What Does the Bible Say About Faith?

Of all the components of Christianity, faith is perhaps one of the hardest to hold onto. Every time we face a trial or life throws us a curveball it is easy for us to slip into doubt. But the following Bible verses about faith will encourage us all to hold onto it with all our might, no matter what.

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What is Faith?

We all have a rough idea of what faith is. We say we have confidence or trust in a person or a process or a thing. But when it comes to having faith in God, it goes deeper than the faith we have in people and things of the world. Here’s why–we can see people and things of the world. Because it’s a lot easier to trust in something we can perceive with our senses, the faith we have in worldly things doesn’t have to be deep.

“[Abraham] was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He promised.”
Romans 4:20b-21

But trusting God isn’t about what we can see or not see, feel or not feel. As it is written in the verse above, it’s about knowing with everything we are that God has the power to do anything, even things that don’t make sense in our human reasoning.

As you will see below, faith isn’t a passive or vague idea but rather active, powerful, and full of benefits for those who choose to live by it. And by looking at the concept by grouping like verse together, the concept becomes much less vague.

Bible Verses About Faith

So what exactly does the Bible say about faith? Here are some scriptures, grouped by likeness, that might help us get a clearer picture of what it means to trust God, even though we can’t see Him.

We are Called to Have Faith Even When We Don’t See or Understand

“…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17

“For we walk by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy…” 1 Peter 1:8

These verses give a pretty clear indication that faith is not preceded by seeing. This means that we keep on doing what we know God wants us to do even when we can’t see proof that it is working. It means that we never stop believing that God is making everything come together even if how He is doing it isn’t obvious.

Faith is Powerful

“‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.'” Mark 11:23

The mountain your faith is going to move!

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24

“The Lord answered, ‘If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,” and it would obey you!” Luke 17:6

These verses speak to the power available to us if we have unwavering confidence in God’s plan. Jesus says nothing is impossible with faith even as small as a mustard seed.

Mustard seeds are small, guys; about 2 mm in diameter, actually.

I don’t know about you, but the last time I told a mountain to move, it didn’t. But, hey, goals, right?

More to check out:

Matthew 17:20
Matthew 21:22
Ephesians 1:19-20

Faith Requires Action

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save them?” James 2:14

In these verses, you can see that faith must be demonstrated by doing the right things; by following God’s commands and being obedient to Him.

Picture taken from above showing picture taker's feet and the word "take action" painted on asphalt.

Faith Helps Us Fight the Enemy

“Resist [Satan], standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:9

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Eph. 6:16)

“…you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:3

Here is evidence that faith strengthens us and enables us to persevere and fight when faced with the attacks of the enemy.

I know it can be difficult to accept, but it is imperative that we, as earnest Christians who want to advance the Kingdom of God, realize that it’s not a matter of will Satan attack, but when will he attack.

Collage of spiritual weapons, including worship, prayer, the armor of God, fasting, and scripture. — Spiritual Weapons

The good news, though, is that we are given a multitude of weapons with which to fight back! Yeah, that’s right; look out devil! This is something we will talk a lot about, as it is a foundational part of this blog.

Benefits of Having Faith

“…for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8

“Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 5:1

“[Trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:7

“For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed–a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.‘” Romans 1:17

"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blow and tossed by the wind." James 1:6 Find the printable on our freebies page! Link in caption. — Click to check out our freebies, featuring wall decor, phone wallpapers, bookmarks, and more!

Look at all the benefits of having faith in the verses above! Peace, righteousness, salvation, humility, stability…! I’ll have some of everything, please!

More to check out:

Romans 10:10
Hebrews 11:6
Galatians 2:16a

What the Bible Says About Faith (Summary)

I hope you have a better idea of what faith in God means, what it requires of you, and what it endows you with; I know I do. That’s why I love to study the Bible this way; by gathering up scriptures and grouping them together.

Having faith doesn't mean that we know all the answers or even all the questions. Instead, it means that we have an unwavering belief that God can do whatever, whenever, even when it doesn't make sense to us mere humans. Share on X

What’s more, having absolute trust in God’s faithfulness can bestow upon us many benefits, not the least of which are peace and stability (some benefits of faith I’m working on taking hold of myself), and the ability to fight off the attacks of the enemy with confidence and perseverance.

Faith has the power to do big things in us and for us (and God’s Kingdom). The key here is that we must not doubt at all. It can be so hard to have this all-in kind of faith, but when we do, and we act on it, we can be assured that we will see God move in amazing ways!