The Anchor Of The Soul Series

Introduction

Have you ever planted a seed? You place this tiny, dry thing in the dark soil. You can't see anything happening. There's no visible proof of life. Yet, you water it, you wait, and you expect it to grow. Why? Because you have faith in the process of life that God created. You hope for a plant, and your action of planting and watering is the evidence of your belief in what you cannot yet see.

This is a small picture of the spiritual faith described in our key verse today, Hebrews 11:1. This single verse is perhaps the most powerful and complete definition of faith in the entire Bible. It's not just a feeling or wishful thinking; it's something real, solid, and active. Today, let's break down this verse to understand what faith truly is and how it can become the anchor for our souls in every season of life.

I. Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped For

The verse begins, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for."

That word, substance, is incredibly important. In the original Greek, the word is hypostasis, which means a sure foundation, an assurance, or a title deed. A title deed is a legal document that proves you own a piece of property. You might not be living on that land yet, but the deed in your hand is the guarantee that it belongs to you.

That's what faith is! It's the title deed to God's promises. We hope for many things: the forgiveness of our sins, strength for tomorrow, peace in our hearts, and the ultimate hope of eternal life in heaven with Jesus. These are "things hoped for." We don't fully possess them in this life, but faith is the "substance"—the spiritual title deed—that assures us they are already ours in Christ.

Faith takes a future promise from God and makes it a present reality in our hearts. It's not saying, "I hope God will forgive me one day." It's saying, "Because of Jesus, I am forgiven right now." It's not, "I hope I'll get to heaven." It's, "I have the assurance of eternal life because my hope is built on the finished work of the cross." Faith gives weight and certainty to our hope.

II. Faith is the Evidence of Things Not Seen

The second half of the verse says faith is "the evidence of things not seen."

The word for evidence here is a legal term, elegchos, which means proof or a conviction based on solid evidence that proves a case. This tells us that faith is not a blind leap into the dark. It’s a confident step into the light of God's truth, even when our physical eyes can't see the path ahead.

Think about the wind. Can you see the wind? No. But you can see its effects. You see the trees swaying, you feel it on your skin, you see the flag waving. You know the wind is real because you see the evidence of its presence.

In the same way, we cannot see God with our physical eyes. We can't see heaven, or angels, or the spiritual battles being waged for our souls. These are the "things not seen." But faith is the spiritual sense that allows us to see the proof of their existence. We see the evidence of God in the beauty of creation, in a changed life, in an answered prayer, and most clearly, in the person of Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word.

Faith is our conviction, our proof, that the unseen spiritual world is more real and more permanent than the temporary physical world we see around us. It's the faculty that allows us to look past our circumstances and see God at work.

Conclusion: Living by Faith Today

So, what does this mean for us today?

It means our faith is not fragile or based on feelings. It is a substance and an evidence. It is our anchor. When the storms of life hit, when our hopes seem far off, and when we cannot see God's hand at work, our faith holds us firm.

Because faith is substance, we can have peace, knowing our future is secure in God's promises.

Because faith is evidence, we can have courage, trusting that the unseen God is with us and for us.

The rest of Hebrews 11 is filled with heroes of the faith—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah—who lived their lives based on this principle. They obeyed, sacrificed, and persevered because they were holding the title deed to God's promises and they could see the evidence of the God who was invisible.

My challenge to you today is this: What is the "thing hoped for" in your life that you need to apply the "substance" of faith to? What is the "thing not seen" that God is calling you to trust His "evidence" for?

Let us not live by sight, but by faith. For faith is the anchor of the soul, the guarantee of our hope, and the proof of our amazing, unseen God.