In Romans 1:17, “faith” refers to total acceptance and an absolute trust in God’s love and grace. Paul’s understanding of faith is not merely believing in God’s existence, but rather, it encompasses a deep relationship of trust and reliance on God’s promises and character.

Imagine being in the cold on a freezing day, with warm sunlight shining nearby. You are cold and have two options to choose from: one, turning your body toward the Sun and have your stiff body become warm, or two, curling up your body, distancing yourself from the Sun, and remaining cold. Choosing to turn towards the sun and allowing its warmth to envelop you represents “faith.” It’s about accepting and receiving the love and grace that God freely offers, much like how sunlight reaches anyone, anywhere and anytime. Faith, then, is synonymous with receiving God’s grace and love in our hearts.

Living by faith means recognizing that righteousness comes not from our own merit or efforts to keep the law, but from Jesus Christ. Faith is the channel through which we receive this righteousness, not something that justifies us on its own. It’s through faith that we are enabled to accept and embrace the righteousness of God, which ultimately puts us right with Him. 

Post Top Comments:

1. Starr Groff: “Faith is not just belief or trust in God, but it is the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. It is the life of Christ lived out in us, empowering and enabling us to serve Him effectively. Faith is the substance of our hope, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. It is the ability of God and the effectual working of His grace in our lives (Colossians 2:12; Ephesians 4:5-7; Hebrews 11:1, 10:34; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 3:7).”

2. Charles Connelly: “I don’t believe in faith alone to save , I believe in faith plus circumcision of heart by the baptism of the holyghost with tongues as evidence you received it , but if you have faith but don’t have the baptism of the holyghost to go along with it faith will do you no good , Abraham had faith romans 4-3 but to prove God accepted Abraham’s faith God gave Abraham circumcision genesis 17-10 we are circumcised in heart by the baptism of the holyghost with tongues as evidence , james 2-17 says faith if it has not works is dead being alone , so not just faith alone to save , you also have to have water baptism and spirit baptism to go along with you’re faith Jesus said so John 3-5 , the plan is acts 2-38.”

3. Vallerie Agner Bussell: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.”

4. Joseph Graham: “that we hope in the biblical promises and are obedient to God without him regularly appearing or speaking audibly to us.”

5. John Holton: “To have faith is to fully trust Jesus, God in the flesh, to save you.”

6. Carol Lane: “Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” Abraham was the “father” of many nations (by the seed of the flesh)… but it was the “faith” of Abraham that was the Father of us all. It’s talking about spiritual seed. The seed that we’re born again with. That seed of faith IS God.”

7. Seeker Gospel: “Total Trust in God and in His goodness.”