Believe, Trust and Faith

Few months’ ago, I came across a post on Facebook where the user was asking about the difference between believe, trust and faith. I have never thought of this before, but my interest arose and wanted to know the difference indeed. A lot of comment was posted, however, I took time to meditate on this question and I finally came out with this submission.

Without thorough scrutiny, all seem to have the same connotation but not without their differences and uniqueness as contemporary English word.

BELIEVE

1.        Believe is usually conceived in the heart, Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness”.

2.        Believe is the first step to experience the miraculous. Luke 8:50, “But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole”

3.        Believe can be lost if not strongly rooted in the word of God.  Luke 8:13, “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away”

4.        Believe is the foundation on which trust and faith is built without which none of the later can survive. Mark 15:32, “Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe”.

John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”

5.        Believe enables us to have a right stand with God. Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness”

6.        Unbelief is a sin that cannot be forgiven. Numbers 20:12, “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them”

Jude 5, “I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not”

FAITH

1.        Faith is a demonstration of believe acquired as a result of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen powered by our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrew 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”

2.        Faith is not complete without Jesus, Hebrew 12:2,”Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”.

3.        It will be impossible to please God without faith. Hebrew 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” If Jesus is the Author and finisher of our faith as quoted above, therefore, Hebrew 11:6 can be best interpreted as, "But without Jesus, it is impossible to please God". 

4.        Faith is accomplished when believe is confessed. Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

John 12:42, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue”

2 John 7, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist”

1 John 4:15, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God”

Mark 16:17, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues”

5.        Faith is a word that describes the scriptural believes and invisible intent and action of a man doing the word of God even when there is no proof for its infallibility.

Hebrew 13:5-6, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”

Did God ever say this in His word? Yes He did in Joshua 1:5, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”

2 Corinthians 4:13-18,”We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed , and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak”

Now, the same spirit of faith with whom? With David of course as it is written in

Psalms 116:9-10, “I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. I believed, therefore have I spoken:”

6.        The just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith”. The Amplified Bible renders it thus “Look at the proud one, His soul is not right within him, But the righteous will live by his faith [in the true God].

Galatians 3:11, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith”

7.        Faith has its root in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”

TRUST

1.        Trust is a demonstration of believe acquired as a result of proof seen without any spiritual sentiment attached. Psalms 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God”.

Psalms 44:6, “For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me”.

Psalms 49:6-7, “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him”

Isaiah 42:17, “They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods”

1 Timothy 6:17, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy”

2.        Trust is a general or a secular term that shows a level of confidence towards one another. Micah 7:5, “Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom”

3.        Jesus may not be a requirement for you to trust somebody or anything, but you cannot have faith in God without trust in Jesus. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” 
4.    However, trust in God can only be achieved when we are able to see beyond the physical.  
       Psalm 121:1-2, "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord which maketh the heaven and the earth".

Please, take note; believe and trust may sound a kind of great virtues but it is not enough to please God. It has to be faith! (Jesus must be involved).

Finally, believe is in the heart, trust is in the eye, but faith is in the spirit. John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”