In this lesson, we’ll examine how the Bible defines faith.
“What Is Faith?”
Reaching New Levels of Faith – Lesson 2
Welcome back! I’m so glad you’ve chosen to continue in this journey of Reaching New Levels of Faith. As I said before, I truly believe this course can be a life-changer—but only if you stick with it. What I’m sharing in these lessons comes from deep study, real-life experience, and my own personal journey from unbelief to full conviction in Christ.
So today, before we start talking about the levels of faith (which we’ll dive into next time), we need to make sure we’re clear on this important question:
What is faith?
We’re going to be talking about it for 14 more lessons, so we need to know what we’re really dealing with.
We’re Living in a Time That Demands Faith
We’re bombarded with mixed signals every day. The world is constantly shifting—confusing headlines, conflicting opinions, broken promises. We see signs that say “Always Open” but read “Closed.” We see choices made that don’t make sense. And it leaves us wondering—what can I actually trust?
That’s why I want to help you develop a faith that is solid, stable, and anchored in truth.
What Does Faith Mean?
Let’s look at several ways to define faith—some from everyday understanding, and some directly from Scripture.
- Faith is a Judgment
It’s the judgment that something is true.
Every day you make choices based on what you believe to be true.
What you read, what you watch, what you trust—your mind is constantly evaluating:
“Is this right?”
“Do I believe this?”
- Faith is Belief That Drives Action
Your belief system determines what you do.
Every action you took yesterday flowed out of something you believed—whether you realized it or not.
- Faith Is Putting Your Full Weight Down
Faith is not just mental agreement—it’s trust.
I think of those grass bridges in Peru—tribes weave grass together to make rope bridges over canyons. Before they cross, someone steps out slowly… then eventually puts their full weight down. That’s when faith becomes real.
Faith is putting your full weight down on God.
Like getting into God’s wheelbarrow and letting Him walk you across Niagara Falls.
- Faith Is Conviction of Truth
It’s the ascent of the mind to a deep conviction about truth—particularly biblical truth.
This is more than just agreeing with a doctrine.
It’s saying, “I know this is true, I will live by it, I will die by it.”
- Faith Is Confidence in Christ for Moral Choices
It’s your confidence that God’s way is right.
It’s the faith that says, “I’m going to do what’s right—not because it’s popular, but because I trust Jesus.”
It’s like a faith fall—leaning back and trusting that God is going to catch you, even when the world lets you down.
What Does the Bible Say?
Let’s look at Hebrews 11:1:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Let’s break that down.
“Assurance of things hoped for”
Faith means I’m sure about what I hope for.
What do I hope for?
- That God can change me.
- That God can change others.
- That I will be in heaven with God.
That’s what faith looks like—it gives me confidence in what I cannot yet see.
In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says to the struggling church in Corinth,
“Such were some of you…”
They weren’t perfect, but they were changed. Washed. Sanctified. Justified.
Faith says, “God can change me. And I trust Him to do it.”
“Conviction of things not seen”
That’s a big one.
I’m convicted that:
- There is a heaven
- There is a devil
- And there is a mighty God
Faith isn’t about seeing—it’s about trusting.
In 1 John 5:13, John says:
“I write these things so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
That’s not pride. That’s faith.
Faith in Action: Hebrews 11 Heroes
Hebrews 11 gives us example after example of people who lived with that kind of faith:
- Abraham left everything—because he was looking for a city built by God.
- Moses walked away from the riches of Egypt—because he was looking to the reward.
Faith moves you toward something better.
And I love this:
“God is not ashamed to be called their God.” (Hebrews 11:16)
Why?
Because they had a conviction—a bold, full-hearted confidence in what they could not yet see.
So Let Me Ask You:
- Do you trust that God can change you?
- Do you believe He can change someone else?
- Are you confident you’ll be in heaven one day?
If you hesitate—that’s a faith issue.
But that’s what this course is all about: helping you develop assurance, conviction, and confidence in the God who never fails.
What’s Next?
In our next class, I’ll teach you about the five basic levels of faith.
Now, the Bible doesn’t give these names—I came up with them—but the principles are all there, and we’ll look at biblical examples of each one.
Just like we go through stages of life, we go through stages of faith.
And once you learn the levels, I’ll show you how to identify your current level…
And then how to move forward to the next.
So I hope you’ll stick with me.
Bring your Bible, get your workbook, and come ready to grow.
Thank you so much for being here.
I’ll see you in the next class.
Discussion Questions
- Did you have a good biblical concept of what faith truly is before you watched this lesson?
- If not, do you have any idea how your erroneous concept of faith got started, and can you see any impact it has had on your walk with God?
- Do you see the connection between faith and conviction?
- Do you struggle with having faith in something you cannot see or touch?
- In your own words, what is faith?
