For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever [trusts] in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
-John 3:16 NAS
Here's a word that has been over-spiritualized. It is also a word that has more than one meaning. Christians sometimes have trouble describing faith. A simply understood synonym is "trust". Christians tend to get mixed up when they try to use the word "believe". There is obviously a difference in saying "I believe in love", compared to "I believe in Santa Claus". The first speaks of trust - in the belief in the power of love, the second speaks of superficial belief - a belief in the existence of Santa Claus. Think about it - don't demons believe in God? (James 2:19). Christian faith certainly has to be the kind that Abraham expressed in his obedience to God's command to sacrifice Isaac. But sometimes Christians resort to the awkward expressions like "believe on", when all that was needed was the word "trust".
How does faith do under
the two tests?
Test 1: Connotation. Faith usually has a religious connotation.
It may remind people of televangelists or faith healers. It may give
people the impression that Christianity is a complete "leap of faith".
Depending on your audience, another word could be better.
Test 2. Christianese. The meaning can vary from person to person.
Effort should be taken to explain its meaning, so that people don't over-spiritualize
the meaning.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever [trusts] in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
-John 3:16 NAS