Let's Talk About Faith

Hebrews 11:1-3

Under the ministry of Dr. Alverson at Grace Independent Baptist Church, I learned something about taking God at His Word.  Pastor Alverson was absolutely enthralled with Faith Promise Giving and he enthusiastically taught us the principles and promises of faith giving. With countless illustrations from his own experiences, he detailed for us how to stand on God’s promises.  He would present endless accounts of how faith has become the axiom for his entire life.  He constantly assured us from Scripture and his adventures with God that life must be lived by faith.  Because we dared to look through the window of his experiences—his years of trusting God to meet ministry, directional, family related, physical, spiritual, and emotional needs—we found ourselves inspired and emboldened to trust God also.

Living by Faith is the highest principle for Christian experience. In doing so, we are sure to please God, sustain a distinctively Christian confession, secure eternal rewards, and effectively face the hazards of a righteous lifestyle.  Though staggering challenges pervade our lives, confidence in Christ enables us to respond with joyful obedience to still triumph in them all.  Forsaking Christ in fear ceases to be a consideration as we live by faith. 

But, what are we talking about when we talk about faith? What is God's concept of faith? When we are willing to accept as fact what God’s Word says, and in response reach out to seek and to experience relationship with Him, then we have begun to live by faith. And then we will be rewarded.

This living by faith—accepting as fact the truths that we cannot touch or feel or see, and then acting on them—seems such a simple prescription for life. Lest we make the mistake of equating simplicity with ineffectiveness, Hebrews 11 details the accomplishments of faith. –Adapted from The Teacher's Commentary

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [2] For by it the elders obtained a good report. [3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:1-3)

God tell us we can perceive reality as He knows it by faith. This transfers us well beyond human investigation and discover into the realm of the supernatural and spiritual. Such faith has substance and presents reliable evidence though. It is not limited to what is physically perceptible, what currently exists, or even the visible. Faith is like an extra ability to sense and see the supernatural, spiritual, heavenly, and invisible realities.

How does faith provide a basic framework for understanding and dealing with reality? (Heb. 11:1-3)

With the mention of faith (“believe” and “faith” are the same concept), in Heb. 10:38-39, the groundwork was laid for a fuller discussion of the life that pleases God in this illustrious eleventh chapter.  The first eight verses of Hebrews 11 describe faith and illustrate how faith in God and His Word provide a basic framework for understanding and dealing with reality. The chapter emphasizes the vision and endurance of faith. It introduces us to men and women of the Old Testament who had 20/20 spiritual vision and who endured tremendous shame and suffering rather than renounce their faith.  From these verses we can discern what faith is, what faith is not, and what it does.  In doing so, we understand the basic framework for reality.

1. What Faith is Not (11:1).
1. “This chapter centers on and focuses upon what faith is.…It might help to show, first of all, what faith is not. Faith, for instance, is not positive thinking; that is something quite different. Faith is not a hunch that is followed. Faith is not hoping for the best, hoping that everything will turn out alright. Faith is not a feeling of optimism. Faith is none of these things though all of them have been identified as faith.…
2. “Faith is believing there is another dimension to life other than those which can be touched, tasted, seen or felt.… Faith believes that God, in His grace, has stepped over the boundary into human history and told us some great and very valuable facts. Faith believes them and adjusts its life to those facts and walks on that basis.”—Ray Stedman, What More Can God Say?
2. What Faith Is (11:1).
1. Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that what God says is true and that what He promises will come to pass (11:1).

                                                               i.      Faith must have some revelation from God, some promise of God as its foundation. It is not a leap in the dark. It demands the surest evidence in the universe, and finds it in the Word of God.

                                                            ii.      It is not limited to possibilities but invades the realm of the impossible. Someone has said, “Faith begins where possibilities end. If it’s possible, then there’s no glory for God in it.”

                                                          iii.      The nature of faith, according to the NT, is to live by the truth it receives; faith, resting on God’s promise, gives thanks for God’s grace by working for God’s glory. –Evangelical Dictionary of Theology

                                                           iv.      Faith is a belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will for one's life.—Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary

2. Faith, mighty faith the promise sees,  And looks to God alone; Laughs at impossibilities And cries, “It shall be done.” —Author unknown.

3. There are difficulties and problems in the life of faith. God tests our faith in the crucible to help us see if it is genuine (1 Pet. 1:7). But, as George Müller said, “Difficulties are food for faith to feed on.”
4. There are three fundamental considerations about faith: its basic nature, the honor associated with it, and its way of seeing things.

                                                               i.      In its essence faith is being sure of God and certain about unseen hopes and realities He communicated.

                                                             ii.      The fact that faith is honorable is illustrated by Old Testament believers, who were commended by God for living by faith.

                                                            iii.      Faith is also a way of viewing all experience since it is the way in which believers see the universe for what it is—a creation by God. –Adapted from John Walvoord

3. What Faith Does—Accomplishes (Heb. 11:2-3).
1. Faith Sees the Future and the Invisible (11:1). 

                                                               i.      Verse 1 is not really a formal definition of faith; rather it is a description of what faith does for us.

                                                             ii.      It makes things hoped for as real as if we already had them, and it provides unshakable evidence that the unseen, spiritual blessings of Christianity are absolutely certain and real. In other words, it brings the anticipated within the present and makes the invisible seen or realized.

                                                            iii.      Therefore, faith is a very practical thing (Heb. 11:3), in spite of what unbelievers say.

                                     1.      Faith enables us to understand what God does. Faith enables us to see what others cannot see (note Heb. 11:7, 13, 27). As a result, faith enables us to do what others cannot do! People laughed at these great men and women (Heb. 11) when they stepped out by faith, but God was with them and enabled them to succeed to His glory.

                                     2.      Dr. J. Oswald Sanders put it perfectly: “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.”

2. Faith Secures God’s Approval (11:2).

                                                               i.      Because they walked by faith and not by sight, the OT elders received divine approval—“obtained a good report.” The rest of Hebrews 11 is an illustration of how God has borne witness to them. These Old Testament worthies believed God, and for them it was not a leap in the dark and it was not a hope-so type of scenario. Their faith rested upon solid evidence.

                                                             ii.      Witness or “obtained a good report” is an important thought in Hebrews 11.

                                    1.      It occurs not only in verse 2, but twice in verse 4, once in verse 5, and once in verse 39. This is important to note because trusting God and living by faith is often perceived as foolish, unscientific, and irrational. Those who have insisted on living by faith had to live with some element of shame and social discomfort. It takes real faith to endure shame or reproach for your commitment to Christ and His principles.

                                    2.      The summary in Hebrews 12:1 calls this list of men and women “so great a cloud of witnesses.” They are witnesses to us because God witnessed to them. Their testimony is the fact that living by faith does work regardless of the incredible challenges we will face. In each example cited, God gives witness to that person’s faith. God is pleased with a person who believes His Word and acts on that trust. Though people will question our sanity because we are governed by our faith, God is pleased with the "Faith life" and that is all that really matters!

                                    3.      This witness was His divine approval on their lives and ministries. It is not that these individuals were perfect, but that in these instances they trusted God while enduring some incredible and intimidating circumstances. Faith in God will get us through the hard stuff as well. 

                                                            iii.      The problem with many of us today is that when a crisis comes to us and we ought to be able to rest in God and lay hold of Him, but we are not able to do so. When we haven’t been doing it all along, it is such a new experience for us that it is very difficult to do. However, if you learn to trust God when the sun is shining, it is easier to trust Him on the day when … you are in one of life’s storms.—McGee, J. Vernon

                                                           iv.      The best way to grow in faith is to walk with the faithful. The remainder of Hebrews 11 is devoted to a summary of the lives and labors of great men and women of faith found in the Old Testament. In each instance, you will find the same elements of faith:

                                    1.      God spoke to them through His Word;

                                    2.      Their inner selves were stirred in different ways;

                                    3.      They obeyed God;

                                    4.      He bore witness about them.—Adapted from W. W.  Wiersbe

3. Faith Comprehends the Creation (11:3).

                                                               i.      Faith provides us with the only factual account of creation. God is the only One who was there; He tells us how it happened.

                                     1.      We believe His word and thus we know also.

                                     2.      McCue states: “The conception of God pre-existent to matter and by His flat calling it into being is beyond the domain of reason or demonstration. It is simply accepted by an act of faith.”

                                                             ii.      Through faith we understand. The world says, “Seeing is believing.” God says, “Believing is seeing.”

                                     1.      Jesus said to Martha, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).  Believe in order to see!

                                     2.      The Apostle John writes, “These things have I written unto you that believe ... that ye may know” (1Jn. 5:13). In spiritual matters faith precedes understanding.

                                                            iii.      The worlds were framed by the Word of God. God spoke and matter came into being (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14). This agrees perfectly with man’s discovery that matter is essentially energy. When God spoke, there was a flow of energy in the form of sound waves. These were transformed into matter, and the world instantly sprang into being.

                                                           iv.      So that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible). Energy is invisible; so are atoms, and molecules, and gases to the naked eye, yet in combination they become visible. The fact of creation as set forth in Hebrews 11:3 is unimpeachable. It has never been improved on and never will. Thus we have a framework for perceiving and understanding reality as God knows it. We live in a universe that was created by God; it did not evolve. We are not alone in the universe, God is here and we are accountable to Him. Believing these truths establishes the framework for our fundamental worldview. As we face challenges, we know we are not alone; we can turn to God in faith as the Hebrews 11 believers did. We understand that we have significance because God made us; all things have some importance because we all our creatures and part of His grand design. 

How do Christ and His work fit into the category “of things hoped for” and “things not seen”? (Heb. 11:1-2)

The Work of Christ is the primary focus of faith considered in these verses. In fact the entire book of Hebrews is extremely Christ focused; it is Christocentric! The person and works of Jesus Christ is the discussion of every preceding chapter! Accordingly, two words in Hebrews 11:1 convey what authentic Bible faith is: substance, and evidence. These words will point us to what Christ has done for us, galvanize our convictions about His High Priestly work, and secure God’s approval upon our lives (Heb. 11:1-2).

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [2] For by it the elders obtained a good report. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

1. Faith has Substance (Heb. 11:1). The word “substance” literally means “to stand under, to support.” It is the thought of a foundation or basis.  So faith is the foundation supporting our hope or the bases of what was anticipated.
1. Faith is to a Christian what a foundation is to a house: it gives confidence and assurance that we will stand.  When a believer has faith, it is God’s way of giving him confidence and assurance that what is promised will be experienced.  
2. Faith is the foundation on which our hope rest. Yes, our hope for salvation and the assurance thereof rests squarely on faith in the clear statements of God. Real faith is never baseless; it has the best possible foundation--The Word of God.  

                                                               i.      Faith then provides a foundation “of things hoped for,” or a basis for whatever is anticipated (Heb. 11:1).  Spiritual hopes are to be built upon or constructed on faith. What were people hoping for in Hebrews? They were hope for an authoritative message from God, an entrance into God's rest, a faithful and understanding Great High Priest, and a complete and effective Sacrifice to take away sin's guilt. All of these spiritual realities or hopes rest on the foundation of confidence in what God said. 

                                                             ii.      Vincent says, “The key is furnished by verse 27, as seeing him who is invisible. Faith apprehends as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses. It rests on that fact, acts upon it, and is upheld by it in the face of all that seems to contradict it. Faith is real seeing.” –Wuest, Kenneth.

                                                            iii.      “Faith is the title-deed of things hoped for.” The Holy Spirit energizes our faith and we exercise it in the Lord Jesus; this is the title-deed God gives us, guaranteeing to us what He promised. For these first-century Jew, faith in Messiah as High Priest would be the title-deed God would give them, guaranteeing to them the possession of the salvation for which they trusted God. Thus, they would have assurance.—Adapted from Wuest 

3. But what are “the things hoped for?” 

                                                               i.      This is directly linked to the blessings afforded believers because of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hopes are linked to the substance—this foundation or basis.

                                     1.      Consider the fact that Jesus has satisfied the Old Covenant requirements (Heb. 10:9) and established the New through His sacrifice. 

                                     2.      Also think about how He fulfilled the will of God by sanctifying—perfecting—“once and for all” every believer (10:10, 12). 

                                     3.      Now note the reality that His “one sacrifice” absolutely “took away sin” forever for all who repent believing the gospel (10:12). 

                                     4.      In addition, the Spirit of God testifies to us (10:15) that we are truly forgiven and God has forgotten our sins, He lives in our bodies; therefore, we stand in need of no additional sacrifices (Heb. 10:16-18). 

                                                             ii.      On this foundation we can confidently enter the very Presence of God boldly through “the new and living way” Christ has secured for us (10:19-22). Beloved, this is what we hope for! 

2. Faith has Evidence (Heb. 11:1).
1. The word “evidence” presents the concept of “that by which something is tested or proof” and simply means “conviction.”

                                                              i.      Thayer commenting on its use in this verse defines it as: “that by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced of their reality.”

                                                             ii.      Real faith in our soul is the proof of the invisible and the persuasion the invisible is absolutely real.Once we believe, trust, act on what God stated in His Word, we receive the peace and assurance He promised. 

                                                            iii.      The evidence is the inward conviction from God that what He has promised, He will perform. It also points to what God promised He has performed for us personally. The presence of God-given faith in one’s heart is conviction/proof enough that He will keep His Word or that He has kept His promise. Beloved, we cannot see all spiritual realities and we cannot demand to see invisible truths before we believe God. We cannot examine or reproduce what God claims in order to believe it. No, we take an honest God at His Word and act on it. In return He grants us this conviction or evidence deep within our souls. 

2. Now “evidence” is linked to “things not seen.” 

                                                               i.      We cannot see Christ or His sacrifice, His High Priestly ministry, His Heavenly Tabernacle, or the satisfaction of the Father with Christ’s sacrifice.  But, we have evidence that these are still realities though we cannot currently see them.  We simply know them and understand they are realities because of this knowing in our heart of hearts.  Our faith is the evidence that these, though invisible, are yet realities—actualities, and factual! Beloved, just because we cannot see something does not mean it is not real. We cannot see air, electricity, or influence, but everyone of us knows these things are real! Faith enables us to realize spiritual realities that are beyond the capabilities of our natural senses. Our world is far more than a physical existence; there are extraordinary supernatural and spiritual realities as well.  

                                                             ii.      Just as our natural senses provide evidence of the existence of matter, solidness, color, of heat and cold, of the differences in the qualities of items...our faith provides evidence of invisible realities whether past, present or future. God gives us faith—an extra perception or a sixth sense that is spiritual in its orientation, a supernatural intuition—as evidence of spiritual realities. By faith we can interact with the Lord God and the heavenly realm beyond our physical perception. Through faith we know Christ's Sacrifice is sufficient payment for our sins and God was fully satisfied with it. Through Faith we know we have a faithful and merciful High Priest in Heaven making intercession for us believers. Through faith we have entered into God's rest and are assured of an eternal home with Him. By faith we face the challenges of life knowing we are not alone, but God is with us working on our behalf. By faith we have, are, and will realize all God has promised in His Word. 

Once again living by Faith is the highest principle for Christian experience. In doing so, we are sure to please God, sustain a distinctively Christian confession, secure eternal rewards, and effectively face the hazards of a righteous lifestyle.  Though staggering challenges pervade our lives, confidence in Christ enables us to respond with joyful obedience to still triumph in them all.  Forsaking Christ in fear ceases to be a consideration as we live by faith. 

So why should we remember people of faith who lived in the past? What made the faith of these people extraordinary? (Hebrews 11:4–8)

Well, to recall the people of faith from history links them with our own reality and affords us hope, inspiration and guidance.  Since these were real people and faith proved effective for them as they trusted God, it will indeed be a legitimate way of coping with the challenging realities we face today.  Their faith is extraordinary because it enabled them all to please God in spite of their contemporary challenges and difficulties.  God has pleasure in those who continue to live by faith, but not those who draw back in doubt and unbelief (Heb. 10:38-39). My recommendation is press on on in faithful interaction with the true and living God each day of life. Also encourage others to enter a faith-relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Finally, cast away the anxieties and fears that have made you more immobile and reluctant to act; step out in faithful obedience to the Lord. He is pleased to work through our lives allowing us to experience the wealth of life with Him.

If you have not placed your trust in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins then I encourage you to acknowledge you are a sinner. Look seriously at what Jesus did for us at Calvary and call upon Him for forgiveness to establish a relationship with God. Believe the gospel--Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and He arose again the third day exactly as the Bible said He would. God accepted Christ's payment for our sins; will you accept Christ's payment on your behalf? Yes, Jesus suffered greatly for our sinful thoughts, behaviors, and the attitudes with which we justify our sin. Like myself, you can be forgiven as I was. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and turn to God today.