Numbers 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

Picking up where we left of yesterday, this first use of faith in the KJV is related to actions by Moses in response to God asking Moses to do what was asked of him. It was a conversation, God spoke to Moses yet God is spirit, so how is it that Moses could hear God?

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

First faith is given to each of us, but having that faith does not guarantee that we can hear God. That only comes if we put our faith, our belief, our trust in Jesus Christ. Then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Isaiah 35:4-6 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

These prophetic words from Isaiah were speaking of the coming Christ by whom we are saved by faith. It is then and only then that we can hear by faith.

Romans 10:8-9 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

The word of faith came before your salvation but was only activated in us after confession and belief.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith is the most critical of all those spiritual concepts any new believer in Christ must understand. Let us look at how the world defines faith and then compare it to the spiritual concepts.

1a allegiance to duty or a person;1b fidelity to one’s promises or sincerity of intentions 2a belief and trust in and loyalty to God or belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion 2b firm belief in something for which there is no proof or complete trust 3 something that is believed especially with strong conviction especially : a system of religious beliefs

In the second sense as a verb faith is defined as archaic, outdated and we are asked to use the definitions of belief and trust.

What I see first within the worldly definitions is an impersonal appeal where it comes to spiritual matters. The implication there is that any religious system is faith and there need not be any personal involvement aside from what you chose to believe and trust. To them it does not matter and they would feel more comfortable if you entreated it as an archaic concept and ignored it all together.

Now let us look to the bible to explain faith within the context of spiritual concepts. I will explore the first use of the word faith in the KJV because its use there is clearer than first uses in the ESV, NIV and NASB. You would have to do a deep bible search to understand that, and you might not be ready for that.

Numbers 12:6-8a And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: