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Distinguishing between Belief, Believe                              and Faith

5/4/2025

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The words belief and faith are nouns while believe is a verb.  The Greek word for faith is Pistis.  It too is a noun just like its English equivalent.  Pistis is also translated as Belief in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV).  Being a noun Pistis is used of what is believed, that is the content or object of what is believed.  It could also refer to any collective system of beliefs. 
 
The Greek word usually translated as believe is Pisteuo.  Think of it as the verb form of Pistis.  To believe something means to be persuaded it is true.  Depending on the context it can also be translated as trust.  However, understand that trust is the result of a belief, an action taken because of a belief rather than the act of believing.  Believing precedes trust. 
 
So, let’s apply this to interpreting Scripture.  In Matthew 8:26 Jesus Christ accused the disciples of having little faith.  BTW, He only used that term with His disciples.  The incident that provoked this accusation was a wind storm that came up while He and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee.  
  
As I pointed out in the previous post Jesus Christ never attached an adverb to the word believer (Pisteuo).  He treated as a simple concept.  You either believe something is true or you do not.  There is not almost with believing.  To mostly believe or almost believe means you don’t believe.  The Lord had told them to cross to the other side of the lake in a boat and so they did.  When the wind storm came up and the boat was being tossed about, they became afraid and pleaded with Christ to save them.  That’s when He said “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” 
 
The question itself indicates they really had no reason to be afraid.  It was because their faith was small, it lacked sufficient content.  Remember faith is about what you believe.  They forgot that Jesus being God could say with certainty they would cross the lake.  They were not across yet so no matter how high the waves got they were still safe.   Little Faith is actually one word in the Greek, Oligolpistos.  Oligos is a volumetric term meaning small, short or few and Pistis means faith.  So, Jesus was commenting on the size or volume of their faith and not on how strongly they held it.  They were not believing everything Jesus had said.  
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    Bill Lee, Pastor at Trego Community Church.  

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