Chapter 1: The Substance of Things Hoped For: Defining Biblical Faith

Faith is not merely a component of the Christian life; it is the very atmosphere in which the believer is called to exist. To the mature student of the Word, faith must be understood not as a fleeting emotion or a psychological “positive confession,” but as a tangible, spiritual reality. In this chapter, we shall explore the ontological foundations of faith, moving beyond the superficial to the “strong meat” of spiritual substance.

1.1. Beyond Mental Assent: Distinguishing Pistis from Human Optimism

The Greek word for faith, pistis, is used over 240 times in the New Testament, yet it is often one of the most misunderstood terms in the ecclesia. To truly grasp the fundamentals of faith, one must first distinguish it from its closest counterfeit: Mental Assent.

Mental assent is the intellectual acknowledgment of a truth without the spiritual appropriation of that truth. It is the “Amen” in the pew that never translates to “Action” in the marketplace. A student may intellectually agree that “By His stripes, we were healed” (1 Peter 2:24), yet when symptoms arise, they immediately resort to a language of fear. This is because the information has reached the psyche (the soul/mind) but has not yet been integrated into the pneuma (the spirit).

True biblical faith, or pistis, is a “firm persuasion.” It is a state of being convinced to the point of no return. Unlike human optimism—which is a product of the soul and relies on favorable external data—pistis is a product of the human spirit. It is anchored in the character of God. While the optimist says, “I hope things get better,” the person of faith says, “It is done,” even while things appear to be getting worse. This persuasion is not a result of a strong will, but of a spirit that has been saturated with the Word of God until that Word becomes more real than the physical environment.$^1$

1.2. The Dual Nature of Faith: Understanding “Substance” and “Evidence”

Hebrews 11:1 serves as the “periodic table” of our study: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This verse is not just a poetic description; it is a technical definition of spiritual mechanics.

The word Substance comes from the Greek hypostasis. In the secular world of the first century, a hypostasis was a legal term used for a title deed or a document that proved ownership of a property. If you hold the title deed to a plot of land in Osun State, you don’t need to be standing on the soil to “possess” the land. The paper in your hand is the land in a legal sense. Faith is the title deed of the spirit realm. It is the “raw material” out of which the unseen becomes seen.$^2$

Furthermore, faith is the Evidence (elenchos). This implies a legal conviction. In a court of law, evidence is that which proves a point so clearly that a verdict must be reached. Faith provides the “proof” to your inner man that the promise of God is a reality, even when your five senses are screaming the opposite. For the mature believer, faith is the “sixth sense” that perceives the spiritual reality and brings it into the physical dimension.

1.3. The God-Kind of Faith: Operating in the Nature of the Creator

In the Pentecostal tradition, we recognize that we are not just “believers in God,” but we are called to function with the “faith of God.” When Jesus spoke to the fig tree in Mark 11, He was demonstrating the God-kind of faith.

The God-kind of faith has three distinct markers:

It believes in the heart.
It speaks with the mouth.
It does not doubt that what it says will come to pass.

God did not “hope” the universe would appear; He believed His word had the power to create it. As ministers, we must understand that we have been “born of God” (1 John 5:4). Therefore, the same faith that resides in the Father has been deposited in our spirits through the Holy Ghost. This is the “measure of faith” mentioned in Romans 12:3. Our task is not to get “more faith” from the outside, but to develop and release the faith that is already within our recreated spirits. This faith is a creative force that can frame worlds and alter the course of history.$^3$

Lesson for Today’s Minister

As a leader, you will often find yourself in “darkness”—situations where the vision seems void and formless. Do not use your pulpit to describe the darkness; use your faith to speak the light. A minister who only reports the “facts” of a crisis is a commentator, not a leader. A leader uses the God-kind of faith to decree the end of a matter from its beginning.

1.4. Faith vs. Sense Knowledge: The Battle for Authority

The final fundamental of this introduction is the conflict between Faith and Sense Knowledge. From birth, we are trained to rely on our five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. This is “Sense Knowledge”—the information we gather from the physical world.

While Sense Knowledge is useful for navigating the physical world, it is a barrier to the spiritual world. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Sense Knowledge is limited to the “temporal”—that which is subject to change. Revelation Knowledge (Faith) is anchored in the “eternal”—the unchanging Word of God. When a doctor gives a report (Sense Knowledge), it is a fact. But when the Word says “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26), it is the Truth. Truth is a higher order of reality than fact. Faith does not ignore the fact; it overrides the fact with the Truth. To walk in the fundamentals of faith, one must reach a level of maturity where the Word of God is more “real” than the pain in the body or the lack in the storehouse.$^4$

Points of Action

The Confession Audit: For the next 24 hours, monitor every word that exits your mouth. Note how many times you speak based on “Sense Knowledge” (the problem) vs. “Faith” (the promise). At the end of the day, write a one-page reflection on what this reveals about the current state of your “Title Deed” (hypostasis).
The Scriptural Title Deed: Select one major challenge facing your ministry or personal life. Locate three specific scriptures that address that challenge. Write them out on a physical card and carry it with you. Every time the “Sense Knowledge” of the problem arises, read those scriptures aloud as a legal declaration of your ownership of the solution.

Bibliography

Kenyon, E. W. The Two Kinds of Knowledge. Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, 1938.
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Abingdon Press, 1890.
Hagin, Kenneth E. The Real Faith. Faith Library Publications, 1985.
Spence, H.D.M., and Exell, Joseph S. The Pulpit Commentary: Volume 21. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1950.