Or, “belief.” In order to appreciate the close connection between vs. 16, 17, one must observe that the Greek language does not have two separate words for “belief” and “faith.” The Gr. pistis, “faith,” or “belief,” is the noun derived from pisteuō, the verb translated “hath believed” in v. 16 (see on ch. 3:3).

 Gr. akoē, appearing twice in this verse. In v. 16 akoē is rendered “report,” there meaning, literally, “what is heard.” If the same meaning is assigned to akoē here, the following translation is possible: “Who has believed what he has heard from us? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the word of God.” This translation makes more apparent the connection between vs. 16, 17.

 Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the reading “the word of Christ.” This could mean “the message about Christ,” as “the word of faith” (v. 8) means “the message about faith” (see on v. 8). This verse is an important statement of the nature and source of true faith. Genuine faith is not a blind confidence to be exercised in the absence of adequate evidence. Faith is our conviction about things that we cannot see (Heb. 11:1), and this conviction must be founded upon knowledge, a knowledge based upon the Word of God, the message about Christ. As a means of developing a transforming and enduring faith, there is no substitute for the regular and earnest study of the Bible.