What Is the Difference Between Believing and Faith?

Summary

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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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Summary by Grace in Focus Podcast Summarizer

Transcript

[Bob Wilkin]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.

[Narrator/Announcer]

What are the definitions of faith and belief? Is there really any difference between these two English words? Why do translations of the Bible use one word or the other also? What if you believe something based on seeing it? Is it then not belief? Is it no longer faith because you saw it? Welcome, friend. This is Grace in Focus. We're glad you're with us today. And this is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. We're located in North Texas and we have a website. We'd love for you to learn more about us there. And our website is a place where you can learn about our magazine, also called Grace and Focus. And you can sign up or subscribe for it. It is a free magazine, beautifully done, full color, great articles, full length magazine. And as stated, it is free only except if you live outside of the 48 contiguous United States. You, you do have to pay the postage. It is a great deal of physical magazine that you can receive and read called Grace in Focus. Sign up [e-mail] now with today's question and answer discussion, here are Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates.

[Bob Wilkin]

Bob, I think we got a great question and it deals with the difference between believe and faith. This question is asked by Marty and here's his question. He says, I've been a follower of GES for many years, but was surprised to see that you have the same definition for believe and faith and that that definition is the conviction that something is true. And then the question is, do you see any difference between those two words, believe and faith? An expression I've heard is that I'll believe it when I see it. If I believe something after seeing it, is it faith?

[Ken Yates]

That's a phenomenal question. I love it. I hear this a lot. Well, let's begin at the top. The words believe in faith. Okay, in Greek, what is the verb I believe? What is that in Greek, Ken?

[Bob Wilkin]

Pistuo.

[Ken Yates]

And what is the noun faith?

[Bob Wilkin]

Pistis. So obviously those are related. Or what will we say? Cognates.

[Ken Yates]

Right, Cognates. Both start with the letters P, I, S, T, pistuo and pistis. They're called cognates. That means one is the verbal equivalent of the other. 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? Do you know the answer to that, Ken?

[Bob Wilkin]

Well, my guess is that one is a verb and one is a noun.

[Ken Yates]

But they could be belief. Belief is a noun, right. Why didn't we say, and belief comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yeah, That's a good question, for a.

[Ken Yates]

Man is justified by belief and not by works of the law. Why do we say faith?

[Bob Wilkin]

That's a great question.

[Ken Yates]

I have an answer for you. You ready?

[Bob Wilkin]

I'm ready.

[Ken Yates]

Art Farstad, who was a linguist, what you call polyglot, someone who learned many languages. He used to have his devotions on a rotating basis between Greek and Hebrew, French, Norwegian, because he was Norwegian, and I think he used the Latin Vulgate. He had about seven different languages he could do devotions in. And he wrote an article for us. You can go to faithalone.org and he said it's because of the words. Have you ever heard of Anglo Saxon, Ken?

[Bob Wilkin]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Ken Yates]

I thought Anglo Saxon meant a white European. Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

I did, too.

[Ken Yates]

It doesn't. The Saxons were one group of people. The Anglos were another group of people, and they're the people who colonized what we call the United Kingdom, the Anglos and the Saxons. And so what happened is some words in English come from the Anglo language and some words come from the Saxon language. Well, believe comes from one of the two, and faith comes from the other. And so it's just an anomaly that we don't have believe and belief. The King James translators could have said belief instead of faith, but they chose the word faith. So in answer to Marty's question, really, the words believe and faith are saying the same thing.

[Bob Wilkin]

So it'd be convinced that something is true.

[Ken Yates]

So let's take his question. Let's say, for example, that you see someone robbing a bank. Does that mean you don't believe it?

[Bob Wilkin]

Well, I would say you believe it because you're convinced it's true. And one of the main reasons is you see it.

[Ken Yates]

Okay, so would that be faith, or would that be something else?

[Bob Wilkin]

No, I would say that that is faith.

[Ken Yates]

Right. So 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?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. So you believe it and you have faith. Same thing.

[Ken Yates]

Okay, here's something to keep in mind. Not everybody who saw the miracles of Jesus was convinced that he was the Messiah. Right?

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

In fact, some of the people who saw the miracles of Jesus evidently believed that they weren't really miracles, and others.

[Bob Wilkin]

Believe that they were done by Satan.

[Ken Yates]

Probably deceptive, but they didn't believe even though they saw, Remember Jesus. After Thomas sees Jesus risen from the dead. And he says, blessed are you, but blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe. Thomas believed when he saw Jesus nail pierced hands and his side and he touched him. He was convinced Jesus rose from the dead. Of course, he was already born again. But that's when he believed he had risen from the dead. It wasn't enough for him to that the other apostles told him, we've seen the Lord. That's why he's sometimes called doubting Thomas. But the point is, 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. It's believing whether we accept the testimony of someone else or we see for ourselves.

[Narrator/Announcer]

We will rejoin in just a moment. But years ago, Zane Hodges wrote the Gospel Under Siege. Sadly, this is still true and GES president Bob Wilkin has recently written its sequel. Bob's new book, the Gospel is Still Under Siege, is a book about theological clarity on the biblical teaching about eternal salvation. It is available now. Secure yours today at the Grace Evangelical Society's bookstore. Find [e-mail] store. That's faithalone.org store. Now back to today's content.

[Ken Yates]

I'll believe it if I see it. That's not necessarily true. There's lots of people who've seen things and don't believe it.

[Bob Wilkin]

And the other issue that Marty brings up is when it says, now faith is the evidence of things not seen. I would say to that. What the author of Hebrews has in mind is he's talking about specifically believing in rewards in the world to come and nobody has seen those.

[Ken Yates]

That certainly fits the rest of Hebrews 11. Right, because the whole of the chapter is about the Hebrew hall of fame and about the rewards that all of these great believers of the Old Testament who were faithful to the Lord like Moses, was looking forward to a reward. Abraham was looking to a city.

[Bob Wilkin]

And at the end of the chapter, he says, they did not receive what was promised them. So none of them saw these things, but they were convinced that it's true.

[Ken Yates]

Paul in 2nd Corinthians 5 and verse 7, he says, we walk by faith, not by sight. Well, he's not saying there's nothing in the Christian life that we see.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

What he's saying is if you go back to chapter four and verse 11, that we don't see the kingdom yet, we don't see righteousness in our world yet, but we walk by faith in what is to come.

[Bob Wilkin]

We're convinced that it's true, even though none of us have seen it.

[Ken Yates]

And so there are some things which we haven't seen yet and we believe, but there are other things which we have seen and we believe. Like, I believe I'm married to my wife. I've seen her and I believe I'm married. And 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.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yeah. And I think another point that you made that was really good was what was it that Thomas believed when he saw it wasn't that he believed he had eternal life in Jesus, he already believed that it was the resurrection. Did he bodily rise from the dead? He was not convinced that was true until he saw him, but when he saw him, he was convinced that it was true and he believed it. He had belief. I found that discussion by Art about the Anglos of the Saxons fascinating. He had faith, but it's really saying the same thing. It's just a different word that's being used.

[Ken Yates]

Right. I love the question from Marty because there's a whole lot of people in Christianity who want to say there's a difference between believing and having faith. And under this system, you don't really have faith unless you don't see it.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

So in this system, what God's calling us for in order to be justified is to believe something we can't see. If that were true, how did Paul get justified on the road to Damascus?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yeah, he saw the Lord.

[Ken Yates]

He saw him face to face, and that's when he came to faith. We don't say that's when he came to believe, although that's true too. We say that's when he came to faith. So faith is being convinced that something is true. We, whether we see it or whether we don't.

[Bob Wilkin]

And even in the Gospel of John, Bob, the miracles were something you could see so that you would believe.

[Ken Yates]

Right. John 20, 30. Many other signs Jesus did in the presence of his disciples. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that by believing you may have life in his name. The believing comes from the seeing the signs. In our case, we didn't see the signs, but we read about the signs.

[Bob Wilkin]

But there were people there who did see them and believed. And obviously there's things that we see that we believe that others don't see and yet they are convinced that it is true. Millions of examples of that. There are many things that I have not seen that I believe. And the people who did see them believe them. Well, we both have faith. We both believe. Some of us saw it, some of us didn't.

[Ken Yates]

Well, let me give you one final example. I saw the lunar landing in 1969. I was alive in 1969 and I saw pictures from the moon of people getting off the rover. What was it called? It was called the Land. What was the landing craft called? I can't remember. But they got off and said one small step. I think that was it.

[Bob Wilkin]

The Eagle. The Eagle landed.

[Ken Yates]

The Eagles landed. And wasn't it Armstrong that said one small step?

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

And one giant step for mankind? I saw that with my own eyes. There were a whole lot of other people that have seen that too. And lots of people don't believe it. Yeah, they say that was a Hollywood.

[Bob Wilkin]

Production and there's people who have not seen it and believe it because faith.

[Ken Yates]

Is simply being persuaded or convinced. So great question Marty and thank you all for listening and let's all keep grace in focus.

[Narrator/Announcer]

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[Bob Wilkin]

The proceeding has been a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.