"FAITH" According To Hebrew 11:1
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of
what we do not see," (Heb. 11:1).
Faith is an important word in
the Bible. Faith is where the Promises and Work of God are made real to His
redeemed.
The Bible says that we are
saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9),
we live by faith (Rom. 1:17),
we receive righteousness by faith (Rom. 4:13), we are
justified in Christ by faith, (Rom. 5:1), we have access to God’s grace by
faith (Rom. 5:2), we stand firm in our belief by faith (2Cor. 1:24), we receive
the promise of the Spirit by faith (Gal. 3:14), we do God's work by faith (1
Tim. 1:4), we wait for the return of Christ by faith (Gal. 5:5). Indeed, faith
is very important; it is vital to the Christian.
What is Faith?
According
to Webster's Dictionary faith is "an unquestioning belief that does not
require proof or evidence." Though Webster's Dictionary says we don't need
evidence to have faith, as Christians we do have evidence for our faith. We
have the Bible: 66 books, 40 authors, written in 3 languages, over 1600 years,
prophecy, and moral and spiritual truth, we have the resurrection of Jesus;
confidence in His words, and evidence of God's truth in our lives.
The nearest
definition we have in the Bible of what faith is found right here in Hebrews 11:1. The NIV says, "Now faith
is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The
KJV and the NKJV say, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." The RSV, NRSV and NASB each says, "Now
faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen."
Literally
the Greek of Hebrews 11:1 says,
"Now faith is the reality of things being hoped for, the proof of things
not being seen." But the English does not carry the full meaning of the
verse. That is why it is good to examine several translations of the verse to
try to get a better understanding.
An
important point, though, is that faith is only as good as the object in which
it is placed. All the faith in the world in someone false won't help you.
But how does faith affect your
lives?
You get in
the car and drive on faith. You don'' know if you''re going to make it to your
destination alive or not, but you go. You have faith that the food you buy that
is grown by strangers is not harmful, so you eat it. You have faith that the
doctors you see are competent. So you put yourself in their hands. If you did
not have faith, if you did not trust others you wouldn't be able to drive, eat,
or get help in times of sickness. Your life would be very difficult. Let's look
at this chapter a bit and see how faith affected the people of God.
Hebrews 11:4 says,
"By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he
was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by
faith he still speaks, even though he is dead." (NIV) We do not know many
details of Abel's faith. We do not know just how much was revealed to him. But
we do know that his faith caused him to worship God. He picked the best of his
flock to sacrifice to God. "and Abel brought of the firstlings of his
flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his
offering, (Genesis 4:4, RSV). He
brought it to the place of sacrifice. It was natural for Abel's faith in God to
manifest itself in a blood sacrifice, a sacrifice that pointed to the Messiah. It
was natural for Abel to worship. There is something wrong with the Christian
who does not worship. Faith looks for opportunities to worship.
Faith made Enoch walk with
God, v. 5
"By
faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he
was commended as one who pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5, NIV).
In Genesis
it says, "And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with
God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23Altogether, Enoch lived 365
years. 24Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him
away" (Genesis 5:22-24). Your walk
will change if you continue to trust in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17
says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old
has gone, the new has come!" (NIV).
Enoch
pleased God. Is God pleased with you? Is God pleased with the places you choose
for recreation? Is God pleased with the books you read? With what you watch on
T.V.? Is God pleased with the words you use? The conversations you have? Is God
pleased with the plans you've made for your future?
Enoch's
walk of faith delivered him from death. Your walk of faith has already
delivered you from death, the death called damnation. Your faith is in Jesus;
therefore, there is no death to come to you.
Faith made Noah work for God,
v. 7.
We have in
Gen. 6, the tragic story of the decline of humanity into sin.
But God's
grace triumphs: God saves Noah (v. 8). In Noah, his faith manifested itself in
real works. James 2:26 says,
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is
dead." Noah built an ark because he believed in God. Every swing of his
axe said, "faith." Every felled tree said, "faith." Every
swing of his hammer said, "faith.
Faith will
make you work today. Faith is not something for long ago; for trusting in Jesus
for salvation and not trusting Him for anything else. It means you trust Him
for everything--even when it is difficult sometimes. It means that every day
you continue to trust Him and that you continue to manifest the fruit of your
faith. Caring, sharing, witnessing, forgiving, helping, etc. In these things
you please God.
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (NIV). Faith connects you to God; it is your admission that you are dependent upon Him; that your hope is in Him. It pleases Him, because it is Him you are trusting and no one and nothing else.
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (NIV). Faith connects you to God; it is your admission that you are dependent upon Him; that your hope is in Him. It pleases Him, because it is Him you are trusting and no one and nothing else.
Much more could be said about
this chapter. By faith Abraham, by faith Isaac, by faith Jacob, by faith
Joseph, by faith Moses, by faith Rehab,
By faith,
we understand the universe was formed; people offered sacrifices; humanity was
saved; people left their lands and moved; blessings were given; people were
freed; death was escaped; and walls fell; and verse 32 "And what more
shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
David, Samuel and the prophets," (NIV).
Conclusion
Faith is vitally important in the life of the Christian. It is by
faith that you are saved; you are justified; cleansed, and look forward to the
return of Jesus. Faith is where you please God, admit your dependence upon Him,
and continually seek to rely upon Him and His grace. I would like to close by
asking you these questions: "What has faith changed in your life? What are
faith's evidences in your life? Is faith growing in your life?
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