“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
(Hebrews 11:1)
Now faith …
When I began my study and writings of The Book of Hebrews, I knew the beloved and famous Hebrews 11 was on the horizon. The good ol’ faith chapter. It is a chapter of inspiration as it is filled with the great faithful believers that came before us. This book illustrates how no believer in the past could see what God purposed for them in the physical, but they believed it because of their faith in God.
The very idea of life itself is based on faith. We either believe that a source outside of the universe created and sustains the universe or we believe it came into existence on its own. The latter is preposterous in my humble opinion. No one has ever seen anything created from nothing, and no one expects something to come from nothing either. Something as simple as baking a cake requires someone outside of those ingredients to mix them to gather, pour them into a pan, bake it, and decorate it to their liking.
No one believes a cake can form from the ingredients simply being near one another. No matter if I left flour, sugar, eggs, and the likes near one another for a billion years, I do not find it logical to consider that one day those ingredients will combine into a cake on their own. Perhaps, the elements around them may cause them to melt and/or merge. But for a cake to be symmetrically formed, aesthetically pleasing, and tasty someone must intentionally bake it.
No one thinks anything can come together without someone creating it. Certainly, you don’t think these words formed on this page without a writer typing them. And so, since we all believe that nothing can be formed outside of a creator, nothing at all, not even words on a page, why is it that some opt to believe that the entire universe with all of its complexities, symmetry, and brilliance was created without a creator? The astronomical details on one wing of a butterfly are far too intentional for a creator to not have created it. From the oceans to the mountains, mankind, wildlife, and the laws of nature, there’s simply no way an intentional creator did not design the glory that we see in the universe.
Yet, regardless of skeptics’ reasons to believe that there is no God, all theories of how the universe was formed are based in faith, even our belief to believe that it was created by God. Hebrews 11:3 reads, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” We believe in God and his power by faith.
Faith is the foundation of our belief. Believing without seeing is the call for those who walk with God. The Hebrew author wrote this chapter to his audience because their faith was weakening. The sufferings they endured due to their belief became a tad bit too difficult to bare. I can’t imagine living under life-threatening circumstances only because you follow Christ, but this was their reality.
I imagine believing that God can do all things for you but not seeing him deliver you or your people from persecution was trying. “Is it worth it?” “Does God hear us?” “Is He really there?" These may have been some of the questions that floated through their minds while under fiery attacks from enemies in both the natural and physical world. So, the Hebrew author wrote, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6).
In Hebrews 10, the author informed his audience that they could either shrink back from the faith or press forward. Yet, he told them that if they shrunk back, they would not please God. Here in the next chapter, he is doubling down on this idea. He told them it is impossible to please God without faith to encourage them to remain in the Lord. He encouraged them to maintain their faith by listing several believers in the past who maintained their faith despite the difficulties of doing so.
God told Noah that mankind would be destroyed by water and that only he and his family would remain. From that revelation, Noah was instructed to build an arc to save him and his family. Noah’s faith and obedience in building the arc with no physical proof of God’s word coming to pass is what lead him to salvation. Likewise, the world may argue that we have no physical proof that God’s word will come to pass. They may argue that our faith alone is not enough evidence to live a surrendered life. But faith was all Noah had, and his faith was more than enough to save him and his loved ones.
Faith is also what led Abraham and Sarah to receive their promised child, Issac. Although Sarah was old and barren, she believed God. After laughing at the impossibility of her bearing a child in Genesis 18, she then believed and bore a child in Genesis 21 where she again laughed because God made the impossible possible. Abraham also initially laughed at God’s promise, but they both received the promise regardless of how ridiculous God’s promise seemed. They held on by faith and received exactly what God said they would.
The author mentions several other pillars in the faith who believed God by faith and received various promises including Enoch, Moses, and Abel. Yet, the author also states that they did not receive the promise: “And all these having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” (Hebrews 11:39). Obviously, Abraham and Sarah received the promise of Issac, Noah received the promise of salvation from the flood, and even we have received some of God’s promises. We have the promise of Abraham to bless the nations and we also have God’s promises of peace, protection joy, and the prophesied promise of Jesus Christ, our most precious promise.
So, of course, we have received many promises, yet we have yet to receive the final promise—eternal life. Verse 13 and 16 states, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises … now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.” The entire point of this chapter was to get the audience to see that the only way they could receive an eternal resting place in God was to keep believing. Faith in God and his promises was the only thing they could rely on, and it is the only thing we have as well. For the just shall live by faith.
Reader, I’ve nothing else to write. I only ask that you keep the faith. Faith in God and his word is all we have … but it is also all we need. Anyone who has ever received anything from God only had the Lord and his Word, but it was always enough. By faith the greats in the Bible received many promises. And by faith, so will we. So, press on in faith. It is all you have.
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Have a blessed day!
Sincerely,
Quin Arrington
Keeping The Faith! Wonderful my daughter!🙌🏾👏🏾🫶🏾