FAITH-Defined-Illustrated

.Articles

FAITH DEFINED AND ILLUSTRATED
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WE ENCOURAGE you to study Hebrews 11, that great chapter on faith. It will be very rewarding as we are trying to go on unto perfection with our faith. We need to learn all that we can about faith in order to do this and then, having learned it, put it into practice. Actually the context of chapter 11 begins in the latter part of chapter 10 where the writer deals with their hardships since being a Christian (and ends in the first few verses of the 12th chapter). Starting with 10:35, he encourages them on by saying, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward." He reminds them that the "just shall live by faith," as he admonishes them to continue on, and expressed concern about the possibility of them drawing "back unto perdition." He wants them to "believe to the saving of the soul" (verse 39). With that in mind, the stage is set for chapter 11. Then faith and its practical outworking are dealt with. Wonderful examples are given of heroes of faith of old, whose faith they were to emulate.

This article will hit upon and attempt to highlight some of the great truths seen in this chapter, bringing in other Scripture to bear upon the subject. In Hebrews 11 faith is defined and illustrated (very simple truths, but profound).

I. FAITH INVOLVES THAT WHICH IS NOT SEEN
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First, the writer defines faith. "Now faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof, conviction] of things not seen" (verse 1).

A Doubly Stated Definition
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In reality, he asserts the same thing twice here, but the first part seems to be more narrowly stated than the second. The first part zeroes in on assurance of things "hoped for." The second part of the definition could be looked upon as the more general conviction behind it all. Perhaps these two angles are brought out in verse 6, although in reverse order, which reads, "But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God [1] must believe that he is, and [2] that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." The broader conviction underlying the hope is the fact that God is, and the more narrowed assurance is that God "is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (this has to do with our hope, being assured that God will come through with what He has promised).

(Or, in asserting the same thing twice, does the second part of the double definition represent the firm conviction of that which is "hoped for" being fulfilled, yet unseen? Either emphasis is true)

Three Facets of Faith
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Really, perhaps we could divide faith into three categories, or facets, as a Christian. They are all the same, but different. These three facets of faith are belief, trust and hope. (1) We believe in the reality of the living God. (2) Thus, having come to that conviction, we are brought to trust Him. (3) Then because we have trusted Him, we live in hope. Just believing in the reality of God is not enough. The "devils" be-lieve and tremble (James 2:19), yet are lost. We must trust God for salvation—we can’t save ourselves—and therein respond to Him in obedience (James 2:19-26). Then the great hope for us, as a Christian is the resurrection from the dead. Paul says that we "groan within ourselves, waiting for…the redemption of our body [the resurrection, the new eternal bodies]. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Romans 8:23-25; also notice 1 John 3:1-3 and Philippians 3:20,21). Hope is faith that is alive and well, an anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:18,19). All three facets of faith are in evidence throughout our lives as Christians. They must be if we are to "believe to the saving of the soul."

In Particular, What Is the Unseen?
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Yes, faith involves the unseen. But, more in particular, what is the unseen? From Hebrews 11 and other references we can answer this. Hebrews 11 deals primarily with faith from the perspective and experience of people in pre-Christian times. Their experience involved believing in the reality of the invisible God and believing in what He said (His promises, their fulfillment as yet unseen by them at the time). Let us get an overview of this and then some particular aspects.

Ancient Man and God
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The Bible does not try to prove the existence of God; it simply states it. Genesis 1:1 reads, "In the beginning God…" Ancient man had no problem believing in God. In fact, before the fall, Adam and Eve had direct communication with their Creator. To the ancients, only a fool would say there is no God (Psalms 14). However, with the passing of time, although "they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful" (Romans 1:21). With their inferior thoughts of God, they slipped into idolatry (the word "idolatry" means to worship that which is seen). Paul said this was inexcusable, asserting, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead [Deity]: so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). Such a display of awesome, almighty power in nature harnessed by intelligent design points to the reality of a Higher Being, God (one God). The writer in Hebrews 11:3, bringing his readers in on the testimony of faith, declares, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

"God is Spirit"
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Although the great God of eternity kept in touch with sinful man through theophanic representation of Himself by angels in the unfolding of his plan of redemption, He is called the "invisible" God (1 Timothy 1:17). The apostle John in his epistle, 1 John 4:12, tells us plainly that "no man hath seen God at any time…" However, Paul told those on Mar’s Hill in Athens that this God, although unseen, was "not far from everyone of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being…" (Acts 17:27,28). Jesus told the Samaritan woman that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). Then later in emphasizing his actual bodily resurrection from the dead, and that they were not experiencing some spiritual apparition in what they saw, he said that "a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39). So, from our human perspective God’s essence is in a different dimension from that of our immediate physical being. Consequently, He is spoken of as "invisible." Faith is the connecting element between man and God. Moses, in exercising this faith, is spoken of "as seeing him [God] who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27).

"The Image of the Invisible God"
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The amazing truth of the New Testament is that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. John in his gospel account declares in his own unique way, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). Paul likewise asserts that Christ "is the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). Then again in the next chapter (Colossians 2:9) he accents the same truth by saying, "For in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead [Deity] bodily [in body form]"(Colossians 2:9).

How wonderful! By taking upon himself a body by means of the virgin birth, in living a sinless life, and in being put to death in that body as a sacrifice for our sins, Jesus not only became our Savior, he bridged the gap of the world of the unseen. Now there is something tangible for us to "hang onto" when we think of God. Philip pressed the Lord, saying, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us [it will be enough]." Jesus answered, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, shew us the Father?" (John 14:8,9) Paul further expounds and expands on this truth in these marvelous words: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:16). How amazing that the Word actually became flesh! (John 1:1-14)

The Concluding
and Central Aspect of Faith
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Therefore, now in the New Testament another wonderful aspect is added to believing that "God is." Not only is it added, it is central. It is the message of Christianity itself, the climax of God’s revelation to mankind. It is believing that God has "spoken unto us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:1-3)—yes, spoken by Jesus Christ, who was God Incarnate. After Christ’s resurrection, Thomas, not being present when Jesus appeared to the disciples, was slow to believe. But when Christ did appear again, all of his unbelief instantly vanished, and he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" Then we read, "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:28-31). This declaration of faith became part of accepting Christ and salvation. The Lord had plainly said, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). When Philip preached Christ to the Ethiopian, the Ethiopian responded, "What doth hinder me to be baptized?" "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God"(Acts 8:35-37). The Lord had said in the Great Commission, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…" (Mark 16:15,16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Summing Up This Point
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Therefore, to sum up this point, the thrust of the 11th chapter of Hebrews is that the ancients not only believed in the reality of God, whom they could not see, they lived a life of faith, looking to God in different ways. The great emphasis of faith in this chapter is trusting what God says. Hebrews 11:13 reads, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." The chapter ends telling of many wonderful and unique things happening involving other believers (Hebrews 11:32-40). But these people didn’t live to see the fulfillment of that to which all of these promises pointed. That is what we are now experiencing in Christianity (salvation and hope of eternal life).

Christianity is "the faith" (Acts 16:5; Colossians 2:7; 1 Timothy 4:1; Jude, verse 3); and it is "the faith" from beginning to end (Galatians 3:26; Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:6-8). Of Jesus we confess and assuredly believe, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16; Acts 8:37). Affirming this, we believe that "God is" and that "Jesus Christ is" God Incarnate, the Savior of the world. We trust Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:36-38; Hebrews 8:12). Entering into a new life, now day by day "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). "Seeing him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27) through faith, "we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 3:1-4). And thus the affirmation of faith goes on. Christianity is "the faith." It is a life of belief, trust and hope. It is the outworking of the definition of Hebrews 11:1 in our lives.

II. FAITH IS PERFECTED IN THAT WHICH IS SEEN
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Yes, faith involves that which is not seen. But the actual possession of faith, and it being perfected, is just the opposite. It can be seen.

James Illustrated in Hebrews 11
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Read James 2:14-26. To James, if you have faith, it can be seen, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." He goes on to say, "Seest thou how faith wrought with…works, and by works was faith made perfect." The truth of these statements is illustrated in Hebrew 11. Let us pinpoint some of these illustrations.

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…" (11:4).

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…" (11:7).

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed…By faith he sojourned…By faith Abraham…offered up Isaac..." (11:8,9,17).

"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come" (11:20).

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter…By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible" (11:24, 27).

"Jesus Saw Their Faith"
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An interesting section of Scripture is found in Mark 2:1-12. In the midst of his busy Galilean ministry, Jesus was back in Capernaum, and the word got out that he was in Simon Peter’s house. "Straightway" the place became so filled and surrounded with people that no one else could make it through the door. In spite of the obstacles, there were four who were determined that their paralytic friend would be brought to the Lord for healing. "And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay." Then the writer Mark tells us what was said and done "when Jesus saw their faith…" But how could faith, which involves the unseen, be seen? In the bringing of the paralytic; in the breaking up of the roof; in the lowering of the sick man in the presence of Jesus. There was no question mark that they believed Jesus could heal him. And as a bonus, he was forgiven, too.

"He Saw the Wind"
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A likewise interesting and similar use of words is found in Matthew 14:30. In their returning from the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, after Jesus had fed the 5000, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water. In connection with this startling experience, and being assured that it was really the Lord, Peter wanted to get out of the boat and walk to Jesus. The Lord said, "Come." Peter attempted to do this, "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid: and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." Did Peter actually see the wind? No, not really. He saw the effects of the wind blowing upon the boisterous waves. In that sense he saw the wind.

Those Born of the Spirit
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This thought can be carried a step further when we read about Jesus telling Nicodemus that a person must be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:1-8). He goes on to say, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." As James said, saving faith is obedient faith. It can be seen. And in becoming a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives (Acts 2:38). According to the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit thereafter dwells in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:16,17). People cannot see this indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But like the wind that cannot be seen, yet can be seen, it is manifested in our good deeds and godly living. It can be seen in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, of which Paul says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith [faithfulness], meekness, temperance [self control]…" (Galatians 5:22,23). The outworking of faith is manifested in our lives in many other and marvelous ways. As James said, by works faith is made perfect (complete) (James 2:22).

Concluding Remarks
x As pointed out, the context of Hebrews 11 found the writer encouraging and admonishing his readers to not cast off their "confidence, which hath great recompence of reward." He warned about drawing "back unto perdition," as he urged them to continue on, to "believe to the saving of the soul." The writer defines faith and points them to the heroes of faith of old who persevered. What great illustrations of faith for them to follow! The first part of the 12th chapter fittingly looks back to chapter 11. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Then he points them to the Lord himself, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." The object of their faith inspires more faith. With all of that said, they should "believe to the saving of the soul." (To put a closing exclamation mark on all of these wonderful truths, read 1 Peter 1:3-9). Amen!

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