Faith in Jesus Christ or faith of Jesus Christ?

There are a number of scriptures which refer to “faith in Jesus Christ” or “faith of Jesus Christ”. Sometimes the same verse will be translated as “faith in Jesus Christ” in one translation and “faith of Jesus Christ” in another translation. Some churches in their teachings insist that, in particular verses, the correct translation is “faith of Jesus Christ”. Should these Scriptures be translated as “faith in Jesus Christ” or “faith of Jesus Christ”?

To understand what the fuss is about and the problem the translators face we must delve into the Greek grammar a little.

The Greek word translated faith is pistis (πίστις), which means “belief, faith, conviction of truth”. However, its ending can change depending on its case. For example,

πιστις is the nominative case
πιστιν is the accusative case
πιστει is the dative case
πιστεως is the genitive case

The case of a noun (e.g. faith) indicates its use. In English, nouns do not change their ending depending on the case, with the exception of the genitive (or possessive) case. For example “John” becomes “John’s”. However, in languages such as Greek nouns change their ending depending on the case. Of the various cases, there are just three cases, accusative, dative, and genitive cases which are used with “faith in Jesus Christ” or “faith of Jesus Christ”. Here is a brief explanation of the commonly occurring cases of pistis.

Nominative case: shows the subject.
Accusative case: shows the direct object.
Dative case: shows the indirect object.
Genitive case: shows possession.

As an example, consider the sentence, “John gave Julie’s bone to the dog”.

John is the subject and would take the nominative case form in Greek.
Bone is the direct object and would take the accusative case form in Greek.
The dog is the indirect object and would take the dative case form in Greek.
The bone belongs to Julie and so Julie would take the genitive case form in Greek.

In the ensuing discussion the following abbreviations are used for these cases: [N] for nominative, [A] for accusative, [D] for dative, and [G] for genitive.

We will now look at all the verses where the Greek word pistis is used in relation to Jesus Christ or God noting the case of pistis.

First are those verses where the Greek grammar does not allow for the translation “faith of”.

Section A) Verses where the translation “faith of” is not permissible

In none of the eleven verses below does the Greek grammar allow for the translation of “faith of”. These verses are included for completeness. There is no debate over whether these should be translated “faith of”.

A.1) Acts 20:21

Act 20:21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith [A] toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Translations have “faith in” or “faith toward”.

A.2) Acts 24:24

Act 24:24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in [G] Christ.

The majority of translations have “faith in Christ” and a few have “faith toward Christ”.

A.3) Acts 26:18

Act 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith [D] in Me.’

The vast majority of translations have “faith in Me” and a very few have “faith that is toward Me”.

A.4) Galatians 3:26

Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith [G] in Christ Jesus.

Nearly all the translations have “through faith in Christ Jesus”. A few have “in Christ Jesus … through faith”.

A.5) Ephesians 1:15

Eph 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith [A] in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

Translations have “faith in the Lord Jesus” or something very similar.

A.6) Colossians 1:4

Col 1:4 since we heard of your faith [A] in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

Translations have “faith in Christ Jesus” or something very similar.

A.7) Colossians 2:5

Col 2:5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith [G] in Christ.

Translations have “faith in Christ Jesus” or something very similar.

A.8) 1 Timothy 1:14

1Ti 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith [G] and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Translations have “faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” or something very similar.

A.9) 1 Timothy 3:13

1Ti 3:13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith [D] which is in Christ Jesus.

Translations have “faith which is in Christ Jesus”, “faith that is in Christ Jesus”, or something very similar.

A.10) 2 Timothy 3:15

2Ti 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith [G] which is in Christ Jesus.

Translations have “faith which is in Christ Jesus”, “faith in Christ Jesus”, or something very similar.

A.11) Hebrews 6:1

Heb 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith [G] toward God,

Translations have “faith toward God”, “faith in God”, or something very similar.

Section B) The debate over the translation of “faith of” and “faith in”

Before looking at detail at those verses where the Greek grammar allows for the translation “faith of” as well as “faith in”, we now consider what the debate is over.

Generally speaking there are three possible ways to understand these verses:

Faith in Jesus Christ, which is personal belief in Jesus.
Faith of Jesus Christ, which is Jesus’s faith in God, that is, Jesus’s faithfulness.
Faith of Jesus Christ, which is the actual faith of Jesus given to us.

Let’s now look to see what Scriptures support these three possible meanings.

B.1) Faith in Jesus Christ, which is personal belief in Jesus

First of all there are the eleven verses we covered in Section A which show that we have “faith in” Jesus. Here are some more verses from the gospels which also show this.

Mat 9:28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Mat 9:29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

Mar 2:3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
Mar 2:4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
Mar 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Mar 5:31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ “
Mar 5:32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
Mar 5:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
Mar 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Mar 10:51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
Mar 10:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Act 14:8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.
Act 14:9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
Act 14:10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Clearly “faith in” Jesus is supported by numerous Scriptures.

B.2) Faith of Jesus Christ, which is Jesus’s faith in God, that is, Jesus’s faithfulness

It should be obvious that Jesus Christ has complete faith in the Father. For example, when in the flesh, Jesus trusted the Father to resurrect Him to His former glory. Nevertheless, here are some Scriptures which show the faith Jesus had in the Father.

Jesus had to depend on the Father to do everything.

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Jesus submitted to the Father’s will.

Luk 22:42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Jesus’s faithfulness is indisputable.

B.3) Faith of Jesus Christ, which is the actual faith of Jesus given to us

Other that the ten verses which we will look at carefully in the next section, there are no other verses which directly promote the idea that we have the faith of Jesus given to us.

However, Jesus Christ is in us by the indwelling of God’s Spirit.

Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

This is what Jesus meant by abiding in Him and Him in us.

Joh 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

It is by God’s spirit in us that Jesus’s life is manifested in us.

2Co 4:10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

And it is also the means by which we can have the mind of Jesus Christ in us.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Faith is also listed as one of the manifestations of the Spirit which is given to us.

1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
1Co 12:8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
1Co 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

So, it could be argued indirectly that Jesus Christ gives us His faith by living in us, but there are no Scriptures which say this explicitly.

Section C) Verses where the translation “faith of” is permissible

We now look those verses where the Greek grammar allows for the translation “faith of” as well as “faith in”, of which there are just ten. There is usually no debate over the meaning of the first three, but they are included for completeness.

C.1) Acts 3:16

Acts 3:16 And His name, through faith [D] in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith [N] which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Just a handful of translations have “faith of His name”, such as the LITV. The vast majority have “faith in His name”.

This is where the lame beggar was healed by Peter.

Act 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Peter healed the lame man in name of Jesus Christ. In other words, Peter called upon the authority and power of Jesus Christ to heal the lame man. This is what is meant by “faith in His name” or “faith of His name”.

C.2) James 2:1

Jas 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith [A] of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

Most translations have “faith in” but some have “faith of” such as the KJV, NKJV, and LITV.

Thus there is some ambiguity whether faith should be understood as faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ’s own faithfulness, or faith which comes from Jesus Christ. However, the meaning is clear that we should not show partiality.

C.3) Revelation 14:12

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith [A] of Jesus.

Most translations have “faith in Jesus” or “faith of Jesus” or something very similar.

Thus there is some ambiguity whether this should be understood as, those who:

keep the faith in Christ.
keep Christ’s own faithfulness – they trust in Christ’s faithfulness to help them.
keep the faith of Christ – they keep the faith which was given to them.

However, whichever of these is taken, the meaning is clear that it refers to those who remain faithful to Jesus.

The next four verses all deal with justification, that is, how we can be made right with God or innocent in His eyes. So, we will look at them together. (For further discussion on Justification see, “What is Justification?”, “What do ‘under law’ and ‘under grace’ mean?”, and “What was the Galatian heresy?”)

These verses discuss “justified”, “justification”, and “righteousness”. The Greek words they are translated from are dikaioo and dikaiosune.

dikaioo means to render just, righteous, or innocent.
dikaiosis means justification and comes from dikaioo.
dikaiosune means justification or righteousness and also comes from dikaioo.

Although dikaiosune is often translated as “righteousness”, in these verses (C.5, C.6, and C.7) it is better understood as “justification”, or the state of being viewed innocent in God’s eyes.

C.4) Galatians 2:16

Gal 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified [dikaioo] by the works of the law but by faith [G] in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified [dikaioo] by faith [G] in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified [dikaioo].

Most translations have, “by faith in Jesus Christ”, or something very similar. A few have, “by the faith of Jesus Christ”, such as the KJV.

C.5) Philippians 3:9

Php 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness [dikaiosune], which is from the law, but that which is through faith [G] in Christ, the righteousness [dikaiosune] which is from God by faith;

Most translations have, “through faith in Christ”, or something very similar. A few have “through the faith of Christ” such as the KJV and LITV.

C.6) Romans 3:22

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness [dikaiosune] of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Rom 3:22 even the righteousness [dikaiosune] of God, through faith [G] in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Most translations have, “through faith in Jesus Christ”, or something very similar. A few have, “by/through faith of Jesus Christ”, such as the KJV and LITV.

C.7) Romans 3:26

Rom 3:26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness [dikaiosune], that He might be just and the justifier [dikaioo] of the one who has faith [G] in Jesus.

Most translations have, “justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus”, or something very similar. Some have, “justifying the one that is of the faith of Jesus”, such as the LITV.

These four verses (C4, C.5, C.6, and C.7) are concerned about how we are justified. Are we justified by faith in Jesus Christ, or by the faith of Jesus Christ? There are three possible ways to understand how we are justified:

We are justified by our faith (our belief) in Jesus Christ.
We are justified by Jesus Christ’s faith in God.
We are justified by Jesus Christ’s faith which is given to us.

Fortunately, this question is answered for us by the apostle Paul in discussing faith in Romans chapters 4 and 5. In Romans 4:1-5, Paul highlights Abraham’s faith or belief.

Rom 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham was justified [dikaioo] by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS [dikaiosune].”
Rom 4:4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies [dikaioo] the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness [dikaiosune],

Note that it was Abraham’s faith (belief) in God that was accounted for righteousness (verse 3) and that it is our faith in God that is accounted for righteousness (verse 5). Paul continues this thought at the end of the chapter.

Rom 4:20 He [Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
Rom 4:21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Rom 4:22 And therefore “IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS [dikaiosune].”
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
Rom 4:24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to uswho believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
Rom 4:25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification [dikaiosis].

Note that verse 24 states righteousness is imputed to those who believe in God.

Romans chapter 4, in particular verses 5 and 24, makes it abundantly clear that we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ, not by Jesus Christ’s faith in God, nor by any faith of Jesus Christ which might be given to us.

The next two verses, Romans 5:1-2, build upon chapter 4.

Rom 5:1 Therefore, having been justified [dikaioo] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Rom 5:2 through whom [Jesus Christ] also we have access [to God] by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

As we have just seen, Chapter 4 explains that we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ, so the faith mentioned in Romans 5:1 is our faith in Jesus Christ. The faith mentioned in the next verse, Romans 5:2, is still the same faith, that is, our faith in Jesus Christ. So Romans 5:2 makes it clear that we have access to God by our faith in Jesus Christ.

C.8) Galatians 2:20

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith [D] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Most translations render this phrase, “I live by faith in the Son of God”. Some have “I live by the faith of the Son of God” (KJV).

There are three possible ways to understand this:

We live by our faith in Jesus Christ.
We live by Jesus Christ’s faith in God.
We live by Jesus Christ’s faith which is given to us.

A few verses earlier in Galatians 2:16 (section C.4) we determined that Paul was talking about faith in Jesus Christ, (based on Romans 4). So the context and other Scriptures support “faith in”; however, that cannot be said of the other two ways of understanding this.

C.9) Galatians 3:22

Gal 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith [G] in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Most translations have, “by faith in Jesus Christ”, or something very similar. A few have, “by faith of Jesus Christ”, such as the KJV and LITV.

Again, there are three possible ways to understand this:

We receive the promise by our faith in Jesus Christ.
We receive the promise by Jesus Christ’s faith in God.
We receive the promise by Jesus Christ’s faith which is given to us.

We need to look at the context to see which translation is better. Reading a few verses earlier we see that the “promise” is the promise God made to Abraham of salvation through the Messiah.

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “AND TO YOUR SEED,” who is Christ.
Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance [of eternal life] is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

And it is also very clear that Abraham believed God.

Gen 15:6 And he [Abram] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Gal 3:9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

With this in mind let’s look at Gal 3:22 again.

Gal 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in/of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

The promise is the promise God made to Abraham of salvation through the Messiah. Abraham believed God, that is, he had faith in God. The divine being who spoke to Abraham and made the promise was Jesus Christ. (For proof of this see “Who was the God of the Old Testament?”) So the promise came by Abraham’s faith in Jesus Christ – the divine being who spoke to him. Adding this in brackets makes the meaning clearer.

Gal 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise [made to Abraham] by [Abraham’s] faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

In summary, although the grammar allows for the translation “faith of Jesus Christ”, there is no contextual support for this. On the contrary, the context shows that the promise came by Abraham’s faith in Jesus Christ, and thus “faith in Jesus Christ” is by far the better translation.

C.10) Ephesians 3:12

Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which He [God the Father] accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Eph 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith [G] in Him.

Most translations have, “through faith in Him”, or something very similar. A few have, “through His faith”, such as the LITV, or “by the faith of him” such as the KJV.

Verse 12 is not particularly clear.

Does “in whom we have boldness”, refer to God the Father or Jesus Christ?
Who do we “access with confidence”, God the Father or Jesus Christ?
Does “faith in Him”, refer to God the Father or Jesus Christ?

However, looking at the previous verse for context, and considering that Jesus Christ is our High Priest through whom we have access to the Father, the meaning that makes most sense is:

Eph 3:12 in whom [Jesus Christ] we have boldness and access [God] with confidence through faith in Him [Jesus Christ].

Again, there are three possible ways to understand this:

We access God through our faith in Jesus Christ.
We access God through Jesus Christ’s faith in God.
We access God through Jesus Christ’s faith which is given to us.

We saw earlier (in section C.7) that Romans 5:2 makes it clear that we have access to God by our faith in Jesus Christ. Thus the first one is correct, otherwise Ephesians 3:12 would contradict Romans 5:2. So the last part of Ephesians 3:12 should be translated “through faith in Him” and not “through His faith” nor “by the faith of Him”.

Conclusion

We have looked at all the verses where the Greek word pistis is used in relation to Jesus Christ or God.

Section A covered those verses where the Greek grammar does not allow for the translation “faith of”. These were included for completeness. There is no debate over whether these should be translated “faith of”.

Section B discussed the debate over the translation of “faith of” and “faith in” Jesus Christ. There are ten such debatable verses. Generally speaking there are three possible ways to understand them:

Faith in Jesus Christ, which is personal belief in Jesus.
Faith of Jesus Christ, which is Jesus’s faith in God, that is, Jesus’s faithfulness.
Faith of Jesus Christ, which is the actual faith of Jesus given to us.

The concept of “faith in” Jesus is supported by numerous Scriptures independent of the ten debatable verses.

Jesus’s faithfulness is indisputable.

The idea that we have the “faith of” Jesus given to us has indirect Scriptural support. However, other than the ten debatable verses there is nothing which directly supports this.

Section C looked at each of the ten debatable verses in detail. Although the grammar of the Greek allows for either “faith of” or “faith in”, after considering their context and other Scriptures, in particular Romans chapters 4 and 5, it is clear that “faith in” is the best translation in every case and there is no basis to insist that any of these ten debatable verses should be translated “faith of”.