Faith: Hebrews 11:1

In my experience, people have generally reacted in one of two ways when discussing the topic of faith: 1. It is a cop-out. 2. It is the greatest evidence of trust. Of course, both of these statements regarding faith cannot concurrently be true. Faith is either a cop-out, or it is the greatest evidence of truth. OR...faith is at least a bit more than that. Let's discuss.

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Faith

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

The word itself translates to something to the effect of the condition of being persuaded of who or what is trustworthy. This, on its surface, seems paradoxical. If one is persuaded that something is trustworthy, doesn't that mean that they have found evidence that it is worthy of trust? And if they have found evidence, does that not mean that they have in some way experienced proof through one or more senses? And if they've experienced through their senses the evidence, physical or otherwise, does this not contradict the very nature of the concept of faith? Wouldn't the trust as a result of the things seen remove it from the realm of "faith?" Conversely, when I see a sudden and long-lasting change in the lifestyle and attitude of an individual, or when I look out at the clear night sky and observe the stars, knowing full-well that the origin of the light that I'm observing originated millions, maybe billions of years earlier, or when I listen to an orchestral performance and find myself in tears, are these examples simply a sampling of the near limitless list of possibilities that point to the existence of a supreme being and/or of a spirit world that cannot be seen?

Faith is derived from the same root word as the word 'persuade' (pistis), and it indicates that faith is obedience primarily as a result of the persuasion of God. This diminishes the age-old meaning of "child-like" faith. A child believes or is fully convinced that his or her mother is trustworthy, based not upon nothing, but rather upon the history of consistency and follow-through demonstrated by the parent for more than a short period of time; beginning, most likely, when the child was born. Indeed, a child even as young as one year of age can develop a deep mistrust in its parent, even though it hasn't the wherewithal to be able to clearly express the lack of trust. 

Alas, this brings us to a significant difference in the examples of faith, one of a child in its parent and another of a human being in an unseen entity. The child chooses to believe that it can place faith in its parent based upon the evidence that the parent has consistently demonstrated, and the child only senses these demonstrations that engender trust based upon the fact that they've used their senses to experience the presence of that parent. The human who chooses faith in an unseen entity and then who acknowledges that the same unseen entity is also worthy of daily trust with regard to decisions, particularly those decisions that affect life in a significant manner, is doing so out of something much different than mere "child-like" faith.

Faith is the substance, or assurance, of things not seen. Assurance, in this case, is translated from the word upostosis, which indicates a kind of support or steadiness. This indicates that this trustworthiness as a result of persuasion is not simply a kind of steadying force but it, rather, is steadiness. It is steadiness in one's hopeful expectations. AND, it is the evidence of things not seen. In other words, one, in this case, claims faith as proof of something, a deed or a matter, that is not experienced through the five senses but that can be "evidenced," or, as is the meaning of the Greek word itself, "elenchos," can be exposed or convicted with solid, compelling evidence. "...the evidence of things not seen." The italicized phrase is translated to exactly what it says, i.e., things that are not looked at. 

What becomes possible after deeper thought is the idea that this verse might be a descriptor of faith through the simplified statement, "Faith is this." It (faith) is assurance. It is steadiness. Faith is also evidence at its deepest levels. Some have argued that this verse (Hebrews 11:1) is a description of faith in operation rather than in essence, but I don't know that it might not be both. Thomas Kemp, a German-Dutch canon (1380-1471) and author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular Christian devotional books, said, "I had rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof." My contention is this: When exercising faith, is it not possible that the assurance, steadiness, and evidence that one experiences in faith actually faith itself?

A parallel with the purpose of the death of Christ is seen in the book of Numbers. Moses is commanded by God to make a serpent of brass that, when looked upon, would result in a healing power that would save the lives of the Israelites who had been bitten by snakes. God allows for salvation today as a result of the belief in his son's death. In these cases, "Looking" and "believing" both result in salvation. The first resulted in the saving of physical life, and the second resulted in the saving of the eternal soul. According to A.W. Tozer, "Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God." In this, the deepest part of a human, the soul fixes its gaze upon God. Many biblical references point to the importance of our looking to God. Christ himself became the prime example of a constant and steady gaze upon God, stating that the only way that He could accomplish anything was by keeping His eyes on his Father. (John 5:19) And the cruciality of faith is seen in another text where we are urged to look to Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith." It is the looking that is the faith, and it is the Jesus to whom our gaze is fully directed that is not only the one who made our faith possible but who also brings our faith to its finish as we then see with our new bodies, thus making unnecessary the faith that once sustained us in a physical life on Earth. 

To say that faith is a cop-out is to say what comes natural, i.e., that which we cannot sense is not to be believed. But to have faith is to first admit our limitations and to next plunge into a new dimension; it is to lift our eyes away from ourselves and to the eyes of God, as it were.

  A.W. Tozer said, "Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all."

"A challenge or an opposition to one's faith," according to international Bible teacher, Derek Prince, "Is a battle of determination and a battle of endurance." I've chosen faith, and I've experienced, to a degree, that battle that one can expect to experience as a result of said choice, but what is the alternative? 

Food for thought.

And that's today's talk. Thanks for listening. I hope that at least something I've said has been impactful, meaningful, worthy of contemplation. Please subscribe to my channel, and be sure to comment if you feel so compelled.

Thank you for listening. See you soon. Take care.

Sources:

https://biblehub.com/hebrews/11-1.htm

https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/tozer/the_gaze_of_the_soul.htm

https://medium.com/@harrystead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToLo-FYbatw