Words · Greek Words · Lesson 1, word 3 of 5
πίστιςpistis
Faith: trust, belief, and faithfulness in one word.
Why this word is here. The centre of Romans and Galatians and of 'justification by faith'; the Septuagint uses it for Hebrew emunah, firmness.
What it means
Abbott-Smith: in the active sense, faith, belief, trust, confidence; in the New Testament always of religious faith in God or Christ or spiritual things. Pistis also carries a passive sense: the faith, the body of what is believed; and it can mean faithfulness, the trustworthiness of a person ('the fruit of the Spirit is... faithfulness', Galatians 5:22, where the word is pistis).
Pistis translates emunah in the Greek Old Testament, so Hebrew firmness is inside the Greek word: believing that holds, trust that can be trusted.
Where you meet it
For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17 (BSB)
Anchor verse 'The righteous will live by faith (pistis).' Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 and builds the letter on it.
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Romans 3:28 (BSB)
'We maintain that a man is justified by faith (pistis) apart from works of the law.' The Reformation's charter text.
“Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them.
Mark 11:22 (BSB)
Jesus: 'Have faith (pistis) in God.' Pistis with its object named; biblical faith is never contentless.
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
Ephesians 1:15 (BSB)
Paul has heard 'of your faith (pistis) in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints': trust in Christ and love for people reported in one breath.
Why it matters
Pistis is the hinge of the New Testament's salvation teaching: God justifies through faith, and the faith itself is trust in a person, leaning the whole weight on Christ. Because the word also means faithfulness, it resists being shrunk to a moment of decision or a set of opinions; the faith that justifies is the faith that holds and obeys ('the obedience of faith', Romans 1:5).
Watch out
Be honest about a live translation question: phrases like 'pistis Christou' (Romans 3:22) can be read 'faith in Christ' or 'the faithfulness of Christ', and scholars argue both ways from grammar and context. A word study that announces the lexicon settles it is overselling; the lexicon gives the range, and the argument is made from Paul's sentences. Likewise 'faith means never doubting' finds no support here: pistis is trust, and trust can cry 'I believe; help my unbelief' (Mark 9:24).
In this lesson
- logos (λόγος): A word, saying, message, and the Word made flesh.
- agape (ἀγάπη): Love: the bond of God and his people, in Christ.
- metanoia (μετάνοια): Repentance: a change of mind that turns the life.
- ekklesia (ἐκκλησία): An assembly, the gathered people of God, the church.
Sources
- Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon (1889)
- STEP Bible lexicon data (Abbott-Smith)
- SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)
Review status: in-theological-review. Every Contend page passes a human theological review against the Statement of Faith before it is published as approved teaching. This section is in that queue.