All through the Bible, multiple references in scripture are made to trust and hope in our Creator. The Bible is a big thick book of do’s and don’ts, and for a brand new believer they wonder just where to start to make sense of it contents. One thing for sure as we began to get a grip on its contents, we began to understand that we are sinners, falling short of God’s standards. It is then we grasp the concept that we need help, we need a Savior. The role of John the Baptist pointed out this very fact; he baptized his followers after they understood and acknowledged that they had broken the rules. Then Jesus came after John as the Savior that the Father had provided to redeem mankind from their sins. Jesus redeems us from the curse of the law - the shame, the guilt, the apathy, and finally death. How wonderful to realize a restored innocence and renewal of mind through our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The concept of faith is mostly found in the New Testament. Just a few times it is referenced in the Old. When the concept is mentioned in the Old, a different Greek word is used for the translation of the Hebrew. The way that the Greek word is used in the N.T. to translate this concept into English is very interesting.

According to Young’s Concordance, there is one Greek word used. This one Greek word means to rely on, to adhere to, to trust. When the concept is used as a noun, it is translated into the English word Faith. When the concept is used as a verb, it is translated into the English word Believe. One Greek word with a change in tense is used, two English words are used. The problem in English is that the words believe and faith are not exactly the same in equivalence. Believe is a weaker word than faith.

Hebrews Chapter 11 illustrates this concept thoroughly. Faith is belief to the point where some action follows. Each person of faith in Hebrews 11 trusted God and then took a course of action. Wherever there is real faith, there is a real action that follows. In the Scofield Reference Bible the note on John 3:16 states, “Belief in the N.T., denotes more than intellectual assent to a fact … this involves not only the consent of the mind, but an act of the heart and will.”

How much faith is required? As Matthew 18:1-5, Mark 9:33-50, and Luke 9:46-50 reference - only a Childlike faith is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

What is our faith to be in and of for Salvation? We all are familiar with John 3:16 "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.” But we many times overlook the two verses right before. “14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

In Numbers 21, because the Israelites were constantly grumbling and complaining, which God hates, God sent fiery (poisonous) serpents among them and many died. If they simply had enough faith to look toward the bronze serpent that was raised up, they lived.

Today in the Church Age, we simply need to have enough faith to look toward Jesus by trusting in his death, burial, and resurrection, for our redemption. He died on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins, and He rose to life again showing He has the power over sin and death. He accepts, He forgives, He redeems, He loves, and He saves!