What the Bible means by faith
Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV). The rest of the chapter lists people who trusted God’s promises. In the Bible, faith is not mainly a feeling or a quantity. It is trust in God that shows up in what people do.
The stories below are selected for variety. They show faith that acts, faith that waits, faith that struggles, and faith that comes from unexpected places.
Abraham
Abraham (first called Abram) heard God tell him to leave his country for a land he would be shown, with a promise of descendants and blessing (Genesis 12:1-4). He went. Later, when he was old and had no child, he believed God’s promise, and “he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6, KJV). Paul and James both draw on this verse, in different ways (Romans 4; James 2).
Abraham’s story is not tidy. He and Sarah tried to fulfill the promise through Hagar (Genesis 16), and he twice passed off Sarah as his sister. The Bible still holds him up as a model of faith, which is a comfort to people with imperfect trust. His hardest test is covered in our Genesis 22:1-14 questions and answers.
Noah
Noah built an ark in response to God’s warning about a flood, “moved with fear” and obedience (Hebrews 11:7). The story in Genesis 6-9 is the account of a man who did what God said without a visible sign of rain, and of God preserving his family and the animals. Many readers focus on the long-term nature of his obedience.
Moses and the Red Sea
Israel left Egypt, then found the sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army behind. Moses told the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13, KJV). The sea parted and Israel crossed. Moses himself had struggled with doubt earlier, offering excuses at the burning bush (Exodus 3-4), so his story also shows that God works with hesitant people.
David and Goliath
A young shepherd faced a giant whom the army of Israel feared. David said, “The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37, KJV). His confidence was grounded in past experience with God, not in his own strength. It is often read as encouragement to face “giants,” but some caution against making the story only about personal victory over problems, since the text emphasizes that the battle was the LORD’s (17:47).
Daniel in the lions’ den
Daniel kept praying openly after a law was passed forbidding prayer to anyone but the king for thirty days. He was thrown into a den of lions, and God shut their mouths, “because he believed in his God” (Daniel 6:23, KJV). His story invites questions about faithfulness when it carries a cost. As with his friends in the furnace (Daniel 3), the text shows rescue, but other biblical stories show faithful people who were not rescued (Hebrews 11:35-38).
The centurion
A Roman officer asked Jesus to heal his servant and said that Jesus need only say the word, since he understood authority. Jesus “marvelled” and said he had not found such faith in Israel (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). The story shows that faith can appear in surprising people, and that it can be quiet and practical.
The woman who touched his cloak
A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came behind Jesus in a crowd, thinking, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole” (Mark 5:28, KJV). She was healed, and Jesus said, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole” (5:34). The account shows both desperate hope and a tender response from Jesus. Whether physical healing happens today is understood in different ways among Christians, and if you are dealing with illness, please continue seeing your doctor while praying and leaning on your community.
Peter on the water
Peter asked to join Jesus walking on the sea. He walked for a moment, saw the wind, began to sink, and cried out, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:28-31). Jesus took his hand. The story is often read as a lesson about focus, but also about how Jesus responds to a failing faith with immediate help.
Faith with doubt
The Bible does not hide doubt:
- A father in Mark 9. “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24, KJV). It is a prayer many people recognize.
- Thomas. He wanted to see the risen Jesus’ wounds, and Jesus met him with an invitation, not condemnation (John 20:24-29).
- Gideon, who asked for signs and was answered patiently. See our study of Gideon.
If you are living through a period of doubt, you are not alone, and speaking with a pastor or trusted mentor can help. Our Bible verses about doubting God gather passages for those seasons.
Ten popular Bible stories
Lists vary, but the stories most often named as popular include:
- Creation (Genesis 1-2)
- Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)
- Noah and the flood (Genesis 6-9)
- Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 12-22)
- Moses and the Exodus (Exodus)
- David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
- Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6)
- Jonah and the great fish (Jonah)
- The birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2)
- The Good Samaritan (Luke 10) or the resurrection (Gospels)
This list is not official. Other popular choices include the parable of the prodigal son and Jesus feeding the five thousand.
“This generation will not pass away”
This phrase is from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32: “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Christians read it in different ways: as the generation living when Jerusalem fell in AD 70, as the generation that sees the signs described, or as referring to the Jewish people or humanity as a whole. It is not directly a story of faith, but it is a well-known phrase, so we note it here. A pastor or commentary from your tradition can help you explore the options.
Discussion questions
- Which person in these stories do you most identify with and why?
- How does it change things to know that biblical heroes of faith had doubts?
- What is the difference between faith as feeling and faith as trust?
- Which story speaks to you in a hard season?
- For a story of faith shown across social barriers, see lessons from the Samaritan woman.