Hebrews 11 English Standard Version

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ 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 called the faith chapter of the bible. From the beginning of this chapter it addresses our issue of creation but that is not all. It declares that faith itself is the proof we need. The second comment relates to the reputation of the individuals that use their faith, they become commendable.

This would indicate the first result of using faith in the right way. Let us continue.

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

God is the one commending Abel for his act of faith. God accounted Abel’s act of faith as righteousness. This issue of sacrifice shows up early in the bible and the driving force behind Abel’s sacrifice was faith. Reading Genesis 4 we will discover that Abel was a shepherd. He kept sheep, he cared for them. Abel sacrificed something he cared about.

Cain on the other hand sacrificed his crops, the labor of his hands. It was work produced, not faith produced. We will find other comparisons within the bible pitting works against faith. Those things we will explore later. For now we must associate faith to God’s reaction to the correct use of faith.

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶ 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.

The common link between Abel and Enoch is an unseen force driving their actions, faith.

1 Corinthians 2:7 English Standard Version (ESV) But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

A bold comment was laid out yesterday dealing with how to run an experiment to discover what existed before time began. Faith was chosen to run the experiment and it should be challenged as being the one source of proof. How does anyone know testing faith will be able to find the answer?

To impart secrets and wisdom of God one must first have them. In order to know that faith is the delivery vehicle for this experiment one must first have it. One cannot impart what one does not have.

The simple answer is that faith is given to all mankind. It is not withheld from anyone. If we are to experiment with faith, then we shall use our own faith to be tested. It is not that we have faith that provides proof, it is where we place our faith.

To say that faith is belief sells faith short. I believe the brakes on my car are good. I test faith every time I drive my car. What happens when my brakes fail and I am in an accident? Was I wrong to put my faith in those brakes? Some might argue that isn’t faith, it is trust. If that is true how do we define faith if it is more than belief and more that trust?

Testing faith is very similar to testing brakes. You have to put it in motion in order to get results. So how do we put faith in motion? First we must find the purpose behind faith if all are given faith and where we place our faith determines its usefulness.

Study faith to see its connections. Nowhere in all the libraries of the world is faith spoken about more than in the Holy Bible. We have to study the bible to see what faith does. Then we can test it.