For by grace you have been saved through faith. Ephesians 2:8, ESV

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe - and shudder! James 2:19, ESV

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between belief and faith? Obviously, there is some distinction or there wouldn't be two words. Yet it is also true that we will sometimes use these two words in the same way. So, what is the difference?

The two passages above provide some clues as Paul through inspiration of the Holy Spirit reveals that faith is one of the elements of salvation, but James through inspiration of the Holy Spirit points out that belief alone will not save and uses the lost demons as proof. However, we read passages such as John 3:16 that tell us that whoever believes in Christ has eternal life... so which is it? And the answer should be clear: Belief and faith are certainly required for salvation, but they are not the only things.

Further, these two characteristics, faith and belief, are gained in somewhat different ways. Romans 1:18-20 reveals that what can be known about God is made so plain that it can be seen clearly through what God has created. In other words, a reasonable person cannot look at this world and conclude that there is no God. This same passage states that those who do not understand that there was a Creator are without excuse. The evidence is simply that overwhelming and that conclusive. So, we can come to believe in God by the evidence that is present in those things of this earth that we can see.

However, faith has greater depth than mere belief. For example, Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the words of Christ. When we understand that His words are contained within the Bible alone, we understand that faith can only come from the Word itself, for this is the only infallible source of Christ's word. It is true that people who are familiar with the Bible can pass it along in such a way as to allow people to develop faith, but the source is still the inspired word of God, rather than the sometimes-fallible words of men.

I suppose you could say in a way that seeing is believing (or at least leads to belief) but faith is an educated pursuit of that belief through reading the words of God and Christ.

Why is this distinction important? Superstitious people of all eras have viewed the creation (the world, the sun, the moon and the stars) and have rightly concluded that there is Someone intelligent who designed and made all of these things we see. However, this belief that there is a God is only the beginning. It will prompt the wise individual to search for just who this Creator is, and that search will lead them eventually to the Bible. 

And while it is absolutely true that we can and should come to believe that there is a God from what He has made, the only way that we can gain faith is through what He has said, and what He has said is contained only in His inspired Word - the Bible.

And make no mistake, we are responsible for reading the Bible. When you combine what Paul said in Romans 10:17 (faith comes from hearing the message of Christ) with Hebrews 11:6 which states that without faith it is impossible to please God, we come to this conclusion: What we see from God's creation provides enough evidence to understand that there is a God. But it is only the Bible that tells us of Jesus and everything we need to know about Him, and it is only the Bible that reveals the commandments of God and therefore what it is He wants us to do.

This is why the demons are lost - it is because they did not combine their belief with faith, or perhaps a more accurate way to phrase this is that they did not combine their belief with faithfulness. So, while it is true that you cannot be saved without belief and faith, it is also true that these vital characteristics are but a part of God's plan for mankind, as well as His plan of salvation.

This is what over 40 years of studying the Bible has caused me to conclude, but please do not accept my word for it. Each one of us has the duty to study the Word and draw the right conclusions for ourselves. It is a serious task, to be sure, but it is also one of the most rewarding endeavors that any man or woman can occupy themselves with as they live here on earth with an eye towards their eternal home in heaven.