‘Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).’ ‘Trust in the LORD will all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).’

In the concluding summary of my article about *Faith published on Christmas Day 2017, I said, “Faith is ‘trust and belief’ in the outcome.”

So, what is Trust?

Famously, when Tony Blair was campaigning for a Labour electoral victory in 1997 his mantra was, “Trust me.” His party got in, and he continued with his mantra. He was the Prime Minister and prime mover for the UK’s entry into the war with Iraq in 2003, and as we know, this led to great loss of life on both sides of the conflict. He continued to use his **mantra, “Trust me.” Even today that country is far from stable, and lives are being lost through terrorist bombings.

Many trusted and believed Blair; they placed their faith in him. Years later they may have concluded their faith was misplaced. Paul warns us ‘that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:5).’

When we trust people we rely on them to accomplish what they say they will do. We place our faith in them to do it and we also believe they will do it. However, Psalm 146:3, 4 warns us that man cannot be trusted. These two verses instruct us, ‘Do not put trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, and he returns to earth; in that very day his plans perish.’

On the other hand we can put our trust in God; for He is totally trustworthy (Hebrews 10:23).

Faith and trust are synonymous; they are virtually the same thing. 

So, what is Belief?

Belief is a crucial mental state; a conscious assurance that drives our faith and helps us to persevere (James 1:4). Without belief there can be no salvation in Jesus. We first have to believe before we can practice our faith.

The writer of Hebrews states, ‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (11:6).’

Probably the most famous text in the whole Bible is, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” Verse 18 goes on to say, “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Therefore belief (2 Thessalonians 2:13) is essential for gaining ‘everlasting life.’ Belief in the Son of God assures us of our salvation from hell and from the power of sin. Like faith, it is God-given (Ephesians 2:8).

‘But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14).’

Conclusion

“Faith is ‘trust and belief’ in the outcome.”

*Faith

https://thebiblicalway.blog/2017/12/25/faith/ 

**Time Magazine – Tony Blair – “Trust me.”

http://content.time.com/time/covers/europe/0,16641,20030908,00.html