By Faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the “Hall of Fame of Faith.” In this chapter, we see a survey of many of the people in scripture who, by God’s grace, were able to do amazing things. However, it is not these people who are the heroes of their various stories, but God Himself. It is in this chapter that we see a summary report of the faithfulness of God to those who put their trust in Him.

This chapter begins by defining faith. We are told, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 12:1, ESV). One of the key words in this verse is, “conviction.” If you do not have the conviction that God is going to see you through, that He will provide, that He is guiding your steps – then you will never accomplish anything of significance for the Kingdom.

As we read Hebrews 11, we will see a re-occurrence of the phrase, “by faith.” This phrase in not used once, twice, or even a dozen times. This phrase is used twenty-two times as we are reminded of the great works of the men and women of the past. It is, “by faith,” they were able to accomplish the works that they did. Or, you might say, it was through a strong conviction of things not seen that they were able to accomplish what they did.

How is your faith? Put your name in this sentence and fill in the blank: It was by faith that Darrell __________________________________________. What might we do if we will simply operate “by faith.”

Remember the startling warning of Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him…” (ESV).

Walk in Faith

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 

Hebrews 11:6, ESV

“Without faith it is impossible to please him.” There is a phrase that ought to get the attention of every believer. If I lack faith it will be impossible to please God. This verse calls to mind other passages related to faith as well:

“And he said to them, “’Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:26, ESV).

“If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20, ESV).

Clearly, faith is an essential part of the Christian journey. It takes faith to initially trust Christ for our salvation. It takes faith to walk with Him on a daily basis. It takes faith to accomplish the task for which He has called us. And, it takes faith to do anything of significance. When we read the Bible, we see that God has called us to a storm calming, mountain moving faith. Without faith, we can do nothing – worst of all, we cannot please Him.

Living with Expectation

It has been said that there are only two inevitable things in life: death and taxes. The truth is, you can choose not to pay taxes. Clearly, there will be consequences, but you can make that choice. That leaves us with only one inevitable thing in our lives – death. Scripture tells us that, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement” (Hebrews 9:27).

We make plans for all sorts of things. We plan for the career that we want. We angle for the job we want. We save for the retirement we want. We train for activities that we enjoy participating in. We take classes or seminars that help us to be more successful at things we enjoy doing. But how often do we give intentional thought to eternity?

If we are not careful, we can allow the truth of Hebrew 9:27 to loom over us like a dark cloud. Our thoughts can be focused on the fact we will die and that we will face judgement. But if we read on, we discover that we actually have great hope. Scripture says that just as we are appointed to die and face judgement, “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

What should drive our life is not a fear of judgement, but an eager expectation that our Lord will return. We live lives that honor him, not out of dread, but out of a great desire to honor the one who has dealt with my sin through his death.

Live your life with expectation. Yes, death is a certainty (unless Christ returns first), but so is the return of the one who paid the price for your sin and mine. Be motivated by love, grace, and a certain expectation of redemption – not by a fear of punishment. Let us, “eagerly wait for him.”