TO PUT it plainly: without faith, we are nothing. Faith is belief — belief in ourselves, in our work, in our talents, and in our character.
We should also believe in our parents — or better yet, in our entire family, including the so-called “black sheep” who exist everywhere. We must believe in our friends as well, even when doing so becomes difficult. What defines a friend? A real friend? An expatriate friend?
Without faith, we risk hitting rock bottom. Please don’t dismiss this as mere rhetoric. The German poet Johann Christian Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1815) once wrote in his drama Maria Stuart: “Even the word might be dead, but faith keeps it alive.” That is a thought worth embracing.
Faith and hope go hand in hand. In his book Through the Valley of the Kwai, Scottish officer Ernest Gordon recounts his years as a prisoner during World War II. Standing 6’2”, he suffered from malaria, diphtheria, typhoid, beriberi, and jungle ulcers. His weight dropped to less than 100 pounds. Lying in the dirt of what was known as the “death house,” he waited to die.
Yet each day, a fellow prisoner came to clean his wounds and encouraged him to eat portions of his own rations. As this man nursed Gordon back to health, he spoke of his unwavering faith in God, showing that even in the midst of suffering, there is hope — and faith.
Faith is closely tied to conviction and inner assurance. The German composer and poet Richard Wagner once wrote: “Blessed are those people who know how to live their lives in humility and faith.”
And yes, let us also continue to believe in our government. Faithful hope is loyal, reliable, precise, and honorable.
Faith looks beyond this temporary life and toward eternity. The hope described in Scripture is not vague or superficial optimism. The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, for example, offer encouragement to Christians undergoing persecution for their faith. Likewise, Corinthians 13:2 reminds us: “If I have faith that can move mountains…”
Faith is a word frequently used, yet often misunderstood. Part of this confusion arises from its varied meanings in everyday language. A quick glance at a dictionary reveals multiple definitions. Many people think of faith as believing in something without evidence. But is that what the Bible teaches? The answer is a clear no.
The Bible comes closest to defining faith in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” From this, we understand that the essence of faith is confidence and trust. In Scripture, the object of faith is God and His promises.
A powerful example is Abram’s encounter with God in Genesis 15. When God promised him countless descendants, Abram “believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). The Apostle Paul later reflects on this, writing: “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God… fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:20–21). Faith, therefore, means trusting God and believing He will fulfill His promises.
Faith goes beyond intellectual agreement. Consider this illustration: imagine standing at Niagara Falls watching a tightrope walker push a wheelbarrow across a rope high above the rushing waters. After successfully crossing several times, he asks for a volunteer to sit in the wheelbarrow.
You may believe he can do it — but you are not exercising true faith until you actually climb in and entrust yourself to him.
Genuine faith expresses itself in daily life. As James writes, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). Faith works through love, producing visible evidence in a person’s life (Galatians 5:6). In other words, the obedience that pleases God flows from faith — not mere duty or obligation.
There is a profound difference between a husband who gives his wife flowers out of love and one who does so simply out of obligation.
Faith is essential because it is the means by which we have a relationship with God: “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Through faith, we receive the benefits of what Jesus has done — His perfect obedience, His sacrifice for our sins, and His victory over death.
By placing our faith in Him, we receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.
So what does faith truly mean? Simply put, it means relying completely on who Jesus is and what He has done to make us right with God.
To walk by faith, it is not enough to believe that God’s word and promises are true. We must act on that belief and stand firmly on the Truth. When what we believe overflows into how we live, our faith is made complete — and is counted to us as righteousness.
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