What does the Bible have to say about Faith? Take a deeper dive with these bite-sized daily studies. Each day’s reading looks at a short passage of Scripture illuminated by study notes drawn from The King James Study Bible, Full Color Edition. Verse-by-verse annotations provide background information to help you put the Bible’s events and teachings into their proper setting. Doctrinal study notes provide explanation, illustration, and a practical application for daily living.

1. BIBLICAL
FAITH
7-DAY DEVOTIONAL

2. What does the Bible have to say about Faith? Take a
deeper dive with these bite-sized daily studies. Each
day’s reading looks at a short passage of Scripture
illuminated by study notes drawn from the King James
Study Bible, Full Color Edition. Verse-by-verse
annotations provide background information to help
you put the Bible’s events and teachings into their
proper setting. Doctrinal study notes provide
explanation, illustration, and a practical application
for daily living.
Day 1: Characteristics of Faith
Day 2: Definition of Faith
Day 3: Faith Demonstrated by Works
Day 4: Failure of Faith
Day 5: Justification by Faith
Day 6: Prayer of Faith
Day 7: Saving Faith
BIBLICAL FAITH

3. Day 1
Romans 4:16-22
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed;
not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of
us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even
God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to
that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own
body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it
was imputed to him for righteousness.

4. Day 1
Revelation 21:1-2
4:16. Father of us all: Only those who have the faith of
Abraham are the spiritual seed of Abraham, whether
Jew or Gentile.
4:17–22. There are five essential characteristics of faith.
(1) Faith must have a valid content. Paul quotes
Genesis 17:5; the content of Abraham’s faith was valid
because that content was the revelation of God (verse
17a).
(2) Faith must have a valid object. The object of
Abraham’s faith was God, the giver of the revelation
(verse 17b).
(3) Faith is contrary to hope and yet rests upon
hope. This is a hope in which there is no element of
uncertainty (verse 18a).
(4) Faith has a purpose. The purpose of Abraham’s
faith was that he might become the father of many
nations, realizing the promises given him in the
Abrahamic covenant (compare Genesis 12:1–3; verse
18b).
(5) Faith produces works. Abraham’s faith conditioned
the way he lived. He staggered not at (did not doubt)
God’s promises.
Characteristics of Faith

5. Day 2
Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,
The just shall live by faith.

6. Day 2
Six kinds or expressions of faith occur in Scripture.
(1) Doctrinal faith, called “the faith,” refers to the
content of Christian belief (Jude 3).
(2) Saving faith is trusting in Christ and in Him alone
for salvation (Acts 16:31).
(3) Justifying faith is the believer’s reliance on the fact
that God has declared him righteous (Genesis 15:6).
(4) Indwelling faith is trusting God’s Word in and
through us (Galatians 2:20).
(5) Daily faith is that day-by-day dependence on
God, which is part of the sanctification process (2
Corinthians 5:7).
(6) The gift of faith is a special ability of faith, resulting
in a vision of what God can do, faith that is the means
by which we can achieve that vision, and the power
with God to get answers to prayer (Hebrews 11:1–3).
Illustration
God’s hall of faith (Hebrews 11) identifies a number of
Old Testament saints who experienced God’s blessing
as a result of their faith. Although they did not all
experience the same kind of victories, all pleased God
by faith (Hebrews 11:6).
Application
The Christian should remember that it is impossible to
please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). (First Reference,
Genesis 15:6; Primary Reference, Romans 1:17; compare
Romans 4:20.)
Definition of Faith

7. Day 3
James 2:14-26
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save
him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart
in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the
body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew
thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe,
and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified
by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works,
and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God,
and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that
by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had
sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

8. Day 3
Can faith save him? This statement and others in
verses 14–26 persuade some critics that James is
teaching salvation through faith and works. Luther
called this epistle “strawy,” believing it emphasized
works too much.
Today, some regard it as a late writing in which the
author is reacting to Paul’s doctrine of salvation by faith
alone. This is not the case. James’s teachings reflect
neither a negative nor a positive response to Paul’s
teachings. For Paul, faith practically equals salvation.
James, however, sees two kinds of faith: saving faith
and professing faith (much like the usage today). For
Paul, justification is by faith (Romans 4:5). For James,
justification is by a faith that works—by a genuine faith
that manifests itself in post­conversion works.
Before salvation, these Jews had believed in the
efficacy of works. Now some were reacting at the
opposite extreme, imagining that works play no part in
the salvation experience. James retorts that the kind of
faith that does not produce works is not saving faith.
As Calvin said: “Faith alone saves, but a faith that saves
is never alone.” Thus, James’s question is not simply
“Can faith save?” but as the Greek text may suggest,
“Can that faith save him?” Can merely professed but
undemonstrated faith save? (See verses 21–24 for further
discussion.) The Greek grammar expects a negative
answer to the question that ends verse 14. Hence it can
be rendered, “That faith [i.e., the one mentioned in verse
14a which is without works] cannot save.”
Faith Demonstrated by Works

9. Day 4
Romans 4:20
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.

10. Day 4
There are six New Testament expressions that trace
the decline of faith in an individual.
Before a person is saved, he may have:
(1) “vain faith” or belief in the wrong doctrine (1
Corinthians 15:14–17); or
(2) “dead faith,” or belief in orthodox doctrine without
personal belief in Christ (James 2:19, 20).
After a person is saved, he can experience the
following varieties of faith:
(1) a kind of unbelief—experienced by believers who
fail to accept the whole work of Christ (Mark 16:11–14);
(2) “little faith”—a mixture of faith and unbelief (Mark
7:26);
(3) “weak faith”—referring to belief expressed as mere
legalism (14:1); or
(4) “strong faith”—faith that is rooted in the promises
of God (Romans 4:20).
Illustration
As Christians mature, they should grow in faith. This
was the experience of Abraham. Early in his pilgrimage
with God, he could not trust God to protect him in
Egypt. This was weak faith (Genesis 12:10–20). He was
later able to trust God, in sacrificing his son Isaac. This
was strong faith (Hebrews 11:17–19).
Application
The Christian life is a continual growing adventure in
faith. (First Reference, Genesis 15:6; Primary Reference,
Romans 4:20; compare Rom. 8:16.)
Failure of Faith

11. Day 5
Romans 3:21-26
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them
that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set
forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he
might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

12. Day 5
3:21. The righteousness: The emphasis here is on
the gift of personal relationship to God imparted to
those who trust Christ (compare 5:17). But now: Paul’s
emphasis shifts to the new age or dispensation. He is
not contrasting Jew and Gentile but the time when
the law held sway and the present time when grace
prevails.
3:22. Faith of [or “in”] Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is the
only valid object in which man must place his faith.
3:23. For all have sinned: The human need and the
divine provision are alike applied universally. Come
short of the glory of God: Man can exceed his own
standards but never, left to himself, can he attain to
God’s standard of righteousness.
3:24. Being justified (Greek dikaioumenoi) indicates
being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s
judicial standing before God. Freely: There is no just
cause in man to warrant justification. By his grace:
Unmerited favor is bestowed through the redemption
(release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the
ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the
ransom’s having been paid.
3:25, 26. Through faith: Christ’s death satisfies the
Father’s righteous demands. Its benefits are appro­
priated only through faith in His finished work. Inhis
blood:The emphasis is not on the blood as it coursed
through Christ’s veins, but as it was shed for our
sins. This is how the propitiation was accom­plished.
Just, and the justifier: God can remain just (true to
His nature) and still declare sinners to be righteous
only because Christ has paid for sin and satisfied
(propitiated) His holy law. The sinner is not rendered
guiltless but pardoned. Christ has taken the sin on
Himself and has imputed His righteousness to the
sinner.
Justification by Faith

13. Day 6
James 5:15
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins,
they shall be forgiven him.

14. Day 6
The prayer of faith entails both the prayer of the sick
person and the prayer of the elders who in faith meet
the requirements of this passage. But it suggests
much more, because this faith is effectual. Some sick
have had little faith, yet have been healed (Acts 3:4–8);
others, like Paul, have had great faith, yet have not
been healed (2 Corinthians 12:7–10). Further, those who
possessed the gift of healing in the early church were
at times unable to perform healing as they may have
wished (compare 2 Timothy 4:20).
The Greek text might suggest this reading: “The prayer
produced by that faith will heal.” The prayer that
results from true faith is effective. Elijah experienced
this prayer of faith (verses 17, 18). Elijah knew God’s
Word and will, and so persistently prayed (1 Kings
18:36, 37, 42–46).
Faith is people acting in accordance with God’s known
purpose (1 John 5:14). The prayer of faith does not
include a gift of healing. It does not exert extraordinary
spiritual strength (Acts 3:12); otherwise all spiritual
Christians would be healthy (but compare 3 John 2).
Nor does it merely involve the ritual of verse 14. The
prayer of faith discerns God’s will and perseveres until
it is accomplished. God’s will, however, is not to heal in
every case, and true faith can discern and accept that
(Romans 8:26, 27).
Prayer of Faith

15. Day 7
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

16. Day 7
Saving faith is part of humanity’s response to God in
the salvation experience. It is as simple as looking to
Jesus for salvation (John 3:14–16). Saving faith is both
simple and complex. It is as simple as a drowning man
reaching for a rope, yet at the same time it sets in
motion all the judicial machinery of heaven, in keeping
with the ultimate purpose of God. While believing is
simple, there are some for whom it is too simple, and
they find that difficult. In the Scriptures, the intensity
of one’s faith is not as important as its object. Often
belief in the gospel produces an emotional response
(Acts 16:34), although, because individual personalities
differ, it is not wise to use emotion as a test of faith.
Ultimately, saving faith is expressed as an act of the
will. Repentance and faith are in essence two sides of
the same coin called “conversion.”
Illustration
When the Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to
be saved?” (thus reflecting a spirit of repentance), Paul
and Silas responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30, 31).
Application
To be saved a person must trust Christ alone for his
salvation. (First Reference, Hebrews 11:1–4; Primary
Reference, Ephesians 2:8, 9; compare Romans 3:28.)
Saving Faith