It’s amazing how God sometimes breaks through years of crusty familiarity to challenge my thinking. I can’t tell you how many messages I’ve sat under or how many times I’ve read the familiar verses, but this time was different. It was a tired day, busy but monotonous. During my evening jog, I was at mile 3 listening to Hebrews audibly scroll across my consciousness through my earbuds (read: probably not paying as much attention to it or the road as I should have been) just trying to get through the run without totally hating life (running isn’t really my thing). But when I began to hear Heb 11:1–12:2, I was startled. As I listened, it was like hearing those verses for the very first time. Here are some of the highlights the Holy Spirit was kind enough to show me.
In the translation I normally use (ESV), Heb 11:1 reads, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Before, the word “assurance” had confused me into believing one of the functions of my faith was to “reassure” me that the things I hope for were certain. In other words, having faith would prove that my beliefs weren’t just the proverbial “pie in the sky” hopes of an unrealistic dreamer. But how can just having faith assure me? Faith, by it’s definition, is me choosing to believe something (e.g. that God exists and rewards those who seek him, Heb 11:6). The existence or strength of my belief shouldn’t be the thing that provides assurance that God’s promises are trustworthy. Faith alone can’t be the proof for the realities of the universe. The things hoped for are certain because God wants them to happen, right? That’s the difference between true faith and false faith. True faith believes things that are true and acts accordingly. False faith believe things that are false and acts accordingly. After all, many people believe false things and believe them strongly enough to crash airplanes into buildings or set themselves on fire. So to me, the verse always seemed like a tautological invitation to just “work up a lot of faith,” which was confusing.
In the translation I was listening to last night, Heb 11:1 is translated, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” This translation cleared up my misunderstanding in an instant. Instead of faith assuring me that I would get those things I hope for (a definition of function), the word “faith” is actually being defined. God was telling me that “faith” means being sure of the things God has promised us. Faith is being fully convinced of things that are not yet seen and acting accordingly. This opened up the passage to me in ways that had been closed before.
The point of all those examples in Hebrews 11 then is to show that these people were sure of the promises of God and convinced of a future spent with God.
(Heb 11:3) Those with faith are willing to believe and act as if God exists and that God’s word (as opposed to a super-condensed black hole the size of a comma) was responsible for creating the world.
(Heb 11:4) Like Abel, those who with faith continually offer acceptable worship to God, believing in God’s offered way of salvation.
(Heb 11:5-6) Like Enoch, faith is convinced that God is real and rewards time spent in seeking him in coversation over and over and over.
(Heb 11:7) Like Noah, faith is willing to spend 120 years (if possible!) in doing whatever (menial?) task God has called you to, sure that God’s word will prove to be true.
(Heb 11:10; cf Gal 6:9)Like Abraham, faith is willing to make the uncomfortable move into the unknown and live in a tent instead of a house on God’s word it will be worth it someday. He was so sure that God would keep his covenant, that he was willing to put his family in danger.
(Heb 11:20–22; cf. 2 Tim 1:5) Faith takes the time and sometimes tedious effort required to pass on the traditions of faith from one generation to the next, not for traditions sake, but because they believe those traditions to be true.
(Heb 11:23) Like Moses’s parents, faith is willing to obey God over any governmental edict no matter the cost of getting caught.
(Heb 11:24-28) Like Moses, faith is willing to choose to be poor and mistreated rather than live like a king. Faith gave up this worlds goods for the next worlds treasure.
(Heb 11:29) Faith walked on dry ground with the threat of drowning literally looming over them.
(Heb 11: 30) Faith walked around a city for no comprehendable purpose.
(Heb11:32-38) And then there were a bunch of people who were convinced of God’s words on a whole bunch of different matters and either something good happened or something bad happened. All of these people just did the next faith-inspired (faith-filled) action.
Therefore, when we get to Hebrews 12, it’s not an “all these people are watching you so you better behave” kind of thing. They are not witnessing against us! They are witnesses of God’s promises being true. You are just the next person in a long line of saints who are called to do the next faith-filled thing. Their actions range from the ultimate sacrifice of a torturous death to the tedious spending of days, years, decades, and even a century long building of a boat. Some people’s faith moved them out of there comfortable home, and others faith required that they stay at home and wearily sacrifice their time teaching the next generation.
So here is my question, what would you do today if you were sure that what God promised to you was true? Would you act any differently? Hebrews 11 shows that faith comes in all shapes and sizes and will inspire all sorts of actions and reactions. At its core faith is being sure of God’s word and then acting on it. Do you have faith?
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