People
of Faith

The people featured on this page are either presently following Jesus or have set an example for us in the past. Their life stories will inspire you to believe God’s Word, trust Jesus more deeply, and follow Jesus with greater joy.

Many of the people featured are authors or pastors so that you might get to know reliable Bible teachers that can serve as resources to you when you have questions about the Bible.

You will also get to know athletes, servicemen, moms, and singers—the list could go on. We hope you discover through these biographies that God’s Word is for everyone and that Jesus transforms people from every occupation, background, and culture. God’s kingdom is wonderfully diverse.

God gives each person who trusts in Jesus unique gifts to show his glory to the world and to bless others (1 Corinthians 12). We hope that as you encounter these people, their faith, endurance, and gifting would lead you to see the glory of Jesus and trust him more.

James 3:2 reminds us that “we all stumble in many ways” (ESV). The Bible teaches us that no person is perfect, or ever will be (except Jesus of course). In fact, God sets the expectation for us in his Word that followers of Jesus will fail to be all that God calls us to be, which is why we put our hope ultimately in Jesus, and worship him alone.

In one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he describes followers of Jesus as clay jars that hold a priceless treasure (2 Corinthians 4:7). In other words, we are weak people—like clay—in whom Jesus, our treasure, has chosen to dwell by his Spirit. God chooses to display his goodness and glory through the lives of imperfect people. In fact, he loves to work powerfully through us, despite our weaknesses, “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV).

Although those who follow Jesus still battle sin, they have also been given the righteousness of Jesus, and have been given power by God’s Spirit to live in a way that pleases God and does great good for others (Romans 3:21-22). Sin no longer defines those who trust Jesus; rather, we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, and live into our new identity by pursuing righteousness and holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16; Isaiah 61:10).

Each follower of Jesus whose biography you read is someone who needs Jesus, battles with sin, and sometimes fails, just like everyone else. Yet they have truly been transformed, forgiven, cleansed, and empowered by God. These are people we believe live exemplary, righteous lives that honor Jesus, by the power of God’s Spirit, and we want to celebrate God’s work in them. Jesus shines out of their lives. He is their treasure, and so, in some big or small way, he is shining his light through them.

We don’t worship these people as heroes; rather, we thank God for their example, and worship Jesus for how we see him at work in and through these people.

In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul tells the Corinthian church, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (NIV).

This verse provides us with a helpful principle from God’s Word: we should strive to be like other believers in whatever ways they imitate Jesus. Ultimately, our goal is to look like our Savior, Jesus, and not like any other person.

It’s truly incredible that Jesus has worked in each of his followers’ lives in such a way that they reflect part of who he is. God desires that we know “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV). In other words, God wants us to experience his goodness and spiritual blessings through his people. He has given us a whole family of other believers who know and love God. Each follower of Jesus is filled with his Spirit and has been uniquely gifted by God to express his love and goodness to other believers. 

Remember that God has gifted us all in unique ways. God ordained the personality, tasks, and accomplishments of these people. If you’re inspired to do as they have done in any way, bring that desire before God, and ask him to show you how he has gifted you, and how you might be of service to him. If you desire to exhibit the same godly character as someone you learn about, ask God to build your character in the same way. Most of all, ask God to reveal Jesus to you, the one whose goodness and glory transformed the lives of these people.

We chose the people you see on this page for one of the following reasons.

First, a person we choose may be someone highly influential in the history of the Christian faith. For example, Charles Spurgeon is considered the greatest English preacher to ever live, and provided us with scores of phenomenal messages, devotionals, and writings. As a newcomer to the faith, we want you to know about these people and their content, so you can be encouraged along with the rest of us. We also hope these people’s stories help you see that the truth of the Bible is nothing new, but has taken root in the hearts of people from every age of history. For, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV). These people are as worthy of your attention as anyone living today, and we want you to be aware of the contribution they made to our faith through their writings or example.

Second, a person we choose may be someone highly influential in the lives of our team members at Bibles.net. For example, our editor listened to Steven Curtis Chapman from the time she was a toddler. His music has helped her love and know Jesus better on many occasions. Many people have been used by God to speak his truth to us, change how we think, or encourage our faith. We have discerned that these people are reliable Bible teachers who honor Jesus both in their teaching and personal lives. So, we present them to you in hopes that the Holy Spirit would nurture your faith through their testimony and work.

Finally, we must add that we are in the process of adding more biographies. Our limited selection is not due to bias nor favoritism, but lack of time. The biographies we have completed are not the most important but are the first people we had time to add. Please contact us if you have a suggestion for someone you would like to see on our list!