By Faith
“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 is the great faith chapter. Every Christian probably has memorized or attempted to memorize it at some point in his life. It is a favorite of preachers and Sunday School teachers. Hebrews 11 is about the heroes of the faith as we find them in the Old Testament. The phrase “by faith” occurs 19 times in this chapter (in the ESV). The KJV uses the word through instead of by in some verses. The central theme of the chapter is that nothing pleases God apart from faith (Heb. 11:6) and that each individual named accomplished the will of God by faith. The message of the chapter is that those who believed God did not receive what was promised (vs. 39) because God had provided something better for us (New Testament believer), and the Old Testament saint cannot be made perfect apart from us. Faith looks forward to Christ (Old Testament saint), and faith looks backward to Christ (Christian). The promises of God always take place within a covenant obligation or framework. Whether you looked forward to the promises or enjoyed the promises fulfilled, faith was necessary to appropriate those promises.
Abraham looked forward by faith to the city of God, not merely to a physical land. The proof of this was that he lived in tents and had left his previous land at the command of God. He went out not knowing where he was going but believing that God would bring him to what he had promised. He was looking for a better city which was heavenly since it was built by God. He even trusted God to give Isaac back to him if he offered him in sacrifice as God commanded (vv. 8–19). Abraham is a giant in faith. His life was not plain sailing, though. He had to wait a quarter of a century to receive Isaac, and then he received the shattering news that God wanted Isaac as a sacrifice.
How does a person stand this? The answer is by faith. This surely is proof that faith is not a blind trust. Rather faith is saturated with the knowledge of God and his ways. We may not be able to explain why God has acted as he does or why he is taking us through grim stuff, but faith lays hold of God in the darkness so that he might be our rock and fortress. It is God who supplies our needs. It is God who comforts us. It is God who walks with us. This was the experience of David who walked through the valley of the shadow of death. His only statement on that terrible experience was that God was with him (Ps. 23:4).
Hebrews 11:1 states clearly that faith is not tangible. Faith is described as an assurance and a conviction. It is an assurance of what we hope for and a conviction of what we cannot see. Verse one applies to every Old Testament hero of faith. They trusted God. They had hope and the assurance of it simply because God was their God. Only a Christian has this immense privilege. An unbeliever does not know God; therefore, he cannot prove or demonstrate the faithfulness of God. He does not know what that faithfulness looks like. Living by faith proves the faithfulness of God. This is why we pray, by the way. We pray because we expect God to answer. We do not know what God might answer, but we believe he will answer. He hears us when we call upon him (Ps. 50:15; 145:18, 19). Abraham simply obeyed God and went.
Most of us would want some evidence of where we were actually going before stepping out and leaving our city and country behind for good. Faith doesn’t need this. The Charismatic movement has got this all wrong. Their continued penchant for experience over-promise has led them into all kinds of error, especially concerning the Christian life and how it is to be lived. The life of faith in Hebrews 11 holds no promise of material prosperity or health. Every single one of these heroes knew suffering and hardship. They were not looking to their circumstances (rough though those were) but were looking to the One who had made promises to them (vv. 13–16). The only guarantee we have is God himself. Simon Peter looked at the wind and waves and sank. Why did he sink? He was not looking at Jesus (Matt. 14:28–31). Jesus reproved Peter: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Doubt is the opposite of faith. There is the danger of unbelief and lack of trust. Jesus does not mean that you can have anything and everything if you believe it and your failure to obtain it is because you have no faith.
Every Christian has faith. She must have it otherwise she is not a Christian. Faith is not about obtaining but is about relying on the living God. According to certain Christians the heroes of faith, since they did not obtain the promise, would have lacked faith, yet the writer to the Hebrews says they are commended for their faith (vs. 2). For instance, if God fails to provide what we pray for, should we then accuse God of being unfaithful? We dare not nor cannot, because God is always faithful (Ps. 145:13; Isa. 25:1; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3; Heb. 10:23; 11:11). Should we accuse God of not caring or doing anything at all? We cannot because God always acts for us. He is always working all things for good (Rom. 8:28). God is not capricious or unloving or uncaring. He calls us to trust that what he decides is the very best for us.
So faith is not getting what I want, but getting what God wants for me. The means and the ways of obtaining what God promises are God’s, and not mine. We always want to take matters into our own hands. We must control the circumstances. Circumstances can be frightening because they run away from us and get out of control, but never with God. Circumstances are totally under his control since he has determined the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:9, 10). God’s purposes stand inviolate. He cannot be thwarted. Faith knows this. Remember, faith is an assurance and conviction. Faith always has God as its object. Even though we don’t grasp all there is to know, faith lays hold of God. As the hymn-writer put it: “I am not skilled to understand, what God hath willed, what God hath planned…” Augustine put it this way: “God does not expect us to submit our faith to him without reason, but the very limits of our reason make faith a necessity.” According to 2 Corinthians 5:7, we walk by faith and not by sight. William Gurnall (1616–1679) said that “we live by faith and faith lives by exercise.”
The daily proving of God establishes confidence and trust. The more we trust God, the more our faith is made secure. This is why faith is not a one-time event. Saving faith continues on in its strength and power. It is nourished by prayer and study. When a child leaves home for the first time, there is much anxiety (both by parents and child), but knowing that one’s parents are there at home is a source of encouragement. Today we can easily communicate with loved ones—what a blessing that is. A child does not need the proof of a parent’s existence or love if she knows such things, but every display of those things is received joyfully and strengthens the child. This is how faith is with God. Every proof of God’s faithfulness strengthens faith to trust again and again. This is an encouragement to prove God by believing, rather than by getting. We do not need to and should not test God. He has proven himself. A successful racehorse has a proven pedigree and track record; therefore, your expectation is all the more raised. Betting on an unproven horse is a sure way to lessen the odds of winning (not that I am advocating you go and bet on a horse). Abraham and all the heroes knew God’s track record. Joseph had proved God for himself before God elevated him to the throne (as did David). So let us draw near to God and believe that he exists and that he will reward us for living by faith.