The Church:
            Faith is an unquestioned trust in God you receive by going to church, accepting what you are told from the pulpit, and of course, paying your dues.  Any doubts or questions are considered as a lack of faith.

The Bible:
            Persuasion that man is more than a physical entity and is part of much larger and higher purpose.  Even a minute amount of this belief will give mere humans supernatural power, making them capable of performing feats only limited by the level of belief itself.  A tiny amount of this belief can allow a person to literally move mountains and gave the miracles of the first members of the church world fame.  

     The word most often translated into 'faith', (223 out of 229 times in the NT), is pistis, pronounced pis'-tis, from peitho; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction.. The word of origin is peitho Pronounced pi'-tho a primary verb; to convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy, to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means); reflexively or passively, to assent (to evidence or authority), to rely (by inward certainty):

     This means that faith is belief based on evidence that persuades one to believe.  Paul verifies this in his letter to the Hebrew church:

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
     The word evidence is translated from elegchos, pronounced el'-eng-khos; proof, conviction:

     This is consistent with the charge that we are to prove, literally put to the test and approve all things before we accept them:

1 Thessalonians 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
     In both the verses the word translated is dokimazo, pronounced dok-im-ad'-zo; to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve:

     And it is stated that the proof is freely given, if one simply looks for it:

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

     How is it that a mere mortals can have the incredible power Jesus describes just by believing they have it.  How powerful is a human being?  Yhovah was very clear about the nature of man:

Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

     And when Yhovah became the human, Jesus, he repeated it, by quoting himself:

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

     Even though the Bible does say humans were made lower than the angels, does that mean this will be their permanent station?

1Corinthians 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

     From what has the Bible presents, there is but one logical conclusion.  Faith is the belief that humans are gods, created to be gods, by the creator God, Yhovah.  If this is true, is it any wonder that Jesus said humans have the power to move mountains with just an infinitesimal amount of belief in such an awesome reality?

     A complete review of all the verses that record the word faith will show that the above verses are not contradicted.  Nowhere is it stated that one should not question or test the evidence.  Nowhere is it stated that faith is not the way the persons possessing it are persuaded.  And in it is shown that the increase in faith of the members of the first church gave them undeniable super-human power.

     The verses are presented here:

FAITH 

Deuteronomy
32:20  And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

Habakkuk
2:4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Matthew
6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
8:10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
8:26  And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
9:2  And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
9:22  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
9:29  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
16:8  Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 
17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21:21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Mark
2:5  When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
4:40  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
5:34  And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
10:52  And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Luke
5:20  And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
7:9  When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
7:50  And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
8:25  And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another,What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
8:48  And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
12:28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.  6  And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
18:42  And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
 

FAITH
Part 2

 Acts
3:16  And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
6:5  And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6:7  And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. 6:8  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
11:24  For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
13:8  But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
13:9  The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
14:27  And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;  9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
16:5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
24:24  And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
26 :18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Romans
1:5  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
1:8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
1:12  That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
3:3  For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
9:30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
9:32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

1 Corinthians
2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowlege; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

2 Corinthians
1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
10:15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
 

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