Question 14: What does it mean to have faith?

Answer:

To have faith is to believe and trust in God through Jesus Christ—accepting as true what He has revealed, entrusting oneself to Him personally, and relying wholly on His grace for salvation and life. Faith is both a gift from God and a response of the heart, mind, and will. (Hebrews 11:1, John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 10:9–10, Galatians 2:20)

Full Scripture References

“Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” — Hebrews 11:1 (BSB)

“But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” — John 1:12 (BSB)

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.” — Ephesians 2:8 (BSB)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.” — Romans 10:9–10 (BSB)

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” — Galatians 2:20 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

Faith is the means by which we are united to Christ and receive all the benefits of salvation. It is not mere intellectual agreement with Christian doctrine, but a deep and personal trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. True faith involves believing what God has revealed, especially in the Scriptures, and trusting in the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning death and victorious resurrection for our forgiveness and eternal life.

Faith is both God’s gift and our response. Ephesians 2:8 teaches that even our faith is “not from yourselves—it is the gift of God.” Yet, we are still called to exercise it actively, as Romans 10 says: “believe in your heart… and confess with your mouth.” Faith is not passive; it changes how we live. As Galatians 2:20 says, “the life I now live… I live by faith in the Son of God.” Faith becomes the lens through which we view the world and the engine that empowers us to obey.

The Book of Common Prayer reflects this deeply in its prayers and confessions. In the Prayer of Humble Access, we say: “We do not presume to come to this thy Table… trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.” This is a prayer of faith—trusting not in self but in Christ’s merits alone. Similarly, in the Baptismal liturgy, the faith of the Church is confessed and reaffirmed as the foundation of life in Christ.

Anglican theology has historically emphasized that faith alone justifies, but that true faith never stands alone—it is always accompanied by repentance, love, and obedience. Article XI of the Thirty-Nine Articles declares: “We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works.” And Article XII affirms that good works “do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith.”

As Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote: “Faith is the root, and works are the fruit. Faith is the fountain, and works are the stream. Faith is the first step, and works are the life we walk.” Faith draws us continually back to Christ—not only at the beginning of our Christian journey, but every day. To have faith is to depend fully and continually on Christ, living not by sight, but by trust in His Word, His promises, and His grace.

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

St. Clement of Rome (1st century AD) wrote: “All who are saved are saved through faith, not through themselves or their works, but by the will of God.” — 1 Clement 32

Clement presents faith as the decisive means by which salvation is received—according to God’s will, not our effort. St. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 AD) said: “We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that it is not by our own strength, nor by our own wisdom, that we are saved, but through faith and the mercy of God.” — Dialogue with Trypho, 95

Justin teaches that salvation is grounded in divine mercy, received through faith—not self-sufficiency. St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD) wrote: “Faith is the mother of salvation; it opens the door to life, and through it we are adopted as children of God.” — Against Heresies, 4.34.1

Irenaeus affirms that faith is the essential entrance into the life of God and our new identity as His children. St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) taught: “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” — Sermon 43.1.1

Augustine emphasizes the mystery and glory of faith: believing unseen truths now and receiving their full vision in eternity. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD) said: “This faith which is given by God as a gift is not of human origin but divinely implanted. It makes a man whole in soul and body.” — Catechetical Lectures, 5.10

Cyril confirms that true faith is both divine in origin and effective in transforming the whole person.