Examples of Faith - Abraham and Sarah - Pt. 3

 

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. (Hebrews 11:8-12 ESV).

 

The Christian faith is a lifelong possession. As we endure in faith over the course of our lives, we show that we really had true faith to begin with. Theologians call this truth “the perseverance of the saints.” It is certainly not easy; however, the work of the Holy Spirit empowers us with all we need to endure. When we wrestle with difficulties that might lead us to question our hope, we need encouragement to maintain our profession, and we find that in the pages of Scripture as the Spirit inspires us. In our reading today, we find special encouragement to remain faithful. The examples of the saints of old who continued in faith despite never receiving all of the promises (Hebrews 11:13) motivate us to trust God as we wait for Him to bring all things to final consummation.

 

Throughout the New Testament, the life of Abraham is held up as the example of incredible faith. This Abraham, we are told, “went out, not knowing where he was going” (v. 8). The reference in this verse is Genesis 12:1–3. At first, God calls Abram (later “Abraham”) to leave Ur but Abram is not told where he is going. We are eventually told that God led Abram to the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:5), but Abram does not know this at first. Nevertheless, Abram faithfully trusts God and obeys. John Owen says that “Abraham wholly committed himself to the power, faithfulness, goodness, and direction of God without having the least encouragement about the place he was going to.” Persevering faith trusts God to direct us even when we may not know where He is leading us.

 

In his lifetime, Abraham did not inherit the Promised Land. He lived as a stranger in Canaan, dwelling in tents because he had no land of his own (v. 9). We are told that he could do this because he was looking forward to the city whose builder is God Himself (v. 10). Even Abraham knew that Canaan was not the ultimate end of God’s promises. He understood that it only pointed forward to the heavenly country that was, and still is, yet to come (v. 16). Today, we who are the children of Abraham by faith (cf. Galatians 3:7) live as strangers in the Promised Land (cf. Leviticus 25:23). We will inherit the whole earth when Jesus returns to bring the city built by God (cf. Revelation 21). Until then we, like Abraham, must continue trusting God to direct us, to provide for us, and to bring His creation to renewal.

 

Of course, Jesus is our ultimate example of one who lived as a stranger in the Promised Land. By dwelling (or, “tabernacling”) among us (cf. John 1:14), He became the ultimate example of the one who lived in tents in the land that was, by all rights, His. Let Jesus’ trust in the Father encourage you to trust Him as well!

 

Examples of Faith - Noah - Pt. 2

 

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7 ESV).

 

Continuing his look at Old Testament exemplars of faith, the author of Hebrews in today’s passage turns to Noah. In this ancient believer in the one true God, we find a remarkable illustration of authentic faith.

 

We noted previously that faith has particular reference to things unseen, for it is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (v. 1). Few believers have had to live according to the conviction of things not seen as Noah did. As we see in that first book of the Bible, the Lord purposed to destroy life on earth by means of a flood on account of the wickedness of humanity. However, God preserved Noah, a righteous and blameless man, and his family, commanding him to build an ark where he and his family, as well as representatives from the animal kingdom, would be kept safe from the floodwaters.

 

Noah believed God’s warning of judgment and trusted the Lord’s promise to keep him and his family safe if he would build an ark, demonstrating that trust by obeying the Lord and constructing a seafaring shelter from the rains. This was no light undertaking. Noah had to collect and shape the materials to build the enormous vessel that was the ark. More significantly, the earth had never experienced a deluge like the one God warned Noah about, and Noah lived inland where the danger of a minor flood, let alone the threat of a worldwide flood, was minimal. Noah had no other reason to think that a flood would come except the word of God’s promise.

 

For Noah, however, that word of promise was sufficient. He understood the character of his Creator and believed that God would do what He had said. His faith was in the Lord and in the Lord alone. By this faith, which bore fruit in his building the ark, “he condemned the world” (v. 7). Noah’s trust and ultimate vindication when he did not die in the flood demonstrated the sinfulness of the people around him who saw him build the ark and yet did not believe that a flood was coming. His faith motivated actions also revealed him as an “heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” His actions proved his trust in the Lord’s Word, and on account of that trust, God regarded Noah as a righteous man. Through faith in God’s promises alone, we are likewise regarded by the Lord as righteous (cf. Romans 4). Trust in the Lord! That is the way of faith!

 

Examples of Faith - Abel and Enoch - Pt. 1

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:4-6 ESV).

 

Today we begin to look at the examples of faith the writer uses to teach his readers more about the essential nature of faith in pleasing God as we draw nearer to Him. Abel is the first old covenant saint held up to us as an example of faith (v. 4). The story of Abel is taken from one of the first examples of life outside the Garden of Eden (cf. Genesis 4:1–5). It is intended to teach us an important lesson about how true faith manifests itself in the kinds of things we offer to the Lord.

 

The writer says that God “had regard”—was pleased with—Abel’s offering but not with Cain’s. Over the centuries, theologians have tried to discern what set Abel’s gift apart as acceptable to the Lord. Many have suggested that the problem was that Abel offered a blood sacrifice while Cain offered a grain sacrifice. This is understandable, since we know sin cannot be forgiven except through the offering of blood (cf. Hebrews 9:22). However, Genesis does not tell us that God rejected Cain’s sacrifice because it was grain, not blood. Furthermore, grain offerings were prescribed in the Mosaic law and thus were acceptable to Him when offered rightly (cf. Leviticus 2). “When offered rightly” is key. Genesis 4:4 says that Abel brought the “firstborn” and the “fat portions” for an offering—the first and the best. Verse 3 says only that Cain brought an “offering of the fruit of the ground.” This suggests that the problem was that Cain did not bring the first and best but offered his sacrifice to the Lord as an afterthought. Not being motivated by true faith, Cain did not bring the firstfruits of his labor. Abel, however, trusted God to provide for his needs even if he gave the best of his labor. That is the posture of faith.

 

The author of Hebrews then turns to the history of Enoch (cf. Genesis 5:21–24). Scripture says very little about him except that he “walked with God”. The ancient Greek translation of the original Old Testament Hebrew text, called the Septuagint, says in this verse that Enoch “pleased God.” To “walk with God” is a Hebrew idiom for obeying Him, so “pleased God” is an acceptable reading of the text. In any case, Enoch stood out in his generation for his faithfulness to the Lord, his walking with God being rooted and grounded in faith. This reminds us that any good we do cannot truly please God unless it is motivated by our trust in Him and His promises. Faith leads us into a saving relationship with our Creator, and that faith bears the fruit of love for Him and for our neighbor. These are two powerful examples for us today!

  

The Substance of Things Hoped For

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV).

 

We cannot leave these verses without spending some time with the “substance of things hoped for” It may be that all this means is that faith is a deep confidence that the promises of God will come true so that we may depend on them. That would be enough to free us from the fears and greed and worldliness that block the flow of radical, risk-taking, sacrificial love. If we have a strong conviction that God will care for us and bring us to glory and fulfill all his promises to us forever, then we will be free from self-indulgence and free for serving others. But I think it means more, or maybe this is just a way of filling up this meaning with all that's really here. The word "assurance" here can mean "nature" or "substance" or "reality" or "essence" in other places, for example, Hebrews 1:3 ("exact representation of God's nature"). If that is what is meant here, then we should think like this.

 

What could the "substance" or "nature" of things hoped for mean? I think it could mean that faith apprehends the goodness and the sweetness of what God promises so clearly that this goodness and sweetness are substantially present in faith. In other words, faith grasps, or lays hold of, God's preciousness so firmly that in the faith itself there is the substance of the goodness and the sweetness promised. Faith doesn't create what we hope for. That would be a mere mind game. Faith is a spiritual apprehending or perceiving or tasting or sensing of the beauty and sweetness and preciousness and goodness of what God promises - especially his own fellowship, and the enjoyment of his own presence.

 

Faith does not just feel confident that this is coming someday. Faith has spiritually laid hold of and perceived and tasted that it is real. And this means that faith has the substance or the nature of what is hoped for in it. Faith's enjoyment of the promise is a kind of substantial downpayment of the reality coming. Act on that kind of faith! That is the gift God has given to every one of His children!

 

The Essence of Faith - Pt. 5

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV).

 

Continuing our thought from yesterday that faith is the "evidence of things unseen” we see that God created the world by his word. We can surmise the truth of this by looking at another passage from the Apostle Paul:

 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 ESV).

 

The word "perceived" (v. 20) is the same word as in Hebrews 11:3, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God."

 

So, in both passages we understand the invisible word of God behind creation by faith. Paul seems to say that the evidence that God made the world is the things made. They clearly point to a Creator, or Maker. The writer of Hebrews seems to say that the evidence that God made the world is faith. Now think about this for a moment. Faith, at least in part, is the spiritual seeing or perceiving of the fingerprints of God on the things he has made. Now the fingerprints of God on the things he has made, that is the order, the beauty, the greatness, the "irreducible complexity" are the evidence that God made the world. But so is the seeing of these fingerprints a kind of evidence. It's just the other side of the coin.

 

I think that is the way faith is the evidence of things unseen. We all look at the same fingerprints, but some see and some don't. Those who see have the evidence - the testimony - in themselves. This will lead us to another discovery of the expanse of the work of grace in our lives. Today, thank God for giving you life and with that the knowledge fueled by faith to understand and experience its fulness! It is a glorious gift!

 

The Essence of FAith - Pt. 4

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV).

 

Today we see a second definition for faith: “it is the conviction of things not see” (v. 1). The word for "conviction" or "evidence" is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. Outside the New Testament, its normal use is "proof" or "argument" or "evidence" - something objective - about the world rather than subjective about how we feel about the world.

 

Most translators don't use the old word, "proof" or "evidence," because it doesn't seem to make sense. How can faith be evidence or proof? Faith needs evidence, doesn't it? But let's look at the illustration of this definition of faith in verse 3. Verse 3 is directly related to this definition of faith as "the evidence of things not seen." It says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible."

 

Do you see the connection? Verse 1 says "faith is the evidence of things not seen," and verse 3 says that faith understands that the world - what is seen - was made from what is not seen - the word of God. However, how do we know that God made the world out of nothing that is seen? Not only were we not there when it happened, but, even if we had been there, we would not have been able to see the act of creation, because you can't see the word of God. So how can we know or "understand" that the worlds were made by the word of God? How can we know that "what is seen was made out of things invisible" - namely the word of God?

 

Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? But the answer is "by faith." "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God" (v. 3). If "faith is the evidence of things not seen," then it might make sense to say, "By faith (by evidence) we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God." The answer is going to come in the understanding of the “fingerprints of God.” We’’ see more detail tomorrow, however, today we can trust our faith because of the Holy Spirit’s work in revealing this to us. We see the evidence in our experience with Him. God proves Himself to us by working in our daily lives. Faith is not blind, it is proven by experience. That cause me to be struck by the very personal nature of our relationship with God. I have known His love, grace, and forgiveness shown in so many ways, He is undeniable. That is God’s nature!

 

The Essence of Faith - Pt. 3

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV).

 

Before we leave these verses, we should understand more exactly what faith is. Fortunately, the writer gives us two important words to define this kind of faith. He writes: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (v. 1). There is more here than meets the eye at first. "The assurance of things hoped for" is a phrase which describes faith as the confident belief in things we hope for, even if we cannot see them; essentially meaning that faith gives us a certainty about things we are looking forward to, despite not having physical evidence yet.

 

The word for "assurance" in the first definition ("the assurance of things hoped for") and the word for "conviction" in the second definition ("the conviction of things not seen"), are unusual words and very difficult to translate into English. We will look at the first today and the latter tomorrow.

 

“Assurance” is derived from the Greek preposition ὑπό (hupo, meaning "under") and the verb ἵστημι (histēmi, meaning "to stand"). The Hebrew equivalent often associated with "hupostasis" is תּוֹכֶן (tochen), which can mean "substance" or "essence." In the New Testament, "hupostasis" is used to convey the idea of a foundational reality or essence. It can refer to the underlying substance or actual being of something, as opposed to mere appearance. In a more abstract sense, it is used to denote confidence or assurance, particularly in the context of faith. In ancient Greek philosophy, "hupostasis" was used to describe the essential nature or underlying reality of a thing, distinguishing it from its attributes or appearances. In the context of the New Testament, this term takes on a theological significance, particularly in discussions about the nature of faith and the reality of spiritual truths.

 

This is not merely academic. Just ask yourself this question: do you have faith? How do you know you have faith? What is faith, so that you can know you have it? What hangs on whether you have faith or not? You can see that this question is immensely practical and relevant to your life. It is truly knowing. We can trust this knowledge for life itself!