Grace in Focus: What Is the Difference Between Believing and Faith?

Podcast: Grace in Focus
Host: Bob Wilkin (Grace Evangelical Society)
Guest: Ken Yates
Date: May 30, 2025
Episode Runtime: ~13 min

Episode Overview

This episode addresses a vital theological question submitted by a listener: Is there a difference between “believing” and “faith”? Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates discuss the definitions, biblical usage, and underlying theology of these terms, focusing on their connection to assurance of salvation, how translation impacts our understanding, and whether seeing something removes faith from the equation.

Key Discussion Points

1. Definitions and Linguistic Roots (01:16–04:53)

• Listener Question: Marty asks if there is a difference between “believe” and “faith”, and wonders about the logic of, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
• Greek Terms:
  • “Believe” = pisteuō (verb)
  • “Faith” = pistis (noun)
  • Both are cognates—directly related forms of the same root.

Notable Quote:

Ken Yates (02:26): “Pistuo is the verbal equivalent of the noun pistis. Well, why is it then that in English we translate one ‘believe’ and the other ‘faith’? Why isn’t it ‘believe’ and ‘belief’?”

• Historical Translation: English uses “faith” for pistis and “believe” for pisteuō due to the mix of Anglo and Saxon language origins, not due to theological differences.
• Art Farstad’s Insight:
  • Explained the origin of these English words and their selection in Bible translations—a matter of linguistic history rather than meaning.

Notable Quote:

Bob Wilkin (04:53): “So in answer to Marty’s question, really, the words believe and faith are saying the same thing.”

2. Conviction and Evidence: Seeing and Believing (04:53–07:22)

• Definition Affirmed: Both “faith” and “believing” mean being convinced that something is true.
• Examples:
  • If you see a bank robbery, you believe it happened because you’re convinced by direct evidence.
  • If you saw the risen Jesus, believing in his resurrection would still be faith.

Notable Quote:

Ken Yates (05:17): “If I saw Jesus risen from the dead and I believed he rose from the dead, wouldn’t I have faith that he rose from the dead?”

• Biblical Example — Thomas:
  • Thomas believed Jesus rose from the dead after seeing and touching him.
  • Jesus pronounces a blessing on those who believe without seeing, but both forms are called “belief.”

Notable Quote:

Ken Yates (05:52): “Jesus said, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. It’s all belief. It’s believing whether we see or whether we don’t see.”

3. Hebrews 11 and “Things Not Seen” (07:28–08:48)

• Listener Objection: Does “faith is the evidence of things not seen” mean faith only applies when there is no visual proof?
• Context Clarified: Hebrews 11 underscores faith in rewards/promises we haven’t received or seen yet, not that faith never applies to seen realities.

Notable Quote:

Bob Wilkin (08:11): “At the end of the chapter, [Hebrews] says, they did not receive what was promised them. So none of them saw these things, but they were convinced that it’s true.”

• Application: Faith often refers to trusting future promises, but isn’t limited to unseen things.

4. Faith vs. Sight in Paul’s Letters (08:21–09:10)

• 2 Corinthians 5:7 — “Walk by Faith, Not by Sight”:
  • Paul’s point is trusting in God’s promises yet to be fulfilled, not denying all visible evidence of God’s work.
• Everyday Application:
  • Belief can be in things we see or don’t see (“I believe I’m married to my wife. I see her and I believe I’m married.”).

Notable Quote:

Ken Yates (08:48): “It’s not a lack of faith to say, because I see her, I don’t have faith in her. No, because I see her, I do have faith in her.”

5. Case Studies: Paul, Thomas, and Miracles (09:10–11:36)

• Paul’s Conversion:
  • Paul met Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus—he came to faith after seeing the resurrected Christ.
• John’s Gospel:
  • Miracles are written “that you may believe”—signs support faith; seeing isn’t contrary to believing.

Notable Quote:

Ken Yates (10:43): “The believing comes from the seeing the signs. In our case, we didn’t see the signs, but we read about the signs.”

6. Illustration: The Lunar Landing (11:36–12:23)

• Ken’s Example:
  • He saw the 1969 moon landing on TV; others also saw but don’t believe it happened, while some believe without having seen.
• Key Point:
  • Faith is being “persuaded or convinced,” regardless of whether it’s based on seen or unseen events.

Notable Quote:

Ken Yates (12:23): “Faith is simply being persuaded or convinced.”

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 01:16 — Listener’s core question: faith vs. belief
• 02:18 — Greek linguistic background (“pisteuō” and “pistis”)
• 03:54 — Art Farstad and English language history
• 05:17 — Seeing and believing (faith when you see)
• 05:52 — “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”
• 08:11 — Hebrews 11 and faith in unseen promises
• 08:45 — Paul: “We walk by faith, not sight” explained
• 10:17 — Paul’s justification after seeing the Lord
• 10:43 — Miracles in John: seen and believed
• 11:36 — Lunar landing illustration

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Ken Yates (02:26): “Pistuo is the verbal equivalent of the noun pistis. Well, why… in English we translate one ‘believe’ and the other ‘faith’? Why isn’t it ‘believe’ and ‘belief’?”
• Bob Wilkin (04:53): “So in answer to Marty’s question, really, the words believe and faith are saying the same thing.”
• Ken Yates (05:52): “It’s all belief. It’s believing whether we see or whether we don’t see.”
• Ken Yates (08:48): “Because I see her, I do have faith in her.”
• Ken Yates (10:43): “The believing comes from the seeing the signs. In our case, we didn’t see the signs, but we read about the signs.”
• Ken Yates (12:23): “Faith is simply being persuaded or convinced.”

Theological Clarifications

• “Faith” and “believing” are not different in meaning but are English renditions of related Greek words; both indicate conviction that something is true.
• Faith can arise from either seeing or hearing—being convinced is the crucial factor.
• Biblical exhortations about faith often refer to future or unseen realities but do not negate faith based on sight.

Final Takeaway

Belief and faith, scripturally and linguistically, are identical in meaning: being convinced of truth. Whether someone comes to faith through seeing, hearing, or reading, the essence is conviction, not the absence of evidence or sight.

Summary by Grace in Focus Podcast Summarizer