What is Faith?

Faith may be defined within a dictionary as belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust; the opposite of doubt.

The Bible says; "It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see." (Hebrews 11:1).

So Faith ... is not primarily some settled and serene conclusion reached at the end of a chain of philosophical reasoning.  No, faith is rather the readiness and eagerness to receive what is offered to us in Jesus Christ.  It is the hand that grasps the gift of God in Jesus and makes it our own.  This is what is meant by biblical faith. It is possible to teach the main tenets of faith as each of the world religions sees them. But essentially faith is nourished by the experience which life offers to each one of us. Thus faith can grow as a result of adversity, or suffering: yet equally it can grow as a result of joy, or of being part of a community of faithful people.

The Bible is full of stories about faith in adversity, trust in God in the face of unimaginable difficulties. Such stories have much to teach us, which is why they form the core of Scripture which the Church uses within a regular cycle of readings at its services. If you want to find examples of faith in Cornwall please go to Stories of Faith.