What is faith? The answer seems so simple to our author that the question almost seems a bit elementary as well. Faith is believing in something you can't see, or fully explain. In fact, other translations of the Bible use the word "substance," giving faith an element of being, and reality. It's simply amazing the things some people consider as faith, or reality. Listen to this observation I came across sometime ago. I do not know who wrote it, but I find it rather interesting. Here's what he says. "I've always been amazed by what people will believe. In recent grocery store tabloids, the following headlines were observed:
* Dinosaurs Honked Like Buicks
* Cow Mattresses Help Cows Produce More Milk
* Mom To Be On Diet Of Only Chicken, Lays Huge Egg
* WWII Bomber Found On The Moon
* Woman Gives Birth To 2 Year Old Baby: Child Walks & Talks In 3 Days
* Adam & Eve's Bones Found In Asia: Eve Was A Space Alien."
He concludes his observation with these words of wisdom. "People will read and believe this nonsense, but refuse the evidence concerning God and Jesus Christ."
We have now come to a chapter in our study that for many of us hits home. Faith. How can we believe in something we cannot prove...do not have hard evidence for? How is it possible for me to trust God, when I am going through all kinds of negative things in my life. If God were really a loving God, trials should not happen. Faith. It's such a difficult concept at times isn't it.
Imagine with me now, a letter coming to our church from a respected authority on the things pertaining to all the biblical doctrines that make up the Christian religion. Imagine also that we are being persecuted by the government, and by our non-Christian neighbors. Our possessions are being taken away, we lose our farms, and our homes, and physical harm is a stark reality. Life is hard; times are tough, and we begin to have doubts. All because we say we believe in this person called Jesus. We have begun to ask ourselves, "Is it really worth it?" Then this letter comes, explaining our religion in great detail, and reminding us of the reasons why we should believe. And we say, "Yes, we know we should, but where is it getting us? What is it getting us, other than trouble? What really is the point?" I can just imagine the great discussions at our board meetings, perhaps deep theological discussions. They would not be about finances, or building maintenance, or hymn books. Rather they will center on faith. Is this Christian faith really worth it? And then we receive this letter, similar to the one first sent to the people our author calls the Hebrews.
I can also imagine the reaction of the original recipients of their letter. No doubt their reaction was the same as I imagine ours would be. The author of Hebrews anticipated this, and so he thought it wise to talk about faith. Faith cannot be separated from all that he has already said. Faith must have an outcome. There must be a reason for having faith, and all that he has already said is the reason. The Christian faith must be predicated on the fact that Jesus is our perfect, supreme High Priest, who performs, and provides the perfect and fully sufficient sacrifice, completed once and for all time, and for all people. This sacrifice has opened the way for us so that we may draw near to God without fear, with boldness, and with complete confidence that our sins are forgiven, indeed forgotten by God. And that his promise to be our God is forever sure, and dependable. All of this, although there is plenty of evidence on the pages of Scripture, must, and can still only be accepted by faith. Yet in the end, it will be worth it...all the risks that accompany this Christian faith will someday be forgotten, for the way which Christ opened is not merely for a lifetime, but for eternity. There is a great reward at the end of the journey. Through his resurrection Christ has won ours. The author closed his previous chapter with the assurance that since we are not people who turn back and are lost, through faith we are saved. Faith in all that Christ has done for us.
Yet the question looms."What is faith?" Our author now devotes an entire chapter on this question. He anticipates the question, and given the circumstances of his original readers, no doubt the question was being asked by many. "Faith? O what's the use. Look where it's gotten us. We have done all that was expected of us, and still we are no better off. If this is what it means to have faith, is it really worth it?" Our author answers those kinds of questions with a resounding, "Yes! Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (vs 1 NKJB). The word used here points to something foundational, like the concrete foundation of a building. Faith is something upon which one can build. Faith has a foundational substance that leads to certain reality. It isn't just some kind of whimsical wish, based on desires, longings, or dreams. These things have no certain outcome. Faith does. Faith has substance.
A few weeks ago we held a family reunion in Aylmer ON, and someone had brought a soap bubble maker. It was not your ordinary bubble maker which makes many tiny bubbles as the user waves the wand slowly through the air. This thing made massive size bubbles, at least two feet in diameter. What an awesome sight to see those marvelously colored bubbles float through the air. Yet they only lasted a few seconds at the most. Some people treat faith like that, like a soap bubble. If you do, our author is here to tell you that faith isn't like that at all. It has foundational substance. It is firm, solid and lasting. It is real, and something on which you may depend. As Louis Evans has it, "Faith is the solid certainty of that for which we hope, based upon reality and solid existence." (Evans, Louis H. The Communicator's Commentary, Texas, Word Books, 1985, p. 196)
Our author offers a very easy to understand illustration. "It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God's word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen" (vs 3). His original readers would have no problem understanding this at all. That is no longer the case of course with the advent of the evolution theories. Yet, how do we know how the world was made? There was no one there to witness the creation of the world. So it is only by faith that we can believe the world was created out of nothing, things we cannot see, and the proof lies in the things we can see. It's really just as simple as that for our author. He would say that faith given by the revelation of God goes beyond the proof, or theories of any person. If God has said to his prophets, and to the authors of Scripture that he created the world out of nothing, why should we question that? Has God not been dependable in all other matters? Has he not been faithful in all other things? If we believe he has, then it must follow that this universe was created by the word of God. We can know this by faith.
As has been the author's pattern, when he tackles a subject, he wants to be thorough. He wants his readers to be totally clear in understanding. He wants them to know exactly what he means, and as I have said before, he will be so repetitious that you almost want to give up on him. Again he gives example upon example, just to get his point across. In fact there are so many, I thought it best to divide this section on faith into two parts. When we come back from our two week holiday, we will resume with the second part of "What is Faith?"
He begins his litany of examples with Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam and Eve. Abel offered to God a more acceptable offering than did Cain. The story is familiar, but perhaps the reason for God's greater acceptance isn't. Remember, we are talking about faith. The reason for God not accepting Cain's offering was because of his lack of faith. It was the attitude with which he presented his offering. Abel's attitude was one of faith, and confidence in the graciousness of God, so he offered God the best in humble gratitude. Cain, on the other hand, only brought some of his grain to the altar, perhaps rather haphazardly chosen. His attitude was that faith had nothing to do with life. O he believed in God alright, but that only went so far. He was his own person who would master his own destiny. And so only a minimal offering would do. But God was not pleased, and the first murder was committed. Yet, even though he is dead, Abel still speaks to us. How? By example. His was the right attitude, one that all of us should have.
The author then turns to Enoch. You can read about this particular Enoch in the fifth chapter of Genesis, where he is described as having pleased God so that he did not experience death. He was simply taken away to be with God in heaven, because he walked with God on earth. How was it possible for this man to please God so much that he did not taste physical death? He had faith. Faith was the key, for without that faith it would be impossible to please God. Without faith it is impossible for us to please God. To have faith in anything else, including ourselves...to think that somehow we can do without God in our lives, is not "walking with him," and not pleasing him.
The next five verses add yet another ingredient to faith; that being, obedience. Here we have the "O" word again. Moving through the historical pages of Scripture, our author now mentions Noah. "It was faith that made Noah hear God's warning about things in the future he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved" (vs 7). Out of the blue God comes to Noah and tells him to build boat because there is going to be a flood, and Noah believed him. Then he tells him to take his family and two of every animal into the boat, and the door is shut, not by Noah, but by God himself, and Noah trusted him. This was a huge step of faith. Think about it. He and his family would be the only people left on earth. Noah obeyed, and trusted God that everything would turn out exactly as God said it would. That is faith, is it not?
The same goes for Abraham. God called him out of his own homeland to go who knew where. It was by faith that he left the comforts of home to live in tents in a foreign country. Abraham obeyed God's call, and by faith he believed God's promises. And what was the result? Sarah, his wife did conceive, and yes there were times of doubt, but in the end, faith was victorious. From one man and one woman, even though they were "practically dead" there "came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky...." (vs 12 GNB).
What is faith? Faith is not believing in weird things such as dinosaurs honking like Buicks. To quote the late William Barclay, "Faith is the ability to lay hold on that grace which is sufficient for all things in such a way that the things which are humanly impossible become divinely possible." (Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible, Hebrews, Toronto, G.R.Welch Co. Ltd., 1976 p 147), Our author wants to make this abundantly clear from the historical pages of Scripture. Listen again to Dr. Barclay. "With God all things are possible, and therefore, the word impossible has no place in the vocabulary of the Christian..." (Ibid) Do you have such faith? AMEN
