Among biblical concepts, subject to misunderstanding and debate, is that of faith. What is faith? Scripture fortunately provides an actual definition: … faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith then is (1) substance, and (2) evidence. It is something actual and quite tangible, conducive or akin to proof. It is not merely evidence; it is the evidence.

This tells us what faith is not. Faith is not make-belief, a state of mental fixation, forcibly contrived and maintained. And faith is not hope. It is the substance of things hoped for … in other words, faith is the answer to hope. We may think of faith as the primordial substance, which yields or ‘turns into’ the desired outcome.

Now let us enquire as to its nature; what is this substance? It is the Word of God. For it is by his Word that God created the worlds. ‘And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us’ is written in John 1, speaking of Christ, the incarnate Word, who is also the universal logos, the author of the entire creation. In Hebrews (11:3) we further read that ‘the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear’. Christ, called the faithful and true witness, is that Word.

Bringing these concepts together, we see that the universe comes into being by faith. Where it is stated (Genesis 1:1) that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, it is the waters of the Word or faith upon which the spirit is moving. God speaks: ‘Let there be light’ – and there was light, the substance of faith producing the intended phenomenon. Indeed all of God’s workings are by faith, for ‘without him (Christ, the Word) – and thus without faith – was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3). St Paul adds this testimony that ‘without faith it is impossible to please [God]’ (Hebrews 11:6). Faith then may be regarded as God’s faithful wife, bringing forth that which he conceives. It is his Shakinah, or dwelling place. (Note the etymological closeness to the Sanskrit shakti – a concept of similar meaning as denoting the manifesting power of the divine.)

There are several ways of developing this idea. We are told for instance that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). In other words, faith derives from the Word, just as the woman, spiritually speaking, is taken out of the man (Genesis 3). Out of Christ also is taken his Bride, the spirit-born redeemed of God, and it is she who in turn produces Christ – bringing forth sons of God – by being impregnated with his spiritual seed. Thus faith is the Word and faith is in the Word. Faith, we might say, is the power of the Word – that by which it is brought into manifestation. Whereas the Word provides the information content of any process, faith constitutes its reifying element – its power to manifest out of the void. This applies to the supposedly ordinary as to so-called miracles. Every act whatsoever is accomplished by faith. Experience – our subjective reality – is the direct manifestation of our faith. The miracle of raising one’s hand is accomplished by faith. Faith is thus closely akin the concept of mind or soul, the subjective universe which is unique to each individual. A faithful mind in the scriptural sense, which is to say, the mind of Christ, is a mind informed by the Word – and faith – of God.

So much for faith as substance. But faith is also evidence – the evidence of things not seen. This refers to the passing of time – from the moment of conception, to use again the biological metaphor: the conception of the Word in the womb of faith, to the appearing, the manifestation of the promise. Time has been defined as that, which prevents everything from occurring at once. This is apt in this connection, for the Word of God transcends time, emanating from a space-time transcending consciousness – unborn and eternal – which is complete in itself. The Word – the universal logos – thus arises fully formed, even though its natural sequential manifestation involves the passing of aeons. Similarly, the divine promise, conceived by faith, will germinate, flower and bear fruit according to the season appointed thereto. While the carnal mind cannot ‘see’ the promise – its fulfilment that is – faith provides the evidence.

For the saint then there is this great consolation, that the faith – the power – to manifest the Word of God, lies in that Word. He or she is not required to produce faith – faith is conveyed within that Word. It is conveyed by revelation – the revelation of Christ, the Word of God. Faith, indeed, is revelation. This becomes evident when we compare Mathew 16:16 (the revelation ‘though art the Christ’ as foundation of the church) with 2 Peter 1:5, where faith is the foundation of the spiritual temple. In other words, what God requires, God provides.

To adduce in conclusion a more general point: We see in this brief study, again, the fluidity of the concepts involved. Unity devolves into duality, whence it once more returns to unity. This is characteristic of the entire conception, the entire biblical opus. In holistic holographic fashion the reference is partly to the whole – given words such as, God, Christ, Father, Son, Spirit, Word, Faith, Waters, Bride – partly, by emphasis, to some specific aspect of that whole.