Now, this word Jesus used, that’s translated believe, is a different word than the word He used for faith. So why did He use a different word? It seemed like faith is what Jairus needed at that moment. We often talk about faith needed for healing, but not so much belief. Right? So, let’s understand. There is something important here and something helpful for us to know – some things that can help us be more discerning Christians and stronger members of our congregations, so that we can make them stronger and better places for everyone to grow spiritually, including, of course, all the children who are with us, who are our focus. 

So, okay, two words: one, translated faith – P-I-S-T-I-S in the Greek. I’m not sure how to pronounce that, but it looks like, in English, pistis. So, that word is usually translated into our word faith and is used by the Bible writers 244 times in the New Testament. An example: Hebrews 11:1. Paul says:

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith – pistis – is the substance – the foundation – of things hoped for, the evidence – or proof – of things not seen. So, that’s what pistis means. Faith is the foundation for all the promises of God that we hope for. Paul called it the proof. Faith takes the place of hard evidence – at least it does for Christians. It’s our hard evidence – faith is. So, a little bit more on this later. 

The second word, translated belief. Is, in the Greek, P-I-S-T-E-U-O. I’m not sure how to pronounce that either, but perhaps, in English, pisteuo. That’s used 248 times throughout the New Testament. This is the word Jesus used when He told Jairus, “Only believe.” 

So, pisteuo is used to convey the truth that a person had to believe Jesus was and is God, as well as man. He was, and is, the one and only way to approach God to enter His Kingdom. Now, that’s not obvious is Jesus’ statement there, but that’s the way this word is used throughout the New Testament.

So, what can we make of Jesus’ usage here? Well, let’s step into the situation. They had been rushing to Jairus’ house, knowing that his daughter was on the verge of death. And suddenly, they’re confronted with the news that she’s already dead. The messenger believes that it’s now too late. He says, “Let’s not trouble the Teacher any longer.” So, who’s going to show them it’s not too late? Who? Well, only Jesus. Nobody else. “All you have to do in believe in Me. I am God, as well as man.” That’s what He was, in effect, saying by the use of that word – pisteuo. 

So, look at another use of the word to make the meaning clearer. It’s in James 2:19.

James 2:19 – You believe that God is one; you do well – there’s the word. Even the demons believe – same word – and shudder! 

Notice how James uses the word. “You believe God is one – good for you! Even demons believe that and are terrified.”  Belief – pisteuo – is about the reality of God. Demons believe there’s a God, but they don’t have any faith in Him – no evidence of God’s promises to be found in any of them, except for one. They know where they’re going. 

So, let’s synthesize this a bit – turning it into some understanding that can be useful to us – something that will help us draw closer to God, help us be better models of Christ, stronger building blocks for our congregations – now and in the Kingdom. 

While I was studying the meaning of the word faith and also the word belief, I noticed that one way Strong’s showed us the difference was to say that belief was the content of faith. I’m not sure that I could say it was the only content or element, but certainly one element, but maybe not the only one. If demons believe that Jesus was God as well as man, yet don’t have faith, there has to be more to faith than just belief. In this case, they believed, but their faith was derailed by something along the way. 

So, we will look at some of the other elements after I make this point. Belief seems to be the first element of faith. What proofs could we consider to prove that? Well, Jairus himself. When Jesus used the word to instruct Jairus, who was He talking to? Was he talking to somebody who’d been converted for fifty years? Or, someone who was just beginning his Christian walk? Maybe he didn’t even know that’s what he was doing at that point. So, before we can have faith in God, we have to know who He is. And what do we say when we know? We say, “I believe.” 

Another example would be the agnostics. I was listening to an incredible podcast recently. I’d recommend it to everybody. It was an address delivered by a man named David Bolinsky. Just go to YouTube and type in his name. A lot of his stuff will pop up. He is an agnostic. And that is, he’s not sure if God exists.  He says, “Evolution cannot be the answer to how we exist.” He said that it has always seemed, to him, like a ridiculous notion. The older he got, he said, “the more science he learned, the more stupid the whole idea seemed.” He talked, in contrast, about the true scientific dilemma for the unbelieving – how unbelieving scientists, himself included, have said, “It looks like the common patterns we see throughout the universe, seem to imply one designer.” 

So, what if there is one? He was honest enough to put those last words in and wonder.  So, he’s putting words to what many scientists are thinking, but won’t say out loud. Consequently, he says he doesn’t know if there is a Creator, but he suspects that might be the real explanation – or, it could be. So, that is an agnostic position. 

Now, let’s say that Dr. Bolinsky and other agnostic scientists become convinced there is a God. What would we call that? Would it be pistis – faith – first, or pisteuo – belief – first? Yes, it’s going to be belief. He’s in that position – or, approaching it, at any rate – but he would have to go further to please God, wouldn’t he? 

In Hebrews 11:6, it says:

Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith – that’s the first word, pistis – it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him – because faith is evidence of good things to come, right? That’s what faith is – good things to come. So good connects to the word reward. Paul says, “It’s impossible to please God without this.” 

So, my point here is, that belief is a part of faith – in fact, the first part. Also, another way to think about this that’s helpful is to think about our own experiences. When did you detect that you had faith in God? Did you not have to first believe that God existed? Belief comes first. Faith follows from it. Belief is a part of faith, but that’s the first step into it. 

So, another way to think about this is that, belief is knowledge, and faith is action. Let’s notice something about faith and belief in Philippians 1:29.

Philippians 1:29 – For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake – so, once we believe, then that grows into faith, and the next thing is, that we’re willing to suffer for His sake. We’re going to take action that gets us in trouble. And he says in verse 30: …engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. So, they’re engaged – doing something. They’re willing to suffer for Christ like Paul did. The reason Paul and the members in Philippi were suffering persecution for Christ’s sake was that they had gone past belief in the existence of God, but also because their belief was the first step toward a living active faith. And that kind of faith propelled them into action for God. 

So, we could say belief is knowing about God. When living by faith in God, it becomes action for God. Look in James 2, verse 18. He said:

James 2:18 – But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 

So, belief is necessary, but it’s a first step toward faith. Faith produces good works – love of neighbor and love of God – involvement in our calling. So, if we want to know how much faith we have, we can go to the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit, listed in Galatians 5 and find ourselves there. 

So, in summing up, there’s something really good here for all of us – some good news. This discussion today was about faith and belief, both of which can only be comprehended fully by those God has called. To people of the world, this talk is foolishness. But as Paul said to us, it is the power of God. 

Let’s look in Isaiah 43:

Isaiah 43:1 – But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. We’ll talk more about this one next week. 

Not only do we believe and know that God exists, but we know that He knows each of our names and has called each of us to Himself. We are His. And that means He is going to take care of us. And, if we ever get discouraged or stuck or depressed, we will remember this: When we feel like giving up, God does not. He knows what to do to help us be encouraged. And he does that by taking us back to the very first thing – the same thing that He said to Jairus – “Only believe.”  

It’s a bit after the first of the year here, so I want to take time out to thank all the folks who have been so faithfully contributing to this effort. We’ve been at it for twenty years now. We’re really proud that God has helped us all that time. And He’s laid it on the minds of so many people to help us financially with this effort. So, we’re very thankful to you and to God for all that you’ve done.