Faith sounds simple until you’re in a situation that demands it. When the test results come back concerning, when the job disappears with no backup plan, when the relationship falls apart despite your prayers, suddenly faith feels less like peaceful confidence and more like forcing yourself to believe something that evidence contradicts. You’re told to have faith, to trust God, to believe He’s working, but honestly, you’re terrified and your prayers feel like they’re bouncing off the ceiling.
The gap between understanding faith intellectually and actually living it is massive. You know God is sovereign, but you still panic when circumstances spin out of control. You believe He’s good, but you’re angry about things He’s allowed to happen. You want to have unshakable faith like the people in Scripture, but your faith feels fragile and inconsistent, strong one day and completely absent the next. And the guilt of weak faith makes it worse because now you’re failing spiritually on top of everything else you’re dealing with.
These verses explore what faith actually is, how it grows, what it looks like in practice, and why it matters more than almost anything else in the Christian life.
Bible Verses About Faith
1. Hebrews 11:1 – Now Faith Is Confidence in What We Hope For
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
2. Mark 11:22-24 – Have Faith in God
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
New King James Version (NKJV)
3. Romans 10:17 – Faith Comes from Hearing the Message
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
New Living Translation (NLT)
4. Ephesians 2:8-9 – For It Is by Grace You Have Been Saved
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
5. Hebrews 11:6 – And Without Faith It Is Impossible to Please God
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6. 2 Corinthians 5:7 – For We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
King James Version (KJV)
7. Matthew 17:20 – Truly I Tell You, If You Have Faith
He said to them, “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.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
8. James 2:17 – Faith by Itself, If It Does Not Have Works
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
New King James Version (NKJV)
9. Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
New Living Translation (NLT)
10. Romans 1:17 – For in the Gospel the Righteousness of God Is Revealed
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
11. Hebrews 11:3 – By Faith We Understand
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
12. Galatians 2:20 – I Have Been Crucified with Christ
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
King James Version (KJV)
13. 1 Peter 1:7 – These Have Come So That the Proven Genuineness
So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
English Standard Version (ESV)
14. James 1:6 – But When You Ask, You Must Believe
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
New King James Version (NKJV)
15. Luke 17:6 – If You Have Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed
The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!”
New Living Translation (NLT)
16. Galatians 5:6 – For in Christ Jesus Neither Circumcision
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
17. Romans 4:20-21 – Yet He Did Not Waver Through Unbelief
Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
18. Mark 9:23 – Jesus Said unto Him, If Thou Canst Believe
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
King James Version (KJV)
19. 2 Timothy 4:7 – I Have Fought the Good Fight
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
English Standard Version (ESV)
20. Habakkuk 2:4 – But the Righteous Person Will Live by His Faithfulness
Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.
New King James Version (NKJV)
21. Matthew 21:21-22 – Jesus Replied, Truly I Tell You
Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
New Living Translation (NLT)
22. 1 John 5:4 – For Everyone Who Has Been Born of God
Because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
23. Hebrews 12:2 – Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
24. 1 Corinthians 16:13 – Watch Ye, Stand Fast in the Faith
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
King James Version (KJV)
25. Romans 4:3 – For What Does the Scripture Say?
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
26. James 2:26 – For as the Body Without the Spirit Is Dead
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
New King James Version (NKJV)
27. Hebrews 10:38 – And My Righteous Ones Will Live by Faith
And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.
New Living Translation (NLT)
28. 1 Timothy 6:12 – Fight the Good Fight of the Faith
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
29. Galatians 3:11 – Now That No One Is Justified
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
30. Matthew 9:29 – Then He Touched Their Eyes
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
King James Version (KJV)
31. Acts 3:16 – By Faith in the Name of Jesus
And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
English Standard Version (ESV)
32. Colossians 2:7 – Rooted and Built Up in Him
Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
New King James Version (NKJV)
33. Hebrews 11:11 – And by Faith Even Sarah
It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.
New Living Translation (NLT)
34. James 5:15 – And the Prayer of Faith Will Save
The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
35. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 – But Since We Belong to the Day
But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Faith
Faith in Scripture isn’t wishful thinking or blind optimism. It’s confidence in God’s character and promises, even when circumstances contradict what you’re hoping for. Hebrews 11 defines it as assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen, which means faith operates precisely in those spaces where you don’t have proof, where outcomes are uncertain, where God hasn’t shown you the ending yet. If you could see it or control it, you wouldn’t need faith.
What’s fascinating is that Scripture consistently connects faith to action. Faith without works is dead. Abraham’s faith was demonstrated by his willingness to obey. The people in Hebrews 11 are commended for what they did by faith, not just what they believed. Real faith changes how you live because if you genuinely believe God is who He says He is, you’ll make different choices than if you’re functionally trusting yourself to figure everything out.
The good news for those of us with weak or struggling faith is that even mustard-seed-sized faith is enough. Jesus repeatedly told people their faith had healed them or saved them, even when that faith was mixed with doubt. God doesn’t require perfect faith. He responds to genuine faith, however small or shaky it might be.
Say This Prayer
Father, I want to have strong, unwavering faith, but honestly, my faith feels weak and inconsistent. I believe, but help my unbelief. When circumstances look impossible, help me to trust that You’re still good and still in control. When my prayers seem unanswered, help me to keep believing that You hear me and that You’re working even when I can’t see it.
Strengthen my faith through Your Word. As I read Scripture, let it build my confidence in Your character and Your promises. Help me to remember how You’ve been faithful in the past when I’m struggling to trust You in the present. Surround me with people whose faith encourages mine when I’m doubting.
Teach me to live by faith, not just to think about it theoretically. Give me the courage to obey even when I can’t see the outcome, to step forward when the path isn’t clear, to trust You with things I desperately want to control. Help me to understand that faith isn’t the absence of fear or doubt but choosing to trust You despite those things. Grow my faith until it becomes the foundation everything else in my life is built on.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.