Pistis Meaning?
- Pastor Sean Smith
- Jan 25, 2025
- 1 min read
Q: In the New Testament, what Greek word related to trust is often translated as "faith"?
A: "Pistis" (πίστις)
Reference: Hebrews 11:1
Tidbit: While not directly translated as "trust," this word encompasses both faith and trustworthiness
A) Threefold meaning:
1) Faith/belief
2) Trust/confidence
3) Faithfulness/reliability
B) Greater Context:
- Pistis (πίστις) in the New Testament conveys both the act of trusting and the trustworthiness of the object. Example: (Romans 3:22) Paul uses it when speaking of the "faith of Jesus Christ," it can be understood both as our faith in Christ and Christ's own faithfulness.
- Pisis (πίστις) comes from the verb "peithō" (πείθω), meaning "to persuade" or "to be persuaded," suggesting that biblical faith/trust isn't blind but is based on convincing evidence or experience. This is particularly evident in Hebrews 11:1, where pistis is described as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
- Cultural Context: In classical Greek literature, pistis was commonly used in business contexts to describe trustworthiness or creditworthiness, before it took on its deeper theological meaning in biblical usage. The New Testament writers adapted this well-understood concept of reliability and trustworthiness to explain the relationship between God and believers.
Theological Relevance: The above context helps to explain why biblical translations sometimes struggle with whether to render πίστις as "faith," "trust," or "faithfulness"…in different contexts - it often means all three simultaneously.
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