faith
Pistis denotes reliance and steadfast commitment toward God or Christ, sometimes framed as a shared commitment to be held and defended.
The supplied verses most often present pistis as reliance and steadfast commitment directed toward God or Christ, capable of growth, testing, endurance, and continued practice. They also use it for a commitment or body of belief that can be held, abandoned, or examined, while a small group of verses presents an exceptional gift-like capacity.
Senses in use
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Reliance and steadfast commitment · dominant
This use appears where the term is directed toward God or Christ or described as something to stand in, grow in, test, or preserve. In 1 Peter 1:7 the APB renders the clause about the testing of faith; in 2 Corinthians 5:7 it renders a contrast between walking “by faith” and “by appearance”; and 1 Corinthians 2:5 contrasts its basis with human wisdom.
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A commitment to hold, examine, or abandon · common
Several clauses treat the term as something that may be held with a good conscience, stood in, examined, departed from, or overturned. In 1 Timothy 4:1 the APB renders some as departing from “the faith,” while 2 Corinthians 13:5 renders a self-examination about whether readers are “in the faith.”
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An exceptional Spirit-given capacity · rare
In 1 Corinthians 12:9, the nominative singular form occurs in a list where the APB renders “faith by the same Spirit.” In 1 Corinthians 13:2, the accusative singular appears in the conditional clause about having faith sufficient to move mountains, yet lacking love.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses “faith” in clauses about standing, testing, growth, endurance, and departure, and it also renders the term in a Spirit-related list and in the mountain-moving conditional of 1 Corinthians 13:2. These English renderings confirm the clauses’ overall presentation rather than supplying a separate definition for each occurrence.