Hebrews 11:4-7 Faith of Our Fathers

Hebrews 11:4-7 Faith of Our Fathers is a sermon for Father’s Day about the importance of faith passed on by
fathers.

Four men are in the hospital waiting room because their wives are having babies. A nurse goes up to the first
guy and says, “Congratulations! You’re the father of twins.”

“That’s odd,” answers the man. “I work for the Minnesota Twins!”

A nurse says to the second guy, “Congratulations! You’re the father of triplets!”

“That’s weird,” answers the second man. “I work for the 3M company!”

A nurse tells the third man, “Congratulations! You’re the father of quadruplets!”

“That’s strange,” he answers. “I work for the Four Seasons hotel!”

The last man is groaning and banging his head against the wall. “What’s wrong?” the others ask.

“I work for 7 Up!”

There is an old song entitled “Faith of Fathers.” This song reflects on the faith of the first people of America.
People who had faith and gave us an example to follow. Likewise, the Old Testament gives us a set of examples
of fathers whose faith we should also follow. What I want you to see from these examples is that God used
these fathers to teach their children about how to trust Him.

The writer of Hebrews lists a group of people who trusted God, who had faith. Like today’s Hall of Fame which
highlights people who excelled in sports, Hebrews 11 is known as the Hall of Faith. The people listed in this
chapter excelled in trusting God. The list of names who are etched in this Hall of Faith start with three fathers.

The first father listed in Abel. Usually as a pastor, I get the question about Cain and his family. People ask:
“Where did Cain get his wife?”

“Then Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain was intimate with
his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain became the builder of a city, and he named the
city Enoch after his son.” (Genesis 4:16–17, HCSB)

One answer I heard was: “I would tell you if I was Abel.” People have all kinds of answers for that question. I
have a better question: “Was Abel a father?”
I think the answer to that question is yes. In the same way that Cain would have found wife, Abel was also able
to have a family. The Bible is silent on this issue, but it could have happened. Adam and Eve had many children
before they eventually had Seth. These children populated the Earth. Any number of their immediate relatives
would have been available for Abel, just as one was there for Cain. Even if Abel did not have any children, he
clearly was an example to Adam and Eve’s other children as a father figure. What did Abel teach as a father
figure? Abel taught other the value of faith in worship.

So we come to the passage in Hebrews and we see that Abel offered a better sacrifice.

Abel gives us the example of faith worshiping. He offered a better sacrifice.

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man,
because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.” (Hebrews 11:4,
HCSB)

Because sin caused Adam and Eve to leave paradise, there had to be a sacrifice for sin. This is why Adam and
Eve made clothes from skins of animals. So sacrifices were a necessary practice of worship. The form of these
sacrifices said something about the person’s attitude in worship. Cain gave grains and fruit. Abel gave a meat
sacrifice.

“In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also
presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel
and his offering,” (Genesis 4:3–4, HCSB)

What made Abel’s sacrifice better? Some have said that it was because Cain had a sacrifice from the land while
Abel had a sacrifice from an animal. That is theologically true. However, I think Abel’s sacrifice was also better
because of his attitude. Abel had the right attitude when it came to his sacrifice. He trusted God in his worship.
Maybe Abel realized that his brother Cain was jealous.

“And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had
regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he
looked despondent. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent?”
(Genesis 4:4–6, HCSB)

I think Abel could tell that his brother Cain was angry. You know grumpy people when you see them coming. I
think Abel saw that in his brother. But instead of engaging in a fight, Abel continued to worship God.

Abel is still a witness of the life of faith seen by a three-stage progression. First, because Abel believed, he
offered a better sacrifice. Second, because Abel offered a better sacrifice, it shows that he was righteous. Third,
because he was righteous, he is a true witness of the life of faith. Abel is a good example of worshiping in faith.
Fathers, God wants us to be faith worshipers. Instead of sacrificing our families on the altars of careers and
materialism, we need to sacrifice ourselves for our families.

The second father listed is Enoch.

Enoch gives us the example of faith walking. He pleased God by the way he drew near to God.

“By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took
him away. For prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God. Now without faith it is impossible
to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek
Him.” (Hebrews 11:5–6, HCSB)

Enoch was another father who shows us an example of faith. It says in Genesis that Enoch was the father of
Methuselah:
“Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah.” (Genesis 5:21, HCSB)

Who was Methuselah? He was the oldest man ever to live on this Earth.

“So Methuselah’s life lasted 969 years; then he died.” (Genesis 5:27, HCSB)

Enoch had other children.

“And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters.”
(Genesis 5:22, HCSB)

Notice that it says that Enoch walked with God and at the same time fathered sons and daughters. Enoch clearly
modeled this faith walking for his children. Can you imagine how it felt for his children to see that God took
Enoch after those 300 years? Can you imagine what kind of example he was for his children?

After spending time on Earth being a model of a father who walks in faith, God took Enoch home.

“Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.” (Genesis 5:24, HCSB)

Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a Messianic Jewish scholar notes that Enoch was translated, or raptured, into Heaven.
He says:

The act of translation has the concept of being “raptured” from earth to Heaven. It does not simply mean
transferring geographically to Heaven, but it means a transformation of the body. It is a transformation whereby
corruption puts on incorruption and mortality puts on immortality. Since Enoch was translated, it means that
he will never return to die. That is why some believe that he cannot be one of the Two Witnesses of Revelation
11.
Can you imagine being one of Enoch’s children? Your dad has walked with God. He showed you how to draw
near to God. After spending 300 years showing you how to live by faith, the children witness Enoch’s translation
or rapture into heaven. Can you imagine the conversation at the family dinner table that evening?

Fathers, how is your faith walk? Are your children and grandchildren seeing you walk in faith? Are you able to
share to them how God is drawing near to you? Are you able to tell stories about how you are drawing close to
God?

The third and final fatherly example is Noah.

Noah gives us the example of faith working. He was motivated by Godly fear.

“By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to
deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by
faith.” (Hebrews 11:7, HCSB)

Noah’s faith involved the whole person: his mind was warned of God; his heart was moved with fear; and
his will acted on what God told him. Since nobody at that time had ever seen a flood (or perhaps even a
rainstorm), Noah’s actions must have generated a great deal of interest and probably ridicule as well. Noah’s
faith influenced his whole family and they were saved. Noah’s wife and children saw Noah faith work. They saw
Noah respect God, listen to God, and obey Him. Noah did not obey God because he was scared. Noah obeyed
God because he respected Him.

Can you imagine how his children thought about Noah after the flood? Wow, Dad. It worked. The boat did not
sink. You trusted God and He brought us to safety. Children watch carefully their fathers when faith works in
their lives.

Each father here in this passage showed us a perfect example. Noah had the right motivation, Abel had the right
attitude, and Enoch had the right relationship.

We all can learn the same things from our fathers: motivation, attitude, and relationship. God wants us to live
for Him and there are men who have helped us see how that happens.

On May 20, 1981, in a Proclamation of Father’s Day, President Ronald Reagan stated:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” Solomon tells us.
Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise, and hope of fatherhood. Such
is the gift that our fathers give us.
What Happened to the Faith of our Fathers?
Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Faith of our fathers! Holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
(Farber, F.W., 1849)

The refrain to the above nearly 200-year-old hymn ends in the phrase, “We will be true to thee till death.”
Yet in today’s world, faith does not seem to last nearly as long. Were the church to come under persecution
today, would such hymns be written as a tribute to the faithful who remained true to the end? I am not certain
that it would. Something seems to be missing in our lives that those earlier generations, even as near as fifty
years ago, seemed to possess. What could that be?
This question troubles me daily as I visit with young professionals who have not only left the church of their
fathers but have abandoned faith in God entirely. In my readings and conversations with these young people,
one possible reason seems to surface each time. As children and teens, they “went to church,” but they
developed neither their faith in God nor a relationship with Jesus Christ. We must ask the question: If going to
church is not helping to build our children’s faith, what must we do to assure their young faith matures?
An Old Testament Example
God directed Moses to tell the Israelites, “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in
your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You
shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking
by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19). God’s Word was to be a
constant in their lives, not a three-times-a-week ceremonious break. With all the distractions in our lives today,
the urgency to teach our children daily and in every instance is even more essential!
But does this mean we should shield our children from the world? I do not think so. I believe it is important
that children see and experience the world while they are under our loving care and guidance and that we are
responsible to make those experiences into teachable moments. Returning to the Israelites under the care of
Moses, through God’s guidance, we can easily see that they were not protected from the evil of the world.
However, when evil crept into the assembly, a lesson came with it. Remember how even before Moses finished
receiving the Law on the mountain, the people turned to idolatry? Moses burned and powdered the golden calf
and added it to their drinking water, and then he commanded the Levites to slay their brothers with the sword
(Exodus 32). Without a doubt, the Israelites would not soon forget that event.
A New Testament Example
Fast forward to the early church and we see that they spent their days together, not just assembling on Sunday
(Act 2:42-47). Rather, they became family, eating together, studying together, praying together. The result of
that, according to Acts, is that the Lord added daily to the church those who were being saved (v. 47).
That time was unique in that people had come from many nations, and upon hearing Peter’s sermon became
followers in a foreign land. They put everything they had together so that they could survive away from their
homes and jobs. Once they returned to their homelands, they took that newly acquired faith with them. The
church spread quickly and their numbers grew. So what about today? What is so different about how our
children are learning than how we or our parents learned God’s Word?
Establishing a Family Culture of Faith-Building
One of my most vivid memories of my childhood was our preparation for Sunday. On Saturday nights we had
a routine that was different from every other night of the week. Hair was washed and rolled, shoes were
polished, Bible lessons were completed, and early bedtimes were mandated. There was never a question, “Are
we going to Bible Class today?” as it was the one constant in my childhood.
Our weekdays might have variety and surprises, but the weekends were set aside as time to focus on God. I
remember filling out my lesson book or handout for Sunday morning’s class up through my teens. Bible study
was required at home just as surely as English, math, and science. Questions I heard on Saturday nights consisted
of, “Is your Bible lesson completed?” or “Do you have your memory verse ready?” This weekend process was
one element of my faith-building, but there was so much more!
Hearing the Gospel
My daddy was an evangelist, not just a local preacher. He took the gospel into people’s homes and traveled
widely to preach the gospel of Christ to other congregations. I was his travel buddy, and, when old enough, his
driver. Because of this blessing, I heard the gospel message over and over again.
When was the last time you heard the gospel preached from a pulpit or taught in a Bible class? We seem to
have strayed from that simple request that Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15-16 to
“go into all the world and preach the gospel.”
Oh, I understand that we need to encourage one another and perhaps address moral issues in the family, but if
we are not teaching the gospel often enough that when asked we are not able to “give a reason for the hope
that is in us” (I Peter 3:15) then we need to hear it more often! Additionally, if we cannot give that answer, how
can we possibly expect our children to be able to defend their faith? We can’t!
Leaving a Legacy of Faith
The faith of our fathers was a faith worth leaving father and mother, worth leaving jobs and friends, and even
worth dying for. We are asked to teach our children that kind of faith. In order to do so, we must have that faith
ourselves. Faith comes through hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17) and if that “hearing” is not found in
listening, then it must be found in reading God’s Word.
I challenge you to begin a faith journal for yourself and as a legacy for your children. In your journal be sure to
include :
(1) why you believe that Jesus is the only Son of God,
(2) why you believe that baptism is essential for salvation,
(3) why you partake of His Body and Blood each week, and
(4) why, even in chaotic times, you still have faith in God.
With each of those answers, be sure to include the scriptures supporting your beliefs.
Also include times in your life that you felt that God had forgotten you, because you couldn’t see His plan for
your life. Our children will have those same times and we need to let them know that we did, too!
Faithfulness does not just happen. God draws us, but we must respond with study, prayer, and daily living. May
your life be one of faithfulness so that your children may see your faithfulness and long to make it theirs.
#HeartWords

What an august gathering we would witness, if we were able to transport back in time and go to Jerusalem for
this first official council on the doctrines of the faith.

All the big names are there. Paul and Barnabas, who have had much God-given success in ministry among the
gentiles, which is the very reason this council is convening, Judas and Silas, who would accompany Paul and
Barnabas back to Antioch with the results of this meeting, Simon Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and
apparently a large gathering of Pharisees who had become believers.
These days, if some organization gets two or three guys together who have written books and gotten their name
known, they’ll charge you hundreds of dollars to come to their city and hear these big names tell you what they
know. In actuality, all they know, or think they know, is derived from what these early fathers left behind for
them to learn from. In some cases, as we will see later, they deviate from what these great men determined to
be true by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and we must be discerning.

I wonder how much folks would be willing to pay to be a fly on the wall at the Jerusalem council?

Now without the universal translators that they use on Star Trek imbedded in our heads we wouldn’t be able to
understand a word they’re saying.

But just imagine that you could, or that you could hear the whole meeting in English. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
You’d be witnessing possibly the most important meeting of the church there has ever been.

REFRESHER

In recent weeks we’ve been studying the movement of the gospel through Samaria, the blossoming of the
church in Antioch, spreading to Cyprus and then North to the various cities of Pisidia, Phrygia, Lycia, Pamphylia,
going to the Gentiles as Jesus told His Apostles that it would, and later instructing Paul specifically to take the
message to them.

It hasn’t been a joy ride, by any stretch of the imagination. Whenever God’s people determine to do God’s work
in God’s way, the enemy will oppose that work. He won’t ultimately win, but he will stir up trouble and do his
best to deceive and dissuade and discourage.

Nevertheless the spread of the gospel has been successful in those regions, churches have been started and the
gentiles who have heard and responded to the call of God are rejoicing.

OPPOSITION FROM THE CHURCH

So as chapter 14 draws to a close Luke traces the steps of the evangelists back to Antioch. As they go, passing
through Pisidia and Pamphylia and preaching in Perga and finally coming to Antioch, Luke says they

‘…began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the
Gentiles”.

That’s a tradition that still goes on in the church today, doesn’t it? Occasionally we have missionaries returning
and visiting their home churches and maybe other churches that have been giving them support, and they’re
given the floor for a worship service or two and they talk about the things the Lord has been doing in the place
they serve.
It’s a good tradition. It strengthens and encourages the church. And so often, simply because of the locations in
which they minister, these servants of God have undergone great hardship. Or perhaps they have witnessed
great hardship and had opportunity to be a champion to people who cannot help themselves. But in great
hardship the Holy Spirit works great miracles. It seems that very often God matches His involvement in a
person’s life with the degree that they let Him be involved in their life.

I mean, if we go to church on Sunday but spend the rest of our time either chasing worldly goals or vegging on
the sofa, we’re not going to see Him doing much in our lives, are we?

But when we’re devoting ourselves to Kingdom work and we’re out there boldly declaring the good news of
Christ and telling people that there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
then Satan is going to oppose that, and that gives God opportunity to show His power and glory.

Paul is stoned to death for preaching the gospel, so God raises him back up. Miracle. Was Paul discouraged, or
emboldened by the experience? He went back and preached some more. He was in a great position, there
outside of Lystra, to stand up, brush the dust off his tunic, look around at his wide-eyed friends, and say, “Let’s
just keep heading east and go back to Antioch. I need a rest”.

Listen. Until you have been under the enemy’s attack because you’re doing God’s work God’s way and ol’
Slewfoot doesn’t like that; until you’ve suffered some and then seen God take care of the problem His way, you
can never understand why Paul said to the Corinthians, “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with
distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Faith Of Our Fathers

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God
that I give you” (Dt. 4:1,2). Keeping the law was to be Israel’s fame among the nations. Israel was not to be
known for its wealth (although Solomon’s riches were immense); not known for its military power (although
David was a fearsome warrior); not know for its diplomatic muscle, physical prowess, beauty, or culture. None
of these was to define who Israel was as a nation. Israel was called to be a people of obedience, of observance,
of “wisdom and understanding.” They were called out of all nations to be God’s own: “For the Lord’s portion is
his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance” (Dt. 32:9). When Israel prays, their God is near. God always loved His
people. And He gave the Law to help Israel love Him and be faithful to Him. Old Testament scholar (and fellow
Anglican) Peter Craigie put it this way: “The life of the Hebrews as a nation would depend on the law, not in a
totally legalistic sense, but in that the law was the basis of the covenant, and in the covenant rested their close
relationship to their God” (Craigie, 129).

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely” (Dt. 4:9). Israel must watch closely, must keep their hearts pure
and blameless. That same word translated as “keep” in verse 2 (“but keep the commands of the Lord you God
that I give you”) and and “observe” in verse 6 (“Observe them [the decrees and laws] carefully”). Keep the
commands and keep yourselves.
But it is easy, too easy, to forget the deeds of God. “You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor”
(v. 4). “Only be careful…so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your
hearts” (v. 9). What happened at Baal Peor? It was there that the Israelites joined with Moabites in worshiping
Baal, engaging in fertility rites, and God sent a plague that killed 24,000. To give some perspective, that would
be like 2 million people in the United States dead. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami left 230,000
dead in its wake. Baal Peor was a tragedy etched into the mind of the nation. But like the 2004 tsunami,
hurricane Katrina, or September 11, the memory fades year by year.

So too I know God’s work in my own life, but I must constantly recall it and fight to hold on to and keep fresh
the memory. For Satan bombards us with diversions and irrelevancies and “urgent” thing, so that what is truly
important we forget. Like Martha, we easily become “worried and upset about many things” when only one
thing is needed (Lk. 10:41). We must choose the better part.

We must constantly recall the great deeds of God. This attitude pervades the Psalms. “Say to God, ‘How
awesome are your deeds. So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down
to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name” (Ps 63:3,4). “I will remember the deeds of the
Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your
mighty deeds” (Ps. 77:11,12). “Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For
you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God” (Ps. 86:8–10). We need to remember the great
wonders, awesome deeds, fearful acts that God has done.

Do you remember a great thing that you did or that happened to you? A trip, party, a present? How do you keep
that memory fresh? How do you keep it alive? You recount the event. You write about it in a journal to preserve
the details while they are still fresh—we have the Bible and the Lives of the Saints. You tell your children and
your grandchildren about it, and anyone else that will give ear. This keeps it fresh in your mind and instills the
memory in others—we have Sacred Tradition, the “good deposit of faith that was entrusted to us” (2 Ti. 1:14).

Saints, we are not here to bury the Church! God is not dead. “Faith of our fathers living still / in spite of dungeon,
fire and sword: / O how our hearts beat high with joy, / whene’er we hear that glorious word: / Faith of our
fathers, holy faith, / we will be true to thee till death.” The faith of our fathers still lives in us, and we plant the
seed of life in others. Man apart from God is dead, at best in the process of death and decay. We are here to
take the talent that we were given and pass it on to our children, and that with interest.
Faith of Our Fathers
Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1
Hebrews 11 gives a definition of faith and illustrations of faith in the lives of those who lived by faith. Earlier in
this epistle, the author quoted God’s words from Habakkuk 3: “My righteous one will live by faith” (Heb. 10:38).
Then he exhorted, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but those who believe and are
saved” (v. 39). Now in Hebrews 11 the author says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (v. 6). To be
saved, we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says he who believes has eternal life.

The author previously said the Israelites perished in the wilderness because they did not believe the gospel.
Because they did not mix the word of God with faith (Heb. 4:2) and were unbelieving (Heb. 3:12, 19) and
disobedient (Heb. 3:18), they did not enter into God’s rest. Even today we see people who are restless because
of their unbelief in the gospel.

In this study we want to examine the definition of faith, the substance of faith, the commendation of faith, and
the understanding of faith.

The Definition of Faith

According to Scripture, faith is not faith in ourselves or faith in faith itself. Biblical faith has an object-we must
believe in God and in his Son, Jesus Christ. This type of faith, therefore, first requires knowledge of the object of
faith, who is God. Faith comes by hearing the gospel preached clearly. We must know that Christ Jesus, the only
Son of God, died on the cross for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on
the third day according to the Scriptures, that he appeared to many, that he is seated on the right hand of the
Father, that Christ alone is the King of kings and Lord of lords, that he is the head of the church, his body, the
fullness of him that fills all and all, and that he is coming again to judge the living and the dead, and save his
people with the fullness of salvation.

Peter preached this gospel on the day of Pentecost, and three thousand believed and were saved. Paul preached
it to a group of women in Philippi, and God opened the heart of Lydia so that she believed. The Philippian jailer
heard the gospel, believed, and was saved in the middle of the night. True faith requires information. That is
why every Christian must proclaim the gospel by life and word. The purpose of our lives in this world is to point
others to the Savior.

Second, we need agreement, assensus, to this information about Jesus Christ. Cognition must lead to conviction.
Those who hear the gospel must understand the gospel intellectually and agree with it, not only that it is true,
but that it is applicable to them. They must say, “We need Jesus to save us.”

Yet even that is not true saving faith. Conviction should, in turn, lead to commitment. Roman Catholics have
taught that faith is mental assent to the gospel, and many of today’s evangelicals would heartily agree with that
position. They would say that we do not have to commit our lives to Jesus or live the gospel life; mental
agreement to the facts of the gospel is sufficient.
Mere mental assent, however, is not true faith but the faith of demons. Demons believe that God exists and
tremble (Jas. 2:19). Demons are quite orthodox in their faith. But let me assure you, demons will never repent
and commit themselves to serve the true and living God.

Those who hear the gospel must move from cognition to conviction, and then to commitment to Christ. They
must commit to live for him forever. The Reformers had the saying, Fides est fiducia, faith is trust. Biblical faith
is the entrustment of all that we are and have to Jesus Christ now and forevermore.

Faith means that we move our center from ourselves to Jesus Christ. Faith declares Jesus Christ as Lord of our
life. Faith in its essence is committing ourselves to Christ that we may be saved. John Murray says that we rest
not in what is done by us, but upon the almighty Savior. Jesus Christ saves us through faith. Saving faith includes
cognition, conviction, and commitment.

True saving faith, unlike the devil’s faith of mental assent, will always and necessarily issue in good works of
obedience. James declares, “Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:20, KJV). Faith without works only simulates
the spiritual grace of faith. It is plastic, artificial, and demonic. Paul says faith expresses itself in love (Gal. 5:6).
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Believers devote themselves to doing
what is good. Faith works and perseveres to the end.

Such faith, the Scripture teaches, is a supernatural gift. It cannot be produced by humans but is a consequence
of the miracle of regeneration. It is a living and persevering that pleases God. It is the faith of our fathers-
Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Peter, Paul, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Wesley, Whitefield, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, and
others. It is a faith that expects and endures trials gladly.

Such faith is faith in God, and it is through this faith we inherit what has been promised (Heb. 6:1, 12). By this
faith and in the full assurance of it we can draw near to God in worship (Heb. 10:22). It is a faith that knows we
have better and abiding possessions, so that we can gladly suffer the loss of all things, even our lives (Heb.
10:34). This faith is not a one-time occurrence; it is living and continuing trust in Jesus. Faith and repentance are
the two wings by which a Christian lives all the days of his life.

The Substance of Faith

What is the substance of saving faith? The author gives us a partial definition in Hebrews 11:1: Faith is the
hupostasis of things longed for, of things future, and theelenchos of things not seen. Hupostasis can have both
an objective and a subjective sense. The New International Version translates subjectively: “Now faith is being
sure of things hoped for,” while the King James Version chooses the objective meaning: “Faith is the substance
of things hoped for” (italics added). Both meanings are valid because the objective provides the subjective.
This gift of supernatural faith is the foundation of things hoped for. It substantiates the objective future reality
we hope for in the present. Hupostasis means that which “stands under.” It is speaking about a rock-solid, sure
foundation. The word was found in ancient papyri to mean something that guarantees a transaction. Hebrews
11:1 can be translated, “Faith is the title deed to things hoped for.”

Faith provides a firm ground we can stand on while we await the fulfillment of God’s promises. By faith we can
be sure all God’s promises to us will be fulfilled. Faith is assurance in the present. It gives the object hoped for
a present power in the soul as if it were already possessed. Faith gives us a vision of things future. It is like a
telescope that enables us to see distant objects and be energized by that sight to live our lives in the present.
Paul says, “We live by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). By faith we see spiritual realities now and deal with
the present in the light of that reality. Matthew Henry says, “Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the
reality of those things which cannot be discerned by the eye of the body.” Again, Paul declares, “So we fix our
eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18).

Such statements may seem contradictory, but they are true of faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us we can see by faith
what is unseen by our eyes. Faith sees and hopes in the unseen, which, in turn, energizes us in the present to
deal with our problems.

Then we read that faith is the elenchos of things not seen. The word elenchos has the objective meaning of
“proof,” “guarantee,” or “evidence.” Faith is the proof of unseen things God has promised and the evidence of
things future. Faith demonstrates to us things unseen, and therefore we have conviction of things unseen. We
are certain and assured of unseen things that we shall see in the future.

Although faith leads us to know realities beyond the ability of reason to discover, faith also has reason. The
Greeks thought faith was the characteristic of the uneducated and unsophisticated. But biblical faith is not blind.
It does not require a leap in the dark or the sacrifice of our intellect. Biblical faith is reasonable because it rests
on the greatest possible reason-the infinite, personal God and his word.

Therefore, we as believers in Jesus Christ declare, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” We place our
trust in God, who cannot lie or die. Concerning Abraham, the author says that God promised and confirmed his
promise with an oath “so that, by two unchangeable things in which is impossible for God to lie, we . . . may be
greatly encouraged” (Heb. 6:17-18).

Noah had never seen any rain, let alone a flood. Yet when God said he was going to destroy the world by a flood
and told Noah to build an ark, he did so, believing what God said is true: “By faith Noah, when warned about
things not seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family” (Heb. 11:7).
The writer says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things
promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance” (Heb. 11:13). Faith sees the invisible, and
the believer is certain that God will do what he has promised.

God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his son. Abraham obeyed God, and the Hebrews author explains why he
did it: “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead” (Heb. 11:19). Abraham believed that as soon as the
sacrifice was done, God would raise his son from the ashes because God had promised a nation and a messiah
through Isaac, the son of promise. By faith he reasoned that God cannot lie and so can be trusted.

Paul speaks more about the faith of Abraham: “As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He
is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that
are not as though they were . . . without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as
dead-since he was about a hundred years old-and that Sarah’s womb was also dead” (Rom. 4:17, 19). Abraham
looked upon these things that were visible and interpreted them in the light of God’s promise of a son. What,
then, was his response? “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was
strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had
promised” (v. 20).

Observe how Moses exercised his faith: “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.” Moses left Egypt,
with all its glories, power, and position. “He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). Faith
is substance, proof, demonstration, evidence. Faith sees the invisible and is energized by that sight to obey God.

Faith sees the mighty operations of God in the fulfillment of his promises. Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not tell
you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Paul wrote concerning his impending
death, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also
to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8). This is the substance of faith. It is not shifting sand, but
a solid rock that we can stand upon. It is the conviction and certainty that God will do what he has promised.

The Commendation of Faith

Hebrews 11:2 says this faith “is what the ancients were commended for.” The author is saying the faith of the
Hebrew church is like that of “the ancients.” The word means “elders”; it has the same meaning as “forefathers”
(Heb. 1:1). The people of God are one, and they are all characterized by this constant-they all possess saving
faith that is living, persevering, sacrificing, and death-defying.
Notice that God himself commended the elders for their faith. Our testimonies about ourselves do not matter.
These ancients were certified by God, which is the greatest testimony we can have.
The one thing characterizing all believers throughout history is the faith without which it is impossible to please
God. The author illustrates such faith through the examples of Abel, Enoch, Noah, and others who all lived by
faith in the promises of God. They were sure of things future and convinced of things they did not yet see with
their physical eyes. They trusted implicitly in God’s promises. By their lives of faith, they bore witness to God’s
goodness; therefore, God commended them and bore witness to them by recording their names in the holy
Scriptures: “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous
man when God spoke well of his offerings . . . By faith Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience
death; he could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended
as one who pleased God . . . These were all commended for their faith” (vv. 4, 5, 39, italics added).

Do you live by faith? Do you witness to God’s goodness by living according to the word? If you live for God’s
glory, he will testify concerning you on the last day: “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter . . . into the
joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:21, 23, KJV). He so testified concerning his own Son, “This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well-pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5, KJV). Jesus lived by faith, always pleasing his Father. When tempted,
he said, “It is written,” and obeyed God, not the devil (cf. Matt. 4:1-11). I urge you to live such a life that God
may commend you and invite you into his eternal kingdom.

The Understanding of Faith

How do we understand the origin of the universe? The author says we understand by faith: “By faith we
understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what
was visible” (Heb. 11:3). The author now speaks of the faith of himself and of his church, especially about
cosmology and cosmogony.

There was no human witness to creation. God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand” (Job 38:4). By faith in God’s revelation we understand how the world was made.
God revealed this to us in Genesis, and we must study this divine disclosure with all our intellect, that we may
understand divine cosmogony and cosmology. (PGM) Modern, sophisticated people may laugh at it because
they look upon faith and understanding as being mutually exclusive. But faith and understanding complement
each other.

A Christian should never sacrifice his mind but use his intellect to its full capacity, both in studying God’s
revelation in the Scriptures and in studying God’s revelation in creation. No philosopher or scientist can speak
correctly of the origin of the universe if he rejects the biblical revelation. By faith God’s people understand
intellectually that the universe was created by divine command. God’s word is powerful, creative, and formative.
It always accomplishes the purpose for which it is sent (cf. Is. 55:11).

“By faith we understand.” No doubt the author is referring to Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11,14, 24, 26, where the phrase
“and God said” to refer to the creation of the world. The whole universe came into existence at his command:
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. . . For he spoke,
and it came to be” (Ps. 33:6, 9).
In Hebrews 1 the author wrote, “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir
of all things and through whom he made the universe” (1:2). Not only did God make the universe, but the next
verse says that he upholds the universe by the word of his power. The powerful word that brought forth the
universe also maintains and preserves the universe, including us.

Paul spoke about Christ’s role in the creation of all things: “For by him all things were created, things in heaven
and things on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers, rulers or authorities-all things were
created by him and for him” (Col. 1:16; cf. John 1:3).

God intended for all people to understand that God created all things by his powerful word: “For since the
creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). It is not that the
unbelievers do not know, but that they are enemies of God. They suppress the truth and exchange it for a lie so
that they do not have to bow down and serve this great God.

The reason that all people do not come to this understanding is sin. Unbelievers are dead in trespasses and sins.
Untouched by the Spirit of the living God, their minds are not quickened. God has revealed these things to us
by his Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10). Paul writes, “We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we may understand what God has freely given us . . . The man without the Spirit does not accept the
things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because
they are spiritually discerned” (2 Cor. 2:12, 14). In 2 Corinthians 4:4 he says the god of this world blinds the eyes
of the unbelieving. Unbelievers are blind, dead, and at enmity with God. They know the truth, yet they suppress
it. They refuse to surrender and worship God: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the
godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness . . . For although they knew
God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the
immortal God for images made to look like mortal men-birds and animals and reptiles” (Rom. 1:18, 21-23).

From Scripture we whose eyes have been opened by the mighty operation of the Holy Spirit understand that
the universe was created and maintained by the word of God. The visible universe was not made out of what is
visible; what is seen is not made out of what is seen. The author is declaring that the universe was not made out
of pre-existing matter.

When Plato spoke of cosmogony, he said the creator fashioned the world by pre-existing, formless matter. Philo
the Jew also believed this view. But here our author is deliberately denying Platonic and Philonic cosmogonies
and cosmologies. He denies the eternity of matter and the Greek thought that matter is evil. He denies the
dualistic view of good and evil. He denies pantheism and affirms the Creator/creature distinction. He also denies
all present day explanations of the universe including the evolutionary hypothesis and the big bang theory,
which requires pre-existing matter. The author affirms that God alone created the universe out of nothing by
his creative powerful command.

The universe is not a self-existent reality but the work product of the self-existing, self-sufficient, infinite,
personal triune God of the holy Scriptures. Only believers in Jesus Christ know the true origin of the universe.
Those who say in their hearts there is no God may call us fools, but the Scripture calls them fools. An unbeliever
cannot affirm the true origin of the universe. He knows the truth, but he suppresses it. He exchanges it for a lie
because he refuses to bow down before the almighty God.

Not only did God create the universe by his powerful word, but he also recreates us by his powerful word,
making us new creations in Christ. Paul writes, “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ made his light
shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). To
us who were dead in our sins he said, “Let there be light,” and light flooded into our souls. Our eyes were
opened, we saw the reality that we are sinners and God is God, and we cried out, “O God, have mercy upon us.”

James writes, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits for all
he created” (Jas. 1:18). In 1 Peter 1:23 we read, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of
imperishable through the living and enduring word of God.”

Jesus himself spoke about this re-creative activity of God: “I tell you the truth, the time is coming and has now
come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live . . . Do not be amazed
at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have
done good will rise to live” (John 5:25, 28-29). Everyone who is in Christ Jesus is a new creation. The old is gone,
the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

Have you experienced the miracle of new creation? Have you been given the gift of godly repentance and saving
faith? Then you will understand all miracles of the Scriptures. You will not question the biblical account of the
origin of the universe or the resurrection of Christ. The idea of an iron ax head floating, or of all people being
raised from the dead, will be clear to you.

I have no problem believing every miracle in the Bible because they all are reasonable. The mighty, infinite
personal God is the reason behind them. When we exercise faith in God, we will understand the divine
revelation. Then we will be sure of things hoped for and certain of things yet unseen. Then we will know that
nothing can separate us from the love of God, that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ
is with us always, that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that we are going to heaven to be with
him forever. In his presence there is fullness of joy and on his right hand, pleasures forevermore. This Savior is
coming again, and he will make a new heaven and a new earth by his powerful word for us to dwell in with him,
and he will give us a body like unto his glorious body.
By faith we also know that there is going to be a final judgment. Every unbeliever will be cast into hell, the lake
of fire, irrevocably entering eternal punishment. By faith we see and understand these things. By faith we
understand from Scripture not only the origin of the first creation, but also the new creation. May God,
therefore, help us to be his new creations that we may show love by faithful obedience to God’s word and give
witness to God’s goodness in this world.

Only God can perform miracles. He has already performed the miracles of creation and exodus, and, more than
that, the perfect miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now he is performing the miracle of raising dead
people from the dead to life. May God grant repentance and faith even now that those people of his eternal
election may repent and believe in Jesus Christ today and be saved.