Have you ever wondered what faith means? What having faith implies? Well, I probably won’t be the first person to direct you to Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, to learn more about faith. Hebrews 11 tells us what faith is, and gives a roll call of heroes and heroines of faith and their exploits. So, what does it say faith is? Well, it tells us in the very first verse, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (ESV). Or as the GNT puts it, “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” It is important to emphasise that these things being hoped for are not mere human fancies and fantasies, but the basis of these is the Word of God, as can be seen from the examples in the chapter.

The title of this post comes from the next verse, verse 2 (KJV), which states that “for by it (faith), the elders obtained a good report.” Or as the AMP puts it “For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.” Faith is so important that verse 6(KJV) expressly tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

What then does having faith actually entail? Does it mean wishing so hard for financial prosperity or healing or diverse miracles, as the ‘faith movement’ is so often associated with? Well, the answer to that question can be found in reading the chapter in its entirety, to understand what exactly these heroes of faith did that made them so commendable, and gave them a good report in Heaven.  

Reading through Hebrews 11, it is apparent that the primary fruit, or evidence if you will, of the faith of these heroes and heroines was sacrificial obedience to God. This is the way we know faith is present, by its fruit of obedience and sacrifice. Whether this was in response to a direct command from God, as in the case of Noah and Abraham (verses 7 – 9), or a response to an understanding of God’s nature and consequently what such a great Being would be worthy/deserving of, as in the case of Abel and all those who refused to turn from God in order to gain earthly freedom (verses 4, 35b), one thing was common: their faith hinged on surety in God and in the truth of His nature.

One of the things that is so interesting about this chapter though is that despite being commended for their faith, some of these heroes and heroines of faith did not actually receive what was promised. Verse 13 (NLT) notes, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.” Just in case you were doubting if the Bible actually meant it, it is repeated again in verse 39 (NLT), “These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.” Or as the KJV puts it, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.” As such, you can’t exactly say they did not receive God’s promises because they did not have faith, can you? Given that the Bible explicitly commends them for their faith.

What does this mean for us? When we trust God for something, whether that be provision or healing, we don’t exactly want to die without receiving it, do we? We want it now. However what this chapter emphasises is that it is the firm belief in God and His promises that is far more important. It is belief in who God says He is, not just cherry picking which aspect of His character that fancies us, but really understanding who He really is, a Good Father, the King of Kings and the Judge of the whole Earth. It is acknowledging that He knows far more than we do, and trusting His knowledge. It is understanding that He is not just knowledgeable and wise, He is good. When it comes to goodness, no one surpasses Him or even comes close. He is thoroughly, wholly good. It is trusting that He is faithful, that He says what He does, and does what He says, that He keeps His promises 100% of the time. It is acknowledging that His timing is perfect, His ways are just and He has a purpose and plan for everything that happens (Deuteronomy 32:4, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Proverbs 16:4, Jeremiah 29:11). As E. Oset notes, “Our faith has never been about the certainty of our outcomes. It has always been about the character of God.”

This is why Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were able to say, “… If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18, NLT). It is crucial to emphasise that their surety was in God, not in the outcome of the situation. Sadly as Christians, we sometimes make the mistake of emphasising sureness of the outcome over sureness in God, when it should really be the other way around. Faith that works is faith that is fully based on sureness in God, in who He says He is, and in what He says He will do. It is this assurance that gives us the confidence to hope, to be convinced about things unseen, right until the very end. Mark Vroegop puts it this way, “waiting on God is living on what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life.”

How then do we learn what is true about God? By studying and meditating on the Bible, conscious that it is not just any book, but the living, active, powerful Word of God (Hebrews 4:12); and by relying on the Holy Spirit for interpretation. For as 1 Corinthians 2:11 (NLT) notes, “No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.”

This is so vital, and is also why Satan attacks the supremacy of the Word of God in our lives. He either tries to plant doubts about what God has said… “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1), or cast doubts on our identity in God… “If you are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:6). The former makes us doubt God’s promises, and the latter serves the purposes of making us wonder if God truly cares about us and consequently if His promises apply to us. As such, when we find ourselves doubting the truth in the Scripture or doubting who we are in Christ and just how loved we are by God, we can immediately know it is the evil one at work.

However, when we ignore doubts raised by the evil one, and remain unshakeable in our belief of the truth of who God is, regardless of circumstances, and regardless of whether or not things seem to materialise when we want them to, and we continue to back up that trust with obedience, then that is when we will obtain a good report. And if we have a good report from Heaven, then what does it matter what Earth thinks? Especially knowing that the ultimate proof of faith is this prized good report from Heaven, Hallelujah.

Beloved, God cares about our lives here on earth, but I believe He is even more interested in who we are and who we are becoming, which is hopefully more and more like Christ (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18). Life here and the things here on earth are but a shadow (Hebrews 8:5, Colossians 2:17, Psalm 144, Ecclesiastes 1:1). The key promise we have from God is the promise to enter into His rest (Hebrews 4). This does not mean that we won’t receive promises from God while on Earth, not at all. After all, some of God’s promises are specifically for our time on Earth because in Heaven we won’t really need them. What it means is that these should not be the ultimate goal of our faith. For when we have these as the goal of our faith, sooner or later disappointments, doubts, dejection will begin to set in.

On the other hand, when we prioritise the Giver above the gifts, when our joy is in God and not merely in what we can gain, when we look to Jesus, keeping our eyes steadfastly on Him, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can remain steadfast, immoveable and at peace. Even if we do fall or falter, as long as we restore our gaze to Him again, we will continue to receive the much needed grace, strength and patience to wait on Him, knowing that He never ever fails. “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23, BSB). And as the CEV puts it, “We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the One who made the agreement with us.”

As we reflect on this, I pray that we will continue to hold on tightly to what we know is true about the character, nature and ability of God, irrespective of what is going on in and around us. In doing so, I pray that we will obtain a good report from the God we seek to please above all, the One who can do far more than we can even ask or conceive in our minds, the One who loves us far more than we can ever imagine, the One who is The Almighty, who is, was and always will be! Amen and Amen.

Image Source Here.