Faith: The Currency of Heaven and How to Keep the Faith

Many of us say “just keep the faith” when life feels heavy. We quote Ephesians 2:8‑9, but we do not always slow down and ask what faith really is in the Bible.

Scripture paints faith as the “currency of Heaven.” Not money, but the God-given way we receive, spend, and share the very life of God. In this picture, faith is how we hold God’s promises, how we respond to His grace, and how we help others see Him.

In this article, we walk through the original language of “faith,” look at Ephesians 2:8‑9, Romans 12:3, and Hebrews 11:1, and see that faith itself is a gift from God, rooted in the faithfulness of Jesus. God gives each of us a measure of faith and the gift of free will. We then choose where to spend that faith: on empty things that fade, or on Heavenly things that last forever.

What Does the Bible Mean by “Faith” in the Original Language?

Faith in the New Testament often uses the Greek word pistis. It carries the ideas of trust, reliance, and faithfulness. It is not just a thought in our head. It is a living trust that moves our feet and shapes our choices.

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the “assurance” or “substance” of things hoped for. The word behind “assurance” points to something solid under our feet. As many Bible teachers explain, faith is like standing on firm ground that God laid, even when our eyes still see nothing.

Faith, in that sense, is how we “hold” what God has promised before it shows up in our sight.

A picture of faith acting like heavenly currency, received from God and returned to Him.

Pistis: Faith as Trust, Not Just Opinion

We can think of pistis as deep trust in God’s character. It is more than saying, “God exists.”

We trust a chair when we sit in it and put our full weight on it. We trust a close friend when we share our secrets and expect them to keep them. In the same way, Biblical faith means we lean the weight of our whole life on God. We keep the faith when we keep resting our full weight on who He is, not on who we are.

Hebrews 11:1 and Faith as Spiritual “Substance”

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Many writers describe this “substance” like a title deed or receipt. It proves something is ours before we see it in our hands.

As one study of the word hypostasis shows, faith has real weight in the unseen world, like a solid ground beneath us (helpful word study here). So in Heaven’s economy, faith is the way we hold and receive what God has promised. It is not money, but it functions like a spiritual substance that connects us to His reality.

Saved by Grace Through Faith: Understanding Ephesians 2:8‑9

Ephesians 2:8‑9 says:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

“By grace” means salvation starts in God’s kindness, not in our effort. It is God, whether the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, who first draws us to Him. “Through faith” means faith is the channel, not the cause. Then Paul adds that this saving work is “not of yourselves” and “not of works.”

Many believers discuss whether “the gift” is salvation, faith, or both. Either way, the point is clear. Nothing about our salvation comes from our performance. Even our capacity to keep the faith, which is our ability to continuously respond to God’s Voice, is held inside God’s grace, not our pride.

When we sit with Hebrews 11:6 in the original Greek, we see that the writer is not giving us a harsh rule, but describing how our relationship with God actually works: the phrase “without faith it is impossible to please Him” uses the word adynaton for “impossible,” which means “powerless” or “not able,” and euarestesai for “please,” which has the sense of bringing real delight, like a child whose trust makes a parent smile from the heart, something we can see in the Greek breakdown at Hebrews 11:6 Greek text analysis.

The point is not that God is touchy or easily offended, but that we, like His little children, literally cannot offer Him the kind of response to His Voice that fits His nature if we don’t trust who He says He is with a child-like trust, just like we can’t plug a lamp into thin air and expect light, because the connection simply isn’t there.

Faith here is not blind optimism, it’s pistis, a settled trust and loyalty, so when the verse adds that “the one coming to God must believe that He is,” it means we come to a real, living Person named Yahweh, not an idea we embrace to fit our mood, and without that, any religious act becomes a kind of performance with no real meeting.

The word “please” in this context speaks of alignment and agreement, not flattery, so to please God is to line our inner posture (our spirit) up with His character, to say with our hearts, “You’re true, You’re good, You’re worth my life,” and that kind of response can’t happen if we secretly treat Him as unreliable or distant. He must be our Personal Savior, and not a distant God, to be inside our born again spirit.

The verse goes further and says we must believe “that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him,” using a term for rewarder that points to God as the One who Himself takes responsibility to respond, so faith doesn’t just say “God exists,” it says “God is worth seeking, and He won’t play games with those who come to Him.”

If we strip away that trust, we might still pray, give, serve, or study, but in the language of this verse, we’ve removed the very thing that makes those acts pleasing, because without faith they no longer spring from love and confidence, they spring from fear, pressure, or self-advancement, something that will be considered a loss at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

When we think about it in normal human terms, we feel this already: if a friend does kind things for us but secretly assumes we’re a liar, or believes we’ll probably fail them, their gifts don’t touch our heart in the same way, because trust is what turns good behavior into real relationship.

In the same way, God isn’t impressed by empty motion, He’s pleased by the heart that says, even through tears, “I don’t see everything, but I’m banking on Your character,” which is why the wider context of Hebrews 11 keeps showing us flawed people whose trust in God’s Word, not their spotless performance, drew His commendation, a theme unpacked in resources like Precept Austin’s commentary on Hebrews 11:6-7.

So when the writer says it’s “impossible” to please God without faith, he’s not laying a cold rule over our heads, he’s naming a spiritual reality: the pleasure of God is tied to the relational bond of trust, and wherever that bond is missing, our activity may be loud and busy, but it no longer matches who He is or how He loves.

In the end, this verse invites us to ask a simple, searching question together: not “Are we doing enough for God?” but “Are we really coming to Him as He is, a present and good Father, and are we staking our lives on the hope that He gladly responds to those who keep seeking His face?”

By Grace Alone: Why We Cannot Earn Salvation

Grace is God’s free favor in Christ. Earlier in Ephesians 2, Paul says we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” A dead person cannot help themselves. God made us alive.

If salvation could be earned, we would brag about our rule-keeping or religious scorecard. Scripture cuts that off. Our works, by themselves, are just more “fig leaves” trying to cover our shame, as shown in the history of Adam and Eve and in Why works can’t save – Biblical truth.

Grace means Jesus did the saving. Our faith is a response to a finished rescue, not a price we pay.

Through Faith: The Doorway God Provides

Faith is the doorway or pipeline through which grace comes into our lives. We do not create the water of grace, we just open the tap.

Picture stretching out an empty hand. The hand is not impressive. What matters is the gift placed into it. “Through faith” means we hold out the hand of trust toward Jesus and receive what He already won at the cross.

“Not of Yourselves”: How Faith Itself Is a Gift

When Paul says, “and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” we see that the whole saving process is God’s gift. Our believing is not a stunt to impress Him. He awakens our heart, shines His light, and stirs faith inside us.

Some teachers, like those who reflect on Ephesians 2 at Wisdom Online, point out that God even helps us believe. We keep the faith because He first gives faith and keeps holding us.

The Faith of Jesus and the Measure of Faith God Gives

Scripture also speaks of the “faith of Jesus” and of God giving each person a “measure of faith.”

Romans 12:3 says that God has “dealt to each one a measure of faith.” This means faith does not start in our flesh, but in God’s heart. He places the capacity to trust in every human, and in new birth He awakens it in a fresh way.

Teachers who study this verse, like those at GotQuestions on the measure of faith, note that this measure comes from God’s hand, not our willpower.

The Faithfulness of Jesus as the Foundation of Our Faith

Jesus perfectly trusted and obeyed the Father. Our faith does not float in space. It rests on His finished work, His cross, His empty tomb.

Some New Testament phrases can be read as “the faith of Christ,” pointing to His faithfulness. When we keep the faith, we are not holding on to a vague force. We are holding on to Jesus, the One who already held fast for us, all the way to death.

Romans 12:3 and the “Measure of Faith” Given to Each

Romans 12:3 warns us not to think too highly of ourselves, but to think according to “the measure of faith” God has given. Our trust, our gifts, our role in the body of Christ all come from Him.

Even at creation, God wired humans with the ability to trust, hope, and worship. In Christ, He renews that design so we can live His purpose instead of our own story. This leaves no room for boasting. The measure of faith is loaned, not owned.

Faith as God’s Seed in Our Hearts

We can picture faith as a seed that God plants in our hearts. It may feel tiny, but it is alive.

When we hear the Word, that seed wakes up and grows. The Holy Spirit waters it as we respond. As one teacher on renewal in Ephesians writes in Renewed mind, new self in Christ, God changes our thinking so faith can take deeper root.

What we do with that seed is where free will comes in.

Free Will, Choices, and Where We Spend Our Faith

God did not make us robots. He gave us free will, the real power to choose what or whom we trust.

We like to say we keep the faith, but in daily life we are always spending faith. We spend it on something: ourselves, our bank accounts, our image, or on God’s promises and character.

Free Will as a Gift: We Choose Where Our Faith Goes

Free will is the gift that lets us choose to love God or turn away. Faith always has an object. We are all believers in something.

Our choices show where we spend our faith. When pressure comes, do we trust our own strength, or do we run to Christ? That quiet choice in the heart is where we truly keep the faith or trade it for a cheaper hope.

Faith as the Currency of Heaven, Not the Currency of the World

In Heaven’s economy, faith is like currency because it is how we respond to and receive God’s promises. But this “currency” is not for buying bigger comfort or more control.

When we spend our faith only on worldly success, we treat it like the currency of this age. Biblical faith is meant to lay hold of God’s will, God’s character, and God’s Kingdom. It says, “Your will, not mine,” even when that costs us something.

Heavenly Investments: Using Faith for Eternal Products

What does it look like to spend faith on “Heavenly products”?

• Trusting God in prayer when answers are slow
• Obeying His call when it hurts our pride
• Forgiving instead of getting even
• Giving when money feels tight
• Sharing the Gospel in simple words

These acts do not buy salvation, but they are real outcomes of true faith. They ripple out into the lives of others and awaken faith in them. When we keep the faith in hard seasons, our trust becomes a living sermon.

The Danger of Misused Faith: Worldly Spending and Eternal Loss

God warns us about pouring our trust into things that are not of Him. If we spend our God-given faith on idols like money, pleasure, or self, we become spiritually “faith poor.”

Spending Faith on the World Leaves Us Spiritually Broke

Trusting in our job, our status, or our online image can feel strong for a while. But none of that survives the grave.

When we give our deepest trust to these things, we are spending the faith God gave us on items that expire. That is not His plan. He wants our faith to anchor in Christ, not in a market that always shifts. Our unforgiveness, fears, and grudges can also choke faith, as warned in Unforgiveness and eternal consequences.

Worthless in the Next Life: When Faith Bears No Eternal Fruit

Paul speaks of a day when our works will be tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3). Some will shine like gold, others will burn like straw.

If we reach that day with no real trust in Christ, or with a life that never let faith bear fruit, much of what we lived for will be shown as worthless and thrown away. God does not want that loss for us. He calls us now to keep the faith in what will still matter ten thousand years from today.

How to Keep the Faith and Spend It Well Every Day

God has already placed a measure of faith in us. He invites us to grow it and spend it well.

We can keep the faith by staying close to Scripture, prayer, and God’s people, and by acting on what He shows us. Because faith is His gift, we can also ask Him to grow it. Even small faith, when placed fully in Jesus, is powerful in Heaven’s economy.

Asking God to Grow the Faith He Already Gave

We can pray, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” That simple cry honors God.

Faith grows as we:

• Read and ponder the Bible
• Remember past answers to prayer
• Pray with other believers

When we hunger to keep the faith, God delights to strengthen us. He is not annoyed by weak faith that looks to Him. He is pleased.

Practical Ways to Spend Faith on Eternal Things

Here are a few very simple ways to spend faith well:

• Choose forgiveness instead of revenge
• Give generously when fear says “hold back”
• Share a short testimony with a friend
• Choose purity when temptation whispers
• Step into a calling that feels bigger than us

Each act is like spending faith in Heaven’s market. The return is eternal fruit, not empty applause. We do not earn salvation, but we express it.

For more on how faith, not rituals, saves us, you can look at Faith, not water, saves us, which unpacks why works and ceremonies cannot replace trust in Christ alone.

Conclusion

Faith is not something we drum up to impress God. Faith is His gift, rooted in the perfect faithfulness of Jesus. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works, so no one can boast. God gives each of us a measure of faith and the free will to choose where we spend it.

In Heaven’s simple picture, faith is the currency by which we receive, respond, and invest in God’s Kingdom. Today is a good day to ask where we have been spending that faith and to keep the faith by placing it fully in Jesus. No matter where we have wasted trust before, we can bring our hearts back to Him now and start living with eternity in view.