Faith - Trust
4100 PISTEUO (242): to receive information into one's mind, accept it as being true, and have enough confidence in it to act or be willing to act on it. Thus, in the FCM (NT) pisteuo means "to trust."
An example of this is Jesus' healing of the centurion's boy as recorded in Mt.8.5-13. The centurion showed that he trusted Jesus' ability to heal when he asked him to heal his boy. And when Jesus said, "I will come and heal him," the centurion further showed his trust by saying, "I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; only speak a word and my boy will be healed." Jesus confirmed this in verse 13: "'...as you have trusted, let be it done unto you.' And his boy was healed in that hour."
Another example occurs in Mk.11.27-33, when the chief priests, scribes and older men came to Jesus and asked where he got his authority. Jesus told them that if they would answer his question then he would answer theirs. Jesus' question was: "Was the immersion by John from heaven, or from men?...They reasoned among themselves, saying if we say, 'from heaven,' then he will say, 'Why then did you not trust (pisteuo) him?...'" That is, refusing the immersion offered by John showed that they did not trust John's message.
Pisteuo is usually translated "believe" in the FCM. The word "believe" means to accept information as being true, but does not necessarily include action. Therefore, "believe" is inadequate to translate pisteuo. See "trust" (4102 pistis) for additional information.
John uses the verb form pisteuo almost 100 times in his "gospel" but does not use the noun form pistis at all, indicating that his gospel is about "trust in action."
Pisteuo is also used several times in the sense, "to place in one's trust" or "to entrust." For example in 1Th.2.4: "...but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted [with] the good news, thus we speak."
"To trust" (Pisteuo) is the opposite of:
1) "to not trust" (0569 apisteo) in Mk.16.16 and 1Pe.2.7, 2) "to doubt" (1252 diakrino) in Mk.11.23, 3) "to not trust" (0571 apistia) in Mk.9.24, 16.14, 4) "to be unpersuaded" (0544 apeitheo) in Jn.3.36 and Act.14.1-2, and 5) "not trusting (one)" (0571 apistos) in 1Co.14.22.
Translation:
TO BE SO CONVINCED THAT WRITTEN OR SPOKEN INFORMATION IS TRUE THAT ONE IS WILLING TO ACT THEREON; OR, TO TRUST IN A PERSON:
TRUST (233) Mt.8.13; 9.28; 18.6; 21.22,25,32,32,32; 24.23,26; 27.42. Mk.1.15; 5.36; 9.23,24,42; 11.23,24,31; 13.21; 15.32; 16.13,14,16,17. Lk.1.20,45; 8.12,13,50; 20.5; 22.67; 24.25. Jn.1.7,12,50; 2.11,22,23; 3.12,12,15,16,18,18,18,36; 4.21,39,41,42,48,50,53; 5.24,38,44,46,46, 47,47; 6.29,30,35,36,40,47,64,64,69; 7.5,31,38,39,48; 8.24,30,31,45, 46; 9.18,35,36,38; 10.25,25,37,38,38,42; 11.15,25,26,26,27,40,42,45, 48; 12.11,36,37,38,39,42,44,44,46; 13.19; 14.1,1,10,11,11,12,29; 16.9, 27,30,31; 17.8,20,21; 19.35; 20.8,25,29,29,31,31. Act.2.44; 4.4,32; 5.14; 8.12,13; 9.26,42; 10.43; 11.17,21; 13.12,39,41,48; 14.1,23; 15.5,7,11; 16.31,34; 17.12,34; 18.8,8,27; 19.2,4,18; 21.20,25; 22.19; 24.14; 26.27,27; 27.25. Rom.1.16; 3.22; 4.3,5,11,17,18,24; 6.8; 9.33; 10.4,9,10,11,14,14,16; 13.11; 14.2; 15.13. 1Co.1.21; 3.5; 11.18; 13.7; 14.22,22; 15.2,11. 2Co.4.13,13. Gal.2.16; 3.6,22. Eph.1.13,19. Php.1.29. 1Th.1.7; 2.10,13; 4.14. 2Th.1.10,10; 2.11,12. 1Ti.1.16; 3.16. 2Ti.1.12. Tit.3.8. Heb.4.3; 11.6. Jas.2.19a,23, 1Pe.1.8,21; 2.6,7. 1Jn.3.23; 4.1,16; 5.1,5,10,10,10,13. Jud.5.
TO BE CONVINCED ABOUT SOMETHING, BUT UNABLE TO ACT THEREON:
The demons of Jas.2.19b do not tremble just because they know that they will eventually be destroyed, but also because they trust God to do what he says. This usage of pisteuo is not applicable to humans.
TRUST (1) Jas.2.19b.
TO BE ENTRUSTED WITH SOMETHING:
ENTRUST (8) Lk.16.11. Jn.2.24. Rom.3.2. 1Co.9.17. Gal.2.7. 1Th.2.4. 1Ti.1.11. Tit.1.3.
4101 PISTIKOS (2): faithful, evidently in the sense of purity.
PURE Mk.14.3. Jn.12.3.
4102 PISTIS (243): Trust. Pistis is usually translated "belief" or "faith." There is variation in belief among Christians as to its meaning. To some, pistis merely means "mental acknowledgement," others recognize that pistis usually includes "confidence" or "action." Still others define it differently. Unfortunately, the usage of the words "belief" or "faith" in every-day English is too vague to accurately translate pistis in the FCM (NT).
However, the actions of God's people as recorded in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews provide a clear meaning of pistis. For example, Heb.11.8: "By pistis (trust) Abraham, being called, obeyed to proceed to a place which he was about to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going." That is, Abraham not only accepted what God told him as being true, but also had enough confidence in it to act upon it (He obeyed).
Heb.10.38-39 shows the essence and consequences of one's trust (pistis) or lack of trust: "...my upright one will live by pistis (trust). And if he draws back my soul is displeased with him. But we are not of [those] drawing back to destruction, but of [those] trusting unto possession of [their] soul."
Heb.11.1 continues by showing that pistis declares the reality of things that a person cannot discover through his five senses; that is, things which are in the future, and things which exist but have not been experienced: "Trust is [the] reality of hope, proof of unseen things."
One must "trust" God to receive benefit from him. For example, Heb.11.6: "...without trust (pistis) it is impossible to have been pleasing [to God]; for it is necessary for the one who is approaching God to trust (4100 pisteuo) that he exists, and that he becomes a rewarder to those seeking him out."
Since pistis is so critically important to pleasing God, How does one acquire it? The answer is in Rom.10.17: "Trust is from hearing, and hearing through a message of the Anointed One (Christ);" that is, through trusting the good news (gospel) about the Anointed one.
See "truth" (0225 aletheia) for the relationship of "truth" to "trust." See "favor" (5485 charis ) for God's "new agreement:" "favor through trust."
When the expression "the trust" occurs, it sometimes means "a trustworthy message." Also, in Act.17.31 pistis refers to an "assurance" or "guarantee."
Translation:
TRUST (218) Mt.8.10; 9.2,22,29; 15.28; 17.20; 21.21; 23.23. Mk.2.5; 4.40; 5.34; 10.52; 11.22. Lk.5.20; 7.9,50; 8.25,48; 17.5,6,19; 18.8, 42; 22.32. Act.3.16,16; 6.5; 11.24; 14.9,27; 15.9; 20.21; 24.24; 26.18. Rom.1.5,8,12,17,17,17; 3.22,25,26,27,28,30,30,31; 4.5,9,11,12, 13,14,16,16,19,20; 5.1,2; 9.30,32; 10.6,8,17; 11.20; 12.3,6; 14.1,22, 23,23; 16.26. 1Co.2.5; 12.9; 13.2,13; 15.14,17. 2Co.1.24,24; 4.13; 5.7; 8.7; 10.15. Gal.2.16,16,20; 3.2,5,7,8,9,11,12,14,22,23,23,24,25, 26; 5.5,6,22. Eph.1.15; 2.8; 3.12,17; 4.5,13; 6.16,23. Php.1.25,27; 2.17; 3.9,9. Col.1.4; 2.5,12. 1Th.1.3,8; 3.2,5,6,7,10; 5.8. 2Th.1.3,4, 11; 2.13; 3.2. 1Ti.1.2,4,5,14,19a; 2.7,15; 3.13; 4.12; 5.8,12; 6.11, 12. 2Ti.1.5,13; 2.18,22; 3.15; 4.7. Tit.1.1,4; 2.2,10; 3.15. Phm.5,6. Heb.4.2; 6.1,12; 10.22,38,39; 11.1,3,4,5,6,7,7,8,9,11,13,17,20,21,22, 23,24,27,28,29,30,31,33,39; 12.2; 13.7. Jas.1.3,6; 2.1,5,14,14,17,18, 18,18,20,22,22,24,26; 5.15. 1Pe.1.5,7,9,21. 2Pe.1.1,5. 1Jn.5.4. Jud.20. Rev.2.19; 13.10.
PISTIS AS A METAPHOR FOR INFORMATION IN WHICH TO TRUST: Example: "the trust" is equivalent to "God's Message" in Act.6.7: "And God's Message (3056 logos) increased...and a great crowd of the priests obeyed the trusted message (pistis)." It is equivalent to "the truth" (0225 aletheia ) in 2Ti.3.8.
TRUSTWORTHY MESSAGE, TRUSTED MESSAGE (24) Act.6.7; 13.8; 14.22; 16.5. Rom.3.3. 1Co.16.13. 2Co.13.5. Gal.1.23; 6.10. Col.1.23; 2.7. 1Ti.1.19b; 3.9; 4.1,6; 6.10,21. 2Ti.3.8,10. Tit.1.13. 1Pe.5.8. Jud.3. Rev.2.13; 14.12.
ASSURANCE OR GUARANTEE: trustworthy assurance in Act.17.31: "...offering a guarantee to all [by] having raised him up out of the dead."
GUARANTEE (1) Act.17.31.
4104 PISTO'O (1): to make faithful, to convince, give assurance to CONVINCE 2Ti.3.14.
4103 PISTOS (66): a characteristic of one who can be relied upon to fulfill his obligations. For example, Mt.24.45: "Who then is the trustworthy (pistos) and wise slave whom the lord appointed over his household..."
DESCRIPTIVE OF ONE WHO CAN BE TRUSTED:
TRUSTWORTHY (42) Mt.24.45; 25.21,21,23,23. Lk.12.42; 16.10,10,11,12; 19.17. Act.13.3; 16.15. 1Co.1.9; 4.2; 7.25; 10.13. 2Co.1.18. Eph.6.21. Col.1.7; 4.7,9. 1Th.5.24. 2Th.3.3. 1Ti.1.12; 3.11. 2Ti.2.2,13. Heb.2.17; 3.2,5; 10.23; 11.11. 1Pe.4.19; 5.12. 1Jn.1.9. 3Jn.5. Rev.1.5; 2.10; 3.14; 19.11; 21.5.
DESCRIPTIVE OF SOMETHING TRUSTWORTHY OTHER THAN A PERSON: always a statement or message concerning truth.
TRUSTWORTHY (7) 1Ti.1.15; 3.1; 4.9. 2Ti.2.11. Tit.1.9; 3.8. Rev.22.6.
DESCRIPTIVE OF ONE WHO TRUSTS: ("trusting" is used when a modifying noun is present).
TRUSTING ONE (11) Jn.20.27. Act.10.4. 2Co.6.15. Gal.3.9. Col.1.2. 1Ti.4.3,10,12; 6.2b. Rev.2.13; 17.14.
TRUSTING (6) Act.16.1. 1Co.4.17. Eph.1.1. 1Ti.5.16; 6.2a. Tit.1.6.