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 a different translation.  Some churches in their teachings make a big deal about this issue and 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 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,

• πιστιν is the accusative case
• πιστει is the dative case
• πιστεως is the genitive case

The case of a noun (e.g. faith) indicates how it is used.  In English, nouns do not change their ending depending on the case, with the exception of the possessive and genitive cases.  For example “John” becomes “John’s”.  However, in languages such as Greek and German 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 them.

• The accusative case shows the direct object.
• The dative case shows the indirect object.
• The genitive case shows possession.

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

• 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.

Here is an example of pistis in the accusative case πιστιν.

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

The Greek in the bold text is “υμας πιστιν εν τω κυριω ιησου”, which translated word for word is “your faith in the Lord Jesus”.  Of the many translations I checked, they all agree with the translation “faith in”.  The Greek makes this very clear by the use of the word εν meaning “in”.

Here is an example of pistis in the dative case πιστει.

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 [πιστει] in Me.’

The Greek in the bold text is “ηγιασμενοις πιστει τη εις εμε”, which translated word for word is “sanctified faith the in me”.  The Greek εμε is in the accusative case (the direct object); πιστει (pistis) is in the dative case (the indirect object), which is where the “by” in English comes from.  Again, of the many translations I checked, they are all agree with the translation “faith in”.

There are other examples, and they all show that when pistis is in the accusative or dative cases (in relation to Jesus Christ) Bible translations agree in their translation of “faith in Jesus Christ”.

So it is clear that the Bible talks about having faith in Jesus Christ.

Let’s move on to the genitive case.  In Greek, the genitive case is generally translated as “of” in English, as in the following example.

Rom 6:6  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin [genitive case] might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

However, sometimes the genitive case is translated “by”, “at”, or “in”, as in the following examples.

Act 9:25  Then the disciples took him by night [genitive case] and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Act 19:26  Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus [genitive case], but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.

Mat 1:17  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon [genitive case] are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon [genitive case] until the Christ are fourteen generations.

As mentioned earlier, it is clear that the Bible talks about having faith in Jesus Christ.  We have now covered enough grammar to investigate those Scriptures where pistis is in the genitive case regarding Jesus.  These are the verses where one translation can have “faith in Jesus Christ” and a another “faith of Jesus Christ”.  There are nine such instances where pistis is in the genitive case regarding Jesus.  Here they are from the NKJV which just so happens to translate all of them as “faith in”.

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 Christ.

Rom 3:22  even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

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

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

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

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

Eph 3:12  in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

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

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 in Christ.

Let’s consider these nine verses one by one, in order of increasing difficulty.

(1) Col 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 in Christ.

All the translations I checked have “faith in Christ”.  The preposition “your” makes this the only viable translation as the alternative translation “your faith of Christ” is incomprehensible.  So “your faith in Christ” is a good translation.

(2) Gal 3:26

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

Nearly all the translations have “faith in Christ Jesus”.  A few have “in Christ Jesus through faith”, and one “by faith”.  The meaning of this verse becomes clearer if pistis is translated “belief” (which is one of its meanings).  We are sons of God by belief in Christ Jesus.  Clearly it requires belief on our part, not the belief of Jesus.  So “faith in Christ Jesus” is a good translation.

(3) 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 Christ.

Most translations have “faith in Christ”.  A few have “faith toward Christ”, and one “faith of”.  Clearly, Felix was interested in hearing about faith in Jesus Christ rather than the faith of Jesus Christ.  Again, the meaning of this verse becomes clearer if pistis is translated “belief”: Felix heard from Paul about the belief in Christ.  So “faith in Christ” is a good translation.

(4) Gal 3:22

Gal 3:22  But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith 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, LITV.  The “promise” is the promise God made to Abraham of salvation through the Messiah and as the previous verses in Galatians 3 make clear.

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 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 God Being who spoke to Abraham and made the promise was Jesus Christ.  So the promise came by Abraham’s faith in Jesus Christ.  (For proof that it was Jesus Christ who spoke to Abraham see “Who was the God of the Old Testament?”)  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.

It makes little sense to translate this as “the promise [made to Abraham] by [Abraham’s] faith of Jesus Christ”.  The translation “by faith in Jesus Christ” here in Gal 3:22 makes the most sense.

(5) Eph 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 in Him.

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

It’s not completely clear who the “whom” refers to, who we access, and who the “Him ” refers to.  However, looking at the previous verse for a bit of 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:

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

There are three possible ways to understand this:

• We access God through our faith in Him (Jesus Christ).
• We access God through His (Jesus Christ’s) faith in God.
• We access God through His (Jesus Christ’s) faith which is given to us.

We will come back to this later.

The last four (of the nine verses we are considering) 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?”.) 

The words “justified” and “righteousness” appear in the English translations of these last four verses.  Here are the Greek words they are translated from.

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

It helps to have this in mind when reading these verses.

(6) Gal 2:16

Gal 2:16  knowing that a man is not justified [dikaioo] by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified [dikaioo] by faith 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.  This verse informs us how we are justified (made just or innocent in God’s eyes).

(7) Php 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 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 Jesus Christ”, such as the KJV and LITV.  “Righteousness” in this verse is better understood as “justification”, or the state of being viewed innocent in God’s eyes.

(8) Rom 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 in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Most translations have, “through faith in Christ”, or something very similar.  A few have, “by faith of Jesus Christ”, such as the KJV and LITV.  Again, “righteousness” in this verse is better understood as “justification”, or the state of being viewed innocent in God’s eyes.  This verse is not talking about God’s state of being holy or righteous, but rather God’s justification, that is, how God justifies us (makes us innocent in His eyes).

(9) Rom 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 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.  Yet again, “righteousness” in this verse is better understood as “justification”, or the state of being viewed innocent in God’s eyes.  This verse is not talking about God’s state of being holy or righteous, but how God justifies us (makes us innocent in His eyes).

So we have seen that these last four verses concern how we are justified.  The question still remains.  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 Rom 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 (verse 3) it was Abraham’s faith (or belief) in God that was accounted for righteousness; and that (verse 5) it is our faith in God that is accounted for righteousness.  Skipping to the end of chapter 4.

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 us who 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 (which comes from dikaioo)].

Note that (verse 24) righteousness is imputed to those who believe in God.  Both verses 5 and 24 (of chapter 4) make it very clear that is our faith in God by which we are accounted righteous.  There is no mention of this faith being the faith of Jesus.

We considered three possible ways to understand how we are justified:

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

Romans chapter 4 makes it abundantly clear that the first one is correct.  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. 

Continuing in Rom 5:1-2, Paul summarises 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 in Rom 5:1 is our faith in Jesus Christ.  The faith mentioned in the next verse, Rom 5:2, is still the same faith, that is, our faith in Jesus Christ.  So Rom 5:2 makes it clear that we have access to God by our faith in Jesus Christ.  This clears up any ambiguity in Eph 3:12 which also tells us how we have access to God.

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 in Him.

In order for Eph 3:12 to be consistent with Rom 5:2 the last part should be translated “through faith in Him” and not “through faith of Him” or “through His faith”.

Conclusion

Romans chapter 4, in particular verses 5 and 24, make it very clear that we are accounted righteous by our faith in God.

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],

Rom 4:24  but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,

Any places in the New Testament Scriptures where the Greek grammar allows for “faith in Jesus Christ” or “faith of Jesus Christ”, should, in light of Romans chapter 4, be translated “faith in Jesus Christ”.