we can be absolutely certain about, faith must include an element of doubt in order for us to believe anything.
15. not static but causes one to learn more of God and to grow
16. causes change as it seeks a greater understanding of God, not fideism or simple obedience to a set of rules or statements.
17. includes understanding in whom and in what to have faith in
18. without understanding, there cannot be true faith, and that understanding is built on the foundation of the community of believers, the scriptures and traditions and on the personal experiences of the believer.


19. Alister McGrath quotes the Oxford Anglican theologian W. H. Griffith-Thomas (1861-1924), who states that faith is "not blind, but intelligent" and that it "commences with the conviction of the mind based on adequate evidence...", which McGrath sees as "a good and reliable definition, synthesizing the core elements of the characteristic Christian understanding of faith"
20. In contrast to noted atheist Richard Dawkins' view of faith as "blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence".
21. British Christian apologist John Lennox argues that "faith conceived as belief that lacks warrant is very different from faith conceived as belief that has warrant".
22. Peter S Williams holds that "the classic Christian tradition has always valued rationality, and does not hold that faith involves the complete abandonment of reason"
23. Moreland states, faith is defined as "a trust in and commitment to what we have reason to believe is true."


24. the conscious awareness of humanity to realize its sacredness that we are all a form of God.
25. the one universal breath that is uniting us all in our aspiring journey towards the quest of the eternal truth constantly.


26. complete submission of self, which includes belief, profession and the body's performance of deeds, consistent with the commission as vicegerent on Earth, all according to God's will.
27. recognizing and affirming that there is one Creator of the universe and only to this Creator is worship due.
28. willingness and commitment to submitting that God exists, and to his prescriptions for living in accordance with vicegerency


29. not in itself a religious concept, but requires first to know God followed by to believe and to understand, thus denoting descending importance.
30. emphasis is placed on true knowledge, true prophecy and practice
31.to honour a (personal) idea of God, supported by the many principles. Very rarely does it relate to any teaching that must be believed.
32. refers to how God acts toward his people and how they are to respond to him


33. belief in doing a thing or act to save one from bad company and keep one close to God.


34. St. Augustine of Hippo and Alvin Plantinga, hold that all of our beliefs rest ultimately on beliefs accepted by faith.
35. C.S. Lewis, hold that faith is merely the virtue by which we hold to our reasoned ideas, despite moods to the contrary.


36. independent of reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths.
37. needed to determine some philosophical and religious truths, and it questions the ability of reason to arrive at all truth.


38. that belief in God is more analogous to belief in a person than belief in a scientific hypothesis. Human relations demand trust and commitment. If belief in God is more like belief in other persons, then the trust that is appropriate to persons will be appropriate to God.
39. that all knowledge and justified belief are ultimately based upon what are called properly basic beliefs.


40. Plantinga holds that an individual may rationally believe in God even though the individual does not possess sufficient evidence to convince an agnostic.


41. Professor of Mathematics and philosopher of science at University of Oxford John Lennox has stated, "Faith is not a leap in the dark; it'��s the exact opposite. It'�s a commitment based on evidence. It is irrational to reduce all faith to blind faith and then subject it to ridicule. That provides a very anti-intellectual and convenient way of avoiding intelligent discussion."��


42. We may define "��faith"�� as a firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. Where there is evidence, no one speaks of "��faith."�� We do not speak of faith that two and two are four or that the earth is round. We only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence. The substitution of emotion for evidence is apt to lead to strife, since different groups substitute different emotions.


43. Christians have faith in the Resurrection; communists have faith in Marx'��s Theory of Value. Neither faith can be defended rationally, and each therefore is defended by propaganda and, if necessary, by war.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/uucollective/2012/07/the-meaning-of-faith/

Faith is not about belief. Faith in fact has very little to do with what beliefs you hold, other than that it allows you to hold them. Faith is a sacred, deep, emotionally involved kind of trust. Faith is the kind of trust that you enter into with your whole being. Faith is the kind of trust that, when it has been broken, it hurts deep inside, but faith is the kind of trust that finds a way to trust again despite the hurt.

We are all people of Faith. Faith is a basic aspect of human nature. We live in a universe that is so awe inspiring, so infinite, so grandly complicated that all of human knowledge amounts to only a tiny fraction of reality. Indeed, much of human perception about reality is pure construct, because the whole of infinity cannot be understood by finite human minds.

The realization of just how little about the universe we actually understand exists in all of humanity, both consciously and un-consciously. That realization is one understanding of why humans created religion (but not the only one).

Faith is what allows us to function despite knowing or sensing how little we actually know about all that surrounds us. This is where beliefs come into the definition of Faith. Faith does not equate to beliefs, but it is possible to hold faith in some of your beliefs.

We can have faith in (or sacred trust in) beliefs, in principles, in people, in religious traditions, in community, in systems and institutions, in ourselves, and in the universe as a whole. This last is sometimes referred to as “Faith in God”, “Faith in Dharma”, or “Faith in Creation”.

As I have found faith in the universe as a whole, that it is not conspiring against me, not indifferent to me, but rather conspiring on my behalf and that I am a part of it. I have found something to have faith in, but that is not my faith.

My faith is the ability to trust something from the very core of my being. When we are bound together by trust that touches the deepest aspects of who we are, we are living in Faith Community.

A Crisis of Faith is not when a belief is questioned, but when we sense that a deep trust has been broken.

Someone has been Faithful, a Faithful spouse, a Faithful friend, a Faithful person, when they hold not only the sacred trust they place in others, but the sacred trust others place in them as one of the most important aspects of their human existence.

A Religious Faith is not a collection of people who share beliefs, but a community of people who have made the commitment to trust one another to care for each other’s spirits and souls, and who join together for a Faith filled purpose.

Blind Faith is a trust that is not examined, not understood, and of which requires only body and soul, neglecting the mind and the spirit.

Pure Faith is the kind of trust that you hold even when your rational mind says you should not. This is a two edged sword, because at times the ability to hold a pure Faith is a blessing, at other times it is simply Blind Faith in disguise.

http://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/faith

faith ‎(countable and uncountable, plural faiths)

The reasoning of beliefs hoped true by the proof of things, such as philosophy, that are without the real evidence of sight, sound, and touch.
Have faith that the criminal justice system will avenge the murder.
I have faith that my prayers will be answered.
I have faith in the healing power of crystals.

A religious belief system.
The Christian faith.

An obligation of loyalty or fidelity and the observance of such an obligation.
He acted in good faith to restore broken diplomatic ties after defeating the incumbent.

A trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal.
I have faith in the goodness of my fellow man.

(obsolete) Credibility or truth.
Mitford
the faith of the foregoing narrative

Hmm, here is a little of my story about faith.
At 4 I had an out of body experience with a spiritual being. My conclusion...proof and faith in a different realm other than just earth.

At 5 I went to church, Presbyterian, it was formal, boring and I learned nothing despite being a curious, questioning child.

School, a minister used to come and talk over the intercom at primary school. That was when I decided to have faith in a God.
I gave all that up for occult practices, which was more fun to me.

Then at 19 my brother asked me about God.
We decided to venture out and look.
He ended up a Jehovah's Witness, I ended up a born again christian.
We both had faith in God, different influences though. I really searched through religions and books, but kept coming back to the beauty and humility of Jesus.

I feel that I do not have just faith. I have knowledge, proof of the existence of God as it was Him that met with me when I was a child. Freaky, hard to believe, yes.
But it happened :)
I have experienced much more than I care to share here, but for some faith is a part of who you are.

Ladywind, What is a born again Christian? I have seen that a lot.

thank you for sharing.

i used to have some degree of fascination with occult practices and folklore... witchery, vampires, sorcery..etc... nothing serious, just a matter of curiosity...ever played spirit of the glass just for the heck of it?lol... i don't recommend it not unless you are prepared for the possibilities...

mind you, we are a catholic nation (with several denominations and sects) but many practices and local traditions here are steeped in ideas on superstition (but still considered catholic...lol..).
My roots being Chinese, have traditions in Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism as well,

myself, being in the field of science... let's just say, it was all very mixed up...and the examination of my faith is based on so many things and considerations...

happy and thankful to say that God did touch my life in ways i cannot deny. i have set aside the many things that should be set aside, but still flawed in so many ways. in every situation, there is always a choice in between...it is never easy but it is always good once the right decision is made... just have to keep faithful.

regards.

--------------------

cheechako

"born again Christian" can mean a few things...depending on the person or group using it...

it can mean a denomination of Christianity
it can mean setting aside of your previous self in acceptance of Christ and living according to his teachings and example

but the term "born again" per se, i believe, originated from the concept that in order for one to be acceptable in God's kingdom, one must be born again (verb) as if starting fresh and learning anew about God and how to live life, not in the flesh but in the spirit. (John 3)

It has since been coined as an adjective to describe people who professed to have done so.

Faith to me.
The faith chapter explains what faith is

Hebrews 11 New King James Version (NKJV)

By Faith We Understand
11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Faith at the Dawn of History
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; [a] for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Faithful Abraham
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

The Heavenly Hope
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,[c] embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

The Faith of the Patriarchs
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”[d] 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

The Faith of Moses
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in[e] Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

By Faith They Overcame
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again.

Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

As you can see this explain how faith works.
I will share how I have experienced it.This is just one of many examples.

In the beginning of 1995 I was pregnant with my second child. We needed a car as we only had a single cab work truck. My daughter was due to be born at the end of October. I prayed at the beginning of the year for a car by the 15/10/95. I believe without doubt I would have a car. I also had to put my faith into action and by doing that I learnt the road code ready to sit the test for my learners.
I gave thanks in praying believing I will receive. Keeping in mind no one knew what I was dong but only God. The 15/10/95 came I did not receive the car. I still believe I would receive a car. I was not going to give up. my faith grew stronger because I refuse to let doubt in. Still no one knew what I was praying. On the 15/11/95 I received my first car. the person who gave me the car said I wanted to give it to you on the 15/10/95 but I wanted to make sure it was in perfect working order for you. The man also a christian prayed to the Lord, who do I give this car to? The Lord had told him to give the car to me.

I learnt through this how faith works.

I hope it helps you to understand

Thanks Pansy. I have seen a lot of "Born Again" people but have never seen a Born Again church. So I was just wondering.

To define born again, you must know the bible.

John 3

Jesus converts Nicodemus (a high ruler of the Jewish people of the day).

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, '��Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.'

3 Jesus replied, '��Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are BORN AGAIN.'

4 'How can someone be born when they are old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!'

5 Jesus answered, '��Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.'

9 'How can this be?' Nicodemus asked.

10 'You are Israel's teacher,'�� said Jesus, '��and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Being 'born again' is a spiritual position. A new birth into the kingdom of God, where one forsakes the old way of life and embraces their new way of life with God as the Lord of their life.
You can not enter into the Kingdom of God without accepting what His Son has done for you on the Cross, that is making your sins void and accepting his forgiveness for your past misdeeds. It is like your slat is clean and now you can move forward as a new creation.

1. this is a very open ended question.
faith is a belief, conviction or certainty. in many cases beyond the shadow of a doubt.
there can be faith in God, friends, family, my dog, the continuity of nature. many things beyond my control.

I get up every morning with the fairh, belief that the day will run a natural course. the sun will rise. the sun will set. my place of work will still be there. etc.
faith in family and friends. I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that there are people in my family or true friends who will be there no matter what. especially with my family, regardless of differences we may have, the love we share is stronger and when the chips are down, they will be there.
faith in the man in my life that even though we live forty minutes away from each other and both have things that keep us busy, he cares and we are faithful to each other.
faith in my dog. not that we have ever trained him to be anything but friendly, yet we know he will lay down his life before allowing someone to hurt us.
Then there's the faith that encompasses all. faith in God.


I don't know how to answer the rest of your questions about spiritual growth, defining religion, etc.

I don't have educated examples or bible verses to share.

I can tell you I've seen God's hand in direct connection to things I've prayed about, big and little.
o know some people will ridicule my response on here, but that's ok. it doesn't change that I've had help from above.

it sounds silly but 2 examples have to do with our family dog. on one occasion, our pitbull was lost for a week. we searched everywhere and had no luck. he was my brother's baby. we didn't want to tell my brother his dog was missing because at the time he was deployed overseas.
one night I held a picture of the dog and prayed, dear God, please help him (the dog) find his way home.
the next morning by 6 am, my next door neighbor called me to hurry up and open our gate because my dog was patiently waiting to come in. she didn't open ir because he was big and all black and she was afraid of him.

there are other examples I can give you when I've known things were a response to a prayer. I can tell you if you want to know

so what is faith?
For me, faith is believing, without the need for evidence or proof.


does faith lead to spiritual growth?
Off course yes, faith does lead to spiritual growth.


does your faith define who God is to you?
Yes, my faith (in the scriptures) dictates that God is the creator,
From whom we came and to whom we will return,
Our parents as such, are simply vessels who bore us.


does your belief in God define your faith?
Yes, my belief in God and his scriptures,
define my faith, the terms and conditions (if you will)
of my contract with God.


what do you have faith in?
I have faith in God's word,
That He has sent to us many many many many Prophets and Messengers,
Such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (to name a few of the more well known Prophets and Messengers) to guide us and to ensure we stay on the righteous path and do not stray.


not blind faith...lol....just faith...
and how does this contribute to you?
In my eyes, real faith is faith or belief in your creator (God)
without the need for evidence or proof,
So therefore I equate it to "Blind Faith"

Off course I have faith in my fellow human beings,
faith in my family, and faith in whole heap of other things,
But that could be interpreted as "reliability" in these worldly things.

But when anyone says faith - I translate that as meaning faith in God, that he exists, that heaven and hell exist that we will be judged on the day of judgement.


AnnieRoo
I like and love and understand what AnnieRoo said of how she experienced faith. She had "Ultimate" faith that God would hear her and true to form her prayers were heard.

Often times we hear ministers of various faiths, say to us, ask for forgiveness and ask (God) for guidance, and most times we blow it off and not "really" believe, we just go through the motions but not put our "heart" into it.

I did state in an earlier thread elsewhere that I am not practising my religion, yes my faith is "Weak" this is not the same as "Not Believing"!!! I ask God for His forgiveness and for His guidance so that I may be of the guided ones and not a lost sheep.

Someone once said to me that he thinks of the hell-fire as a great washing machine, and when we commit sins our souls gain (for example) a black mark or black spot or dot, and while our souls contain these black marks, we cannot be permitted into heaven, and while being punished in the hell-fire, each of these black marks is washed away, and when the last mark is washed away (when we have been punished for our sins) then and only then are we permitted in to heaven (if at all)

I like this method of explanation and even an illiterate person (like myself - as I am illiterate in the sense of religion) can understand this.


Finally
We have fought and will fight many wars in the name of religion (the crusades) and in reality our religions are not so different, it is merely how we ourselves interpret what is written in our scriptures, and keep it in context of the topic being read (rather than taking it out of context!)


For example, our prayers are not so different, as can be seen below.



The Lords Prayer
=================
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.


Surah #1 in Quran
===================
In the name of Allah ,
the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
[All] praise is [due] to Allah , Lord of the worlds -
The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path -
The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor,
not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
Ameen.

That is a great example of faith. Not doubting or wavering.
I love being cared for by the best Father ever.

wonderful! :)

ana, your stories are always inspiring and uplifting. thank you.
yes, i would love to hear the other things you have experienced.

thank you, jaan. you brought a smile from the inside out...once again.
i like the way you express your faith, both process and content.

this ^^

He and I may not always see eye to eye on many things...but there is no doubt that He is the best.

To define born again, you must know the bible. Thanks Ladywind.






It's interesting how we all come to the conclusion there is a god.
Mine came from a slow realization that nothing else makes sense.

Interesting page.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/faithandreason/perspectives4.html




FAITH vs. BELIEF
While the words faith and belief tend to be used somewhat interchangeably in theological discussions, there has long been an effort among writers and theologians to differentiate between the two. Just what the subtle distinction is, however, has become a source of debate.

Religious scholar Elaine Pagels laid out her thoughts in an interview with Bill Moyers:

"Faith is a quality of relationship. One has faith. And faith can be verified in experience. If I have faith in you, or you have faith in me, it can be betrayed, or it can be verified. Belief can be a system. It can be, but many people say Christian tradition traditionally said, 'Well, believe in this. You have no verification, but you're just supposed to take it on somebody else's word.' That's very different from verifying in experience the faith that comes through relationship with another person, or with a divine source."

Am in the military, i've seen so many tragic events.. i know how faith has kept me, thats why i 'm being part of this discussion..
Faith is believing in what is true. Faith has two elements: 1) being convinced of the truth, being certain of reality, having evidence of unseen things, and 2) believing, hoping in, embracing, seizing the truth.
Heb 11:1 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
While faith requires being convinced that what we believe in is true, just knowing the truth is only half of faith. God's word must be hoped for, embraced, seized!
Luke 17:5 (NIV) The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

Believing is not exactly the same as faith. For belief to be faith, it must light on what is certainly true. Yet Scripture gives examples of situations where belief alone is required, even commanded. There's no time for evidence collection, to wait, to hear, for certainty. Just believe. Like Peter walking on the water--don't think, act! God even requires us to believe in him when, temporarily, the evidence looks bad: to trust. [We will study belief and trust separately.] God requires belief and trust in moments of human weakness, but faith is what makes us strong. Faith is the state of being convinced about what we hope for.