As mentioned in my earlier post, I was in discussion with my Sunday School teacher and we verred into the topic of faith. This topic addresses the first Greek word in our table below
Faith
He had told me there are a number of Greek words in the New Testament that are translated “faith” in our English Bible, and I let him know I thought otherwise.
So I came home and did a quick study, using Blue Letter Bible web site. The following table gives a summary of the New Testament Greek words used when describing our English word “faith”.
| Strongs # |
Greek |
Transliterated |
English Equivalent |
| New Testament (Greek) for “faith” |
| G571 |
ἄπιστος |
apistos |
that believe not, unbelieving, faithless, unbeliever, infidel, thing incredible, which believe not |
| G1680 |
ἐλπίς |
elpis |
hope, faith |
| G3640 |
ὀλιγόπιστος |
oligopistos |
of little faith |
| G4102 |
πίστις |
pistis |
faith, assurance, believe, belief, them that believe, fidelity |
| G4103 |
πιστός |
pistos |
faithful, believe, believing, true, faithfully, believer, sure not tr |
| G6066 |
ὀλιγοπιστία |
oligopistia |
littleness of faith |
This post will consider Apistos, ἄπιστος
Strong’s Definitions
ἄπιστος ápistos, ap’-is-tos; from G1 (as a negative particle) and G4103; (actively) disbelieving, i.e. without Christian faith (specially, a heathen); (passively) untrustworthy (person), or incredible (thing):—that believeth not, faithless, incredible thing, infidel, unbeliever(-ing).
Apistos
This is the root word discussed earlier, with the prefix of “a” attached. Having this prefix, negates the word, or in other words, creates the opposite of the term.
Consider a man who calls himself a theist – one who believes in God. Place an “a” in front of this term and you find Richard Dawkins. (an athiest).
Unbelievable/Incredible
Acts 26:8
Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
This verse states that it takes faith to limit God. What?
Let me rephrase this verse in a Carlism.
Why is your faith limited to God only working to the point of raising the dead, but not including the raising the the dead?
Is that limiting attitude considered faith? Why do we limit God the Father?
He has given ample evidence to know the truth.
The gospel is not unbelievable – it is wholly within the realm of believability, based on historical evidence, the Biblical text, the growth of the early church and the death of the apostles, to name a few.
But as I think of it, in a sense, the gospel is unbelievable, that is, in the motive of the Father in sacrificing His Son for a sinner like me. His love is beyond comprehension! The Son’s love for me, in dying that cruel death, is beyond my understanding. Oh the deep love of Jesus.
He has supplied the truth to us. Do not let the unbelievable love of God escape your grasp.
Be right with God.
Do not limit Him!
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