What Faith Does
Hebrews 11:1
I grew up learning Hebrews 11:1 from the American Standard Version:
"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction
of things not seen."
One way to study this is: This is a statement of what faith does. When you learn
what something does, that helps you understand what it is. What does faith do?
It assures us of those things we hope for, and convinces us of things we have
never seen. Think of this as a statement of what faith does, therefore helpful
in understanding what faith is.
Beginning at the end of the verse, think about faith in relation to things not
seen. Faith convinces us of things not seen. As you think about this, make a
mental list of things you believe, but have not seen: We have not seen God
through direct, visual contact; we did not witness creation; we did not observe
the sin of Adam and Eve; we have no visual knowledge of the exodus of Israel, or
their entrance into the promised land; we did not witness the birth of Christ,
we were not with Him on the roads of Galilee; we did not see Him die on the
cross, nor witness His resurrection. These are things we believe, but have not
seen. When we believe and affirm as truth that which we haven't seen - that's
faith. When we know something is true or something happened - on the strength of
evidence we have been exposed to - that's faith. Faith convinces us of things
not seen. One translation says: "makes us certain of realities we do not see."
(See also 2 Cor. 5:7).
Now consider the first phrase of the verse, and focus on - things hoped for. Now
we consider faith in relation to the future; that is, things hoped for. This
phrase, "things hoped for" does not mean - just anything we want to happen in
the future! Perhaps you want a promotion to advance your career; a substantial
financial inheritance; the strong desire for some problem in your life to
suddenly and forever disappear. These common desires are understandable, but not
involved in the specific phrase in Hebrews eleven. "Things hoped for" cannot be
applied to just anything we want to happen.
In this regard, one of the modern English translations misses the text
completely. The Living Bible has: "What is faith? It is the confident assurance
that something we want is going to happen... ." That's not even a good
paraphrase. The phrase "things hoped for" in Heb. 11:1 is not about the personal
wishes of people - it is about the divine promises of God. The earlier context
is definitive: "the hope set before us... this hope... the bringing in of a
better hope... God providing something better for us," (Heb. 6:17-20; 7:18,19;
11:40). "Things hoped for" in the Hebrew context is not about my carnal wishes;
it is about what God has promised to the just, who live by faith. For examples -
we look forward to the second coming of Christ, the resurrection and heaven.
Faith assures us of those things!
Those things God has promised through the gospel are substantiated in my heart
by faith (exposure to evidence resulting in belief, see Jno. 20:30,31; Luke
1:1-4; Rom. 10:17). When we believe God - when we accept His promises as true,
and we live by that hope - faith is assuring us of things we hope for.
So, we learn what faith is by considering what faith does: Faith convinces us of
things we have never seen; and faith assures us of things we hope for. Do you
have the faith described in Hebrews 11:1? Have you acted on that faith? Do you
walk by faith? Remember, faith discovers its existence in obedience!
By Warren E. Berkley
From Expository Files 8.11; November 2001
