This is not a debate!
Compare and contrast these three, and also let’s discuss their relative importance in the lives of Christians.
Come one, come all! I look forward to lots of inputs!
All these need to be based upon scripture.
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Well, for one thing, the’re not spelled anything alike.
( I went for the low-hanging fruit)
kp
Well, friends,
This prompt has not gotten much traction, so I thought I might offer my own neck to the inevitable forum-guillotine. In fact, I’m contemplating this post being my swan-song. I’m tired. We’ll see.
Opinions, Beliefs, Faith; Their Commonalities.
I suppose the reason these three have been lumped together at all is because they do share some things. The first thing that comes to my mind is that they share a common home; their abode is in the human mind.
Another shared aspect that I notice is that they are all personal, that is, each one of them are of such a universally undefined nature that every person in the world holds them like a personal fingerprint; unique, and unduplicated in any other being. Grouped together and they form a large part of a unique “personality”. To me, my opinions, my beliefs, and my faith are mine and mine alone and together they form a large part of who I am to myself, and also how other people see me.
One last commonality I will point out is taken together, these three seem to be a little like a race-horse locked in at the post. Thoroughbreds each, they exist in a state of heightened-excitement, snorting for the bell, anxious to get out and run shoulder to shoulder with others of similar constitution. They like to be in the race, but they are loathed to lose it. Everyone’s wants to be the leader. Often the need to dominate is so strong that destroying someone else’s becomes a means of achieving the assurance of the supremacy of my own precious set.
Now their distinctives.
If I’m reading the chess board correctly, the OP wants us to notice each of the three has their own level of surety, and we are probably also to notice that each has their own level of permanence; opinions being the least sure and least enduring, and faith being the most unmalleable and most durable.
Our English Scriptures use these words in consistent ways. I’ll mention a few examples.
Opinion:
“Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between “two opinions” (šenayim se‘ippiym: a pair of sentiments) ? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. (1 Kings 18:20-21)”
Also, in Job 32, three times the word “opinion” is spoken by Elihu, and is translated from the Hebrew word dēaʾ: A noun meaning personal knowledge.
The book of Romans contains the word “opinion” twice, (11:25, & 12:16) each translated from the Greek word heautoú, which simply means “himself”, or “of his own authority”.
Belief:
Of the many places this word is used, one of the most notable is found in Genesis 15:6, speaking of Abraham:
“And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”.
Here, and other places, the word comes from the Hebrew ʾāman: which is a verb meaning to be firm, to build up, to support, to nurture, or to establish, same as our english word “believe”. This Hebrew word is translated “belief” most often but is also translated in over 16 other ways, and used in several contexts, but like it’s English counterparts, it always refers to providing stability and confidence. Metaphorically, the word conveys trustworthiness and dependability.
“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1)
means, who trusts what we have said.
In the New Testament, the word “believe” is translated from the Greek pisteúō 239 times and a few times as “commit” or “trust”. pisteúō is derived from the word pístis, the word most often translated as “faith” which is why we may speak of belief and faith to be synonymous, but pisteúō is never translated “faith” as far as I know. (maybe someone can correct me if I’m wrong) Our English word Belief carries the full meaning of this Greek word. A popular passage that contains this word is John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Faith
The Greek word pístis; is translated “faith” 239 times in my New Testament. Subjectively, it means a firm persuasion, conviction. Objectively it means “belief in The Truth”. Sometimes it reflexively refers to a pattern of life marked by a belief in The Truth, such as “being in The Faith”. Using the English word Faith for pístis is a near perfect translation. A careful examination of where this word is used will reveal that when The Bible speaks of Faith, it is speaking of Taking God at His Word”. This may sound much like “belief” but the distinction is belief can be in anything, but Faith (as it is used in The Bible) is always “in God”, or “in The Truth”.
Looking forward to other opinions forged from other beliefs, even those of a different faith. Putting my armor on now.
Peace and Unity in Jesus
KP
I’ll take a go.
An opinion is a perspective formulated by an individual and based on who they are. Their upbringing, education, personal prejudices - it’s almost like the result of what they’ve lived.
A belief is something we all have. It’s what you know to be true. I walk across the river in winter because I believe the ice is solid enough to hold me. I put the key into the ignition and I believe the car will start. Without these beliefs it would be difficult to live. It’s just something we hold to be true and we don’t all believe the exact same things.
Faith is more difficult to define. Faith includes trust. If I fall through the river ice or if the car doesn’t start, it’s not trust that’s been broken. I was mistaken in what I believed to be true. With faith I’m not just believing, but I’m also trusting in what I believe. There’s an added element to belief.
So you are making a distinction between faith and belief.
But how would you reconcile this?
as 2:19 So you’re impressed with yourselves that with your emunah you can recite the kri’at Shema, nu? O you do so well…why, even the shedim have your da’as and emunah! But they shudder! [DEVARIM 6:4]
James 2 further complicates the equation of faith with belief alone. James states that “the demons believe (πιστεύουσιν) and shudder” (James 2:19), which demonstrates that belief, even belief in true propositions about God, does not by itself constitute the kind of faith Scripture commends. The issue is not merely taking God at His word, but entrusting oneself to God in obedient allegiance.
The Septuagint reinforces this point. πίστις and πιστός are frequently used to translate Hebrew terms derived from אמן (ʾāman), especially אֱמוּנָה (ʾĕmûnāh), which primarily denotes faithfulness, steadfastness, and reliability. In Habakkuk 2:4, the Hebrew text speaks of living by faithfulness, a covenantal posture expressed in loyalty and endurance, not merely internal persuasion. While Paul later draws theological implications from this text, the relational and covenantal dimension is never lost.
The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm this broader biblical pattern. At Qumran, אֱמוּנָה describes steadfast obedience and covenant loyalty within the community, not simply assent to divine statements. Faith is lived, enacted, and communal, not merely subjective conviction.
For this reason, while “faith” is a legitimate and necessary English translation of πίστις, it is not a near-perfect one unless it is filled with its biblical content. Scripture does not sharply separate belief from faith as different categories; rather, it distinguishes between rightly ordered faith and misdirected or incomplete faith.
“the demons also believe” Demons know who Jesus is! Demons believe in monotheism!
The demons also believe (kai ta daimonia pisteuousin). They go that far (the same verb pisteuō). They never doubt the fact of God’s existence.
Is it correct to say “rightly ordered faith or misdirected faith?”
J.
I have little to add to these excellent answers. Well done folks!
For some practical distinctions:
Opinions - Based on surface knowledge where possibly no “right” or “true” conclusion is possible.
Beliefs - Intended to be true conclusions, but quite changeable based on new information.
Faith - Deeply held unchanging beliefs that don’t waiver based on apparent contradiction, or new information. Our behavior conforms to what we have faith in. Faith is demonstrated belief.
Your brother
Like you’ve zed, no right or wrong answers here…
In Habakkuk 2:4, the key word is the Hebrew noun אֱמוּנָה (ʾĕmûnāh).
This noun comes from the triconsonantal root אָמַן (ʾāman), whose basic semantic field is firmness, steadiness, reliability, support.
The root does not begin with “belief” in the modern cognitive sense. It begins with that which can be leaned on without collapsing, which already tells you why English gets clumsy here. Right?
From אָמַן, you get several related forms that make the meaning unmistakable.
The Niphal verb נֶאֱמַן (neʾĕmān) means “to be firm, trustworthy, reliable.”
This is used of people, witnesses, and even objects that can be depended upon. For example, in Deuteronomy 7:9, God is called “the faithful God” (הָאֵל הַנֶּאֱמָן), clearly meaning reliable and covenant-keeping, not “one who holds correct beliefs.”
The Hiphil verb הֶאֱמִין (heʾĕmîn) means “to cause to be firm,” hence “to trust” or “to believe.”
This is the verb used in Genesis 15:6, “Abram believed the LORD.”
Gen 15:6 And he believed in Hashem; and He credited [emunah (faith)] to him as tzedakah (righteousness).
Linguistically, Abram is not forming an abstract belief; he is placing himself firmly upon God’s promise. The verb assumes an object that can bear weight.
The noun אֱמוּנָה (ʾĕmûnāh), then, names the quality of firmness or steadfastness itself.
It is used overwhelmingly in the Hebrew Bible to mean faithfulness, fidelity, reliability, especially in covenantal contexts. For example, Psalm 36:5 speaks of God’s אֱמוּנָה reaching to the clouds. No one thinks that means God has strong internal beliefs. It means God is unfailingly reliable. Correct?
Now apply that to Habakkuk 2:4.
The prophet contrasts the proud one, whose soul is “not upright,” with “the righteous,” who “shall live by his אֱמוּנָה.”
In context, this is spoken to a community facing injustice, delay, and apparent contradiction of God’s promises. The issue is not whether they can maintain correct doctrinal beliefs in their heads, but whether they will remain steadfast, loyal, and trusting while waiting for God’s action.
This is why many scholars translate the phrase as “faithfulness” rather than “faith.”
The righteous person “lives” by continuing allegiance and trust, not by freezing a belief-state against counterevidence.
The life in question is covenantal survival under pressure, not epistemic certainty.
When the Septuagint renders אֱמוּנָה here as πίστις, it imports that Hebrew sense into Greek.
That is crucial. The Greek πίστις in this verse does not start as a philosophical category; it inherits the Hebrew meaning of steadfast trust and loyalty. Paul later builds theology on this verse, but he does not erase its semantic ancestry.
So when I say the emphasis is on faithfulness, the reasoning is not speculative at all.
It follows directly from the Hebrew root אָמַן, its verbal system, its nominal usage across the Old Testament, and the covenantal context of Habakkuk itself.
So in short-
…belief is how English tries to talk about what the Hiphil of אָמַן does,
faithfulness is what the noun אֱמוּנָה actually names,
and Habakkuk 2:4 is about whether the righteous will remain firm when reality seems to contradict God’s promise, not whether they can keep a belief intellectually unchanged.
This is philology, not philosophy, even if it ruins a few neat definitions along the way.
As to “opinions” the other members can elaborate.
My 2 cents, for what’s it worth, and thank you for the oppertunity to share @Pater15
J.
Thanks for simplifying! (Sorry I can’t help it!)
It is my humble belief that your voluminous, scholarly exposition is also in perfect agreement with my “answer for simpletons”.
So I appreciate your answer, while at the same time disagree with the apparent tone that your answer is a correction of mine. I think your assumptions of what I meant are again overriding what I actually said. Including your assumption that I’m going to opt for a philosophical view rather than a biblical view.
That’s false. I’m going to opt for the available Biblical view every time, always, without fail, 100% of the time.
So you can let your guard down, if you will.
Your brother
This was not a correction on your “philisophical view” so take a deep breath.
The medium itself contributes to our misunderstanding, as written communication lacks the tonal and bodily cues that normally guide interpretation.
Let your “hair down”
J.
Is that a bald joke? Nice one! You do have a sense of humor!
Now, if only I had more hair….
Your brother
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