What is Faith?

Ray Pritchard’s answer

Hebrews 11:1 offers us a concise definition of faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” I personally prefer the traditional King James rendering because it is more picturesque: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The word “substance” is an unusual word that refers to the “essential nature” of things. It was sometimes used of the foundation of a house and outside the New Testament was used for the title deed to a piece of property. Faith is the “title deed” to things in the future, things hoped for, things promised by the Lord. It is the confident assurance that what we hope for will some day come to pass. The word “evidence” refers to legal proof in a courtroom. Faith is proof to the soul that enables us to see things that cannot be seen by the naked eye. By faith we “see” what would otherwise be invisible.

See By Faith and Miracles Come in Many Varieties.