Faith vs Faithfulness: no distinction in the Greek and Hebrew?

[arapahoepark]

I was reading a systematic theology that was sure to make the point that in both Hebrew and Greek (pistis) there isn't an 'absolute' distinction like in English between 'faith' and 'faithfulness' or 'trust,' etc. If so then how does one discern what is being talked about? I know some, like Garlington and a few FVers, have argued that Romans 4 talks not of "believing" or "faith" but faithfulness.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

If you would like to wade through this excerpt from the TDNT on pistis then it will disabuse from the idea that there is some sort of single meaning of the word pistis (or its Hebrew form) throughout the Scriptures.

 

[py3ak]

It will be distinguished by the context. In most cases, there will be contextual indicators. For instance, anything that highlights content, what is believed, will weight a given text in the direction of faith, as opposed to faithfulness, other things being equal.

 

[alexandermsmith]

This debate seems not only unnecessary, but really quite detrimental. Instead of pitting these concepts against each other, we should joy in the truth which they both convey, one complementing the other. We are saved through faith in Christ: that is the glorious truth of the Gospel. And the One in Whom we have faith is the faithful Christ. No man ever exercised faith as the God-Man did, and He is faithful to fulfil His promises to us, as He was faithful to fulfil His covenant obligations to the Father in coming and offering Himself a sacrifice for sin. "The just shall live by his faith" can encompass both truths: in the preceding verse (Hab. 2:3) there is the promise of the Messiah, Who in His faithfulness will make atonement for the sins of His people, His shed blood being the ground of the justification of the just who believe in Him. The faith of the just is not a faith in a doctrine but in the Person, Jesus Christ. One would wish in this area to place the emphasis, of course, on believing in Christ. But the faithfulness of Christ, and of God, is a wonderful truth taught in Scripture and it is only because of Christ's faithfulness that there is salvation to begin with.