Lesson 2. What Is Faith? Foundations of Faith School. Senior Pastor Dmitriy Leo prepared this teaching for Father’s Blessing Church in October 2025.
Lesson 2. What Is Faith?
Faith is difficult to explain in a single word because it has many facets. Let us examine several basic definitions of faith.
1. Faith is conviction of things unseen
The basic definition from Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.”
Πίστις (pistis), the main Greek word for “faith,” means conviction, trust, faithfulness, or assurance. In the ancient Greek context, pistis implies not blind faith, but conviction based on evidence or relationships.
For example, if you ask me whether I believe there is a pink car in the yard, my answer is yes. This is faith, but without conviction. Do I believe that Inna is my wife? The answer is yes. And this is conviction based on evidence and relationships.
A literal translation of this verse from ancient Greek sounds somewhat unclear:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
But the meaning is this: faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
And one more detail: “Now faith is” is written in the present tense, not the future tense. In other words, faith gives us assurance that what is unseen and hoped for exists now.
It is like ordering a pizza for delivery from a reliable place and believing that the pizza is already yours while you wait for it. This is confidence in what is unseen. Faith is when a person firmly believes in something despite not seeing it.
People often say, “If I saw it, I would believe,” but this is not the faith described in Hebrews 11:1. It is more like accepting the facts.
For example, when you are holding an apple in your hand and say, “Now I believe that this is an apple.” Is that faith?
Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, did not believe that the others had seen the risen Jesus and demanded visible proof.
John 20:24–25 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
By the way, this is a good question: Why was Thomas not with the disciples when Jesus came?
Today, some believers are very busy and miss their church gatherings and classes, missing many things that are important for their faith and success. Then they complain that everything is going badly and question what is happening in the church. This was Thomas’s experience. Jesus called Thomas an unbeliever, even though he had been on His team as one of the twelve for more than three years.
John 20:26–29. Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came while the doors were locked, stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This does not mean that Thomas was a bad person. No. He simply did not have the right kind of faith at that time, and that was his problem.
There are days, weeks, or seasons when a person loses true faith and repeats Thomas’s experience.
Jesus gave a clear definition of faith even before Hebrews 11:1 was written. Faith is confidence in what is unseen. Anything else is not faith.
Faith is not in the future but in the present. “Now faith is” — now.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received it, and it will be yours.
Faith takes hold of something immediately, already at the stage of asking.
Prayer
- Lord, teach us to believe correctly!
- To believe in such a way that we see more results!
2. Faith is spiritual power
Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”
Obviously, such actions cannot be accomplished through physical force or words. They are caused by an unseen force — spiritual power through faith.
It is important to note that Jesus did not say that the Father or angels would do this in response to your prayer, but that we would do it through the word of faith. We believe this is one indication that faith is also spiritual power—or an activator of power.
Prayer:
- Lord, teach us to believe correctly.
- To believe and command in such a way that power is released.
- So that by the word of faith we may change events and influence bad things.
3. Faith Is Spiritual Armor
Faith is our defensive armor.
Eph. 6:16 Above all, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The Apostle Paul gave the example of a warrior, but in reality, faith is not quite like a shield, but like a fence, a wall, and even more—a dome.
Faith is also armor for fighting.
1 Pet. 5:8–9 Be sober and vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brothers throughout the world.
Faith is both defensive and offensive armor.
Heb. 11:33–34 By faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained what was promised, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength; they became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
Prayer:
- Lord, teach us to believe correctly.
- Thank You for giving us faith not only to endure, but also to defend ourselves.
- Thank You for giving us faith not only to defend ourselves, but also to stand against our enemies.
4. Faith Is an Opportunity for Miracles
Mark 10:52. Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has saved you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Luke 7:50. And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
These and many other stories show that through faith, people have the opportunity to ask for and receive answers and solutions in miraculous ways.
I like stories from the lives of people who had radical faith.
A Story from a Book
Smith Wigglesworth came to a house where a woman had died. He said, “Leave the room.” They left. He approached the woman, who was lying there in funeral clothes. He took her, lifted her up, propped her against the wall, and shouted at the top of his voice, “Come back!” The woman began to shake. She said, “Where am I? You’re here. These clothes I’m wearing are terrible.” “You were dead; I raised you from the dead. Make me some coffee—I’m thirsty.” The children and husband were happy: Mom was home. She made coffee and said, “I was dead. I was happy; I was with Jesus. I walked along the streets, and everything was so beautiful. Jesus walked with me and showed me all the beautiful things in heaven. Suddenly, we heard throughout all of heaven: ‘Come back!’ Jesus said, ‘I’m sorry, but you need to return. Smith is calling you.’”
People with “radical” faith challenge everyone who simply believes as best they can. They demonstrate that faith has far greater potential than most people think. People with radical faith should be seen by others as examples of what faith is capable of. Or, in other words, what a person who truly believes can have.
A well-known sister, an international minister (I saw her testimony on video), ordered a white jeep of a specific make from the Lord by faith, with additional seats in the back. She needed a particular vehicle for ministry in South America. The most important thing in this story is that she had no money. When one brother from her circle heard about it, he told her that jeeps of that make were not produced in white, much less with that many seats in the cabin. She replied that she believed God would give her exactly what she was asking for. Some time later, a manager from a car dealership in another country called her and said he was calling to offer her a nonstandard, exclusive jeep model with an extended cabin and additional seats. There was only one problem: white is not a popular color for jeeps. She replied, “Okay, the color suits me perfectly, but I have no money.” He said that someone had already paid for this jeep for her. Praise the Lord!
So, to summarize, faith is:
- Conviction of what is unseen.
- Spiritual power.
- Spiritual armor.
- An opportunity for miracles.
Prayer:
- Lord, teach us to believe correctly.
- To believe in such a way that the impossible becomes possible.
- To believe in such a way that we can provide more help both to ourselves and to others.
- So that we may be victorious both in our personal lives and in ministry.
- Thank You for giving us such authority and power; now the impossible is possible.
- Thank You for faith, and we also ask for the manifestation of the gift of faith—the gift of the Holy Spirit.
