What Then, Is Faith?

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"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Eph 2:8-9 (NIV)

The vehicle through which God's grace saves us if faith. As such, it is imperative to understand faith. But what is it? Is faith belief? Is faith trust? Would Paul want us to translate the word into English as "faith" at all?

Paul tells us that we are saved through faith, but he also tells us that, "the righteousness that is by faith," comes when "you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Rom 10:5,9-10 (NIV) We are saved with a confession of our mouth that Jesus is Lord, but why? And what does that have to do with faith? A confession that He is Lord means that we have submitted to His lordship.

Therefore, our understanding of faith should be viewed through the lens of submittal. We should understand Paul's statements that we are saved through faith as salvation from God by surrender to God.

As such, when saved, having surrendered our lives to Him, our conduct will be godly. This is why James says that "faith without works is dead." A life submitted to Him will also serve Him.