The Kingdom Jesus TaughtWhat Is Faith? According to Jesus
Faith is relational trust which is built up over time through your personal walk with Jesus. Read on to find out more.
Faith is one of the most frequently used words in Christianity, but what does it really mean? According to Jesus, faith is far more than belief or agreement with religious facts. The original Greek word used in the Gospels is pistis (πίστις), which carries the deeper meaning of relational trust, fidelity, and confident dependence on God.
Jesus’ teachings and parables give us a vivid picture of what this living faith looks like. It’s not about quantity, but quality — not about having strong emotions or perfect doctrine, but about knowing, trusting, and responding to God in relationship.
Faith in Jesus’ Own Words
Here are key examples of how Jesus described or praised faith (pistis):
- “Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 8:48) — A woman reaches out to touch Jesus, trusting not in the act itself but in Him. Her faith is her reliance on His power.
- “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:36) — Jesus calls for trust in the face of hopelessness, showing that faith is what anchors us when fear threatens to overtake us.
- “If you have faith like a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) — Even the smallest amount of real, living faith — rooted in God — can overcome great spiritual obstacles.
- “Great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28) — To a Canaanite woman who persists despite being ignored, Jesus praises her determined, humble trust.
- “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) — Spoken to Peter as he begins to sink while walking on water, Jesus highlights how faith falters when we stop trusting in Him.
Faith in Jesus’ Parables
Jesus used parables to help us understand the kind of faith that pleases God:
1. The Sower (Matthew 13:1–23)
Faith is like soil. Some receive the word of God with shallow or distracted hearts. But true faith, like good soil, receives the word, holds onto it, and bears fruit through perseverance.
2. The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1–8)
Faith is persistent. It keeps praying, keeps trusting, even when answers seem delayed. Jesus ends the parable asking, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” — not sensational faith, but enduring trust.
3. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9–14)
Faith is humble. The one who was justified wasn’t the one who trusted in his own righteousness, but the one who cried, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
4. The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13)
Faith is prepared. Five virgins had oil in their lamps and were ready to meet the bridegroom. The others were not. Jesus portrays faith as being spiritually awake and ready, not passive or unprepared.
5. The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1–7)
Faith lets itself be found. The lost sheep does nothing except let the shepherd rescue it. This shows that salvation is not earned, but received through trust.
Mustard Seed Faith — Context and Meaning (Matthew 17:14–20)
The famous phrase about “faith like a mustard seed” comes from a moment when Jesus’ disciples failed to cast out a demon. When they asked why, Jesus replied:
“Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
The context reveals:
- The disciples had relied on their own strength or past experience, rather than depending on God.
- Jesus rebuked them as a “faithless generation” — meaning they were disconnected from God relationally.
- The problem wasn’t the amount of faith, but the kind: Their faith wasn’t rooted, alive, and dependent.
Jesus contrasts this with mustard seed faith — a tiny seed that is alive, growing, and full of potential because of what it draws from. Faith that moves mountains is not impressive to the eye, but it’s connected to God, and God is the One who moves mountains.
Why Prayer and Fasting?
In Mark 9:29, Jesus adds:
“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Some manuscripts add “and fasting”)
This reinforces the truth that faith flows from intimacy with God. The disciples had authority, but lacked deep dependence. Jesus is teaching them:
Real spiritual authority comes from a life rooted in communion with the Father.
Prayer isn’t just asking — it’s abiding. It’s where relational trust is deepened. Some battles can only be won when faith is strengthened through time spent in God’s presence.
What Jesus Taught About Prayer
Jesus taught that prayer is personal, persistent, and powerful:
- “Go into your room… and pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:6)
- “Ask, seek, knock…” (Luke 11:9–13)
- “Do not heap up empty phrases… your Father knows what you need before you ask.” (Matthew 6:7–8)
Prayer is not a performance, but a two-way relationship. While Jesus never uses the phrase “listening prayer,” He constantly modeled dependence and attentiveness to the Father:
“The Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.” (John 5:19)
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)
After His resurrection, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would dwell in His followers:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth…” (John 16:13)
Through the Spirit, prayer becomes a two-way conversation — one in which we not only speak but also hear, discern, and follow.
Final Thought: Faith Is Relational Trust
Faith, according to Jesus, is not about certainty, volume, or status. It is relational trust that responds to the Father’s voice with surrender, persistence, and hope. It grows through humility, prayer, and dependence. It bears fruit. It endures. It listens.
Even the smallest seed of this kind of faith can move mountains—because it is rooted in the One who created them.