In the Bible, faith often means trust in God, but it can also refer to a set of beliefs or religious ideas. The Hebrew word sometimes translated as “faith “ is Amen, which is used in English in prayers and hymns. It means to rely on what is firm and dependable, especially on God, whose words and works are completely reliable.

The importance of this trust relationship with God is shown powerfully in Genesis 15:1-6, where God tells Abraham that he will have a son and heir, even though he and his wife have not been able to have any children. God had earlier promised to bless all the families of the earth because of Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:3; 17:3-7). These promises were not based on what Abraham could accomplish, but on what God would provide out of love and overwhelming kindness. Abraham’s only response is to trust God’s promises. This is what God’s people are called to do: trust God’s promises no matter what problems and difficulties they experience (Ps 25:5; 32:10; Prov 16:20; Jer 39:17,18).

In the Gospels, the charge that Jesus’ disciples and others do not “have faith” (Mark 6:6; Luke 8:25) is not a matter of their lack of correct beliefs, but their failure to trust God’s power at work in Jesus. But those who do trust in Jesus experience that power, as did the father of the dying girl and the sick woman who reached out to touch Jesus (Luke 8:40-56).

After Jesus died and later was raised from death, his followers and the apostle Paul urged men and women everywhere to put their trust (“have faith”) in Jesus, who acts as a sacrifice to bring forgiveness of sins (Rom 1:3-6; 3:24,25) and is raised from death to bring God’s promise of eternal life (Acts 2:36-39; Eph 1:15-23; 1 Cor 15:12-24). Those who trust in what Jesus has done for them are part of God’s family (Gal 3:23-29).