We take our text today from Hebrews 11: the great faith chapter. We will begin by reading the first six verses.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”i
THE NATURE OF FAITH
Verse 1 makes a statement about what faith is. It’s always a good idea to get understand of key terms when approaching a subject. And there is no better source for that than the Scripture itself. Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The Greek word translated substance is (hupostasis). It can mean “that which has foundation, is firm.”ii So “substance” is not an inaccurate translation. When something is laid hold of by faith, it is a firm reality even if our natural eyes have not yet seen the manifestation of it. That’s how powerful faith is. But in this context, a preferred translation would be “assurance” or perhaps “confidence.” The NIV translates Hebrew 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The same word is in Hebrews 3:14 where it is translated confidence: “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence (hupostasis) steadfast to the end.”
We get additional understanding of our text from the word translated evidence (elegchos). It means proof. iii It is “that by which invisible things are proved (and we are convinced of their reality).”iv So there is a knowing that supersedes the five natural senses. People are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27), and this faculty of faith is part of that. A cow does not have the capacity to do what is described in verse 3. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3). A cow might image grass around the next bend in the path, but he could never process something as profound as the worlds being created by the word of God. The animal might smell water around the bend, but he cannot operate in the faith described in Hebrew 11:3. God simply did not give animals the capacity to do that. He has given that capacity to people.
But whether people will use that capacity is another issue. God has given me natural eyesight.
Through these eyes I can look at something and know it is there because I have perceived it by
one of my five natural senses. But what if I refuse to open my eyes? I will not know the object is
there, at least not through the sense of sight. I can refuse to open my eyes, and even though I
have been given the faculty for natural sight, I will not see. God has given to every human a
measure of faith (Rom. 12:3). But people have to choose to exercise that capacity.
Hebrews 4:2 says, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they
heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Some people chose
to exercise their faculty of faith and respond positively to the message. Others chose to not apply
faith to the message. In those cases, the word did not profit them.
The message of the gospel is that Jesus paid the penalty for your sin on the cross. God verified
that payment by raising Jesus from the dead. Salvation is offered to those who will believe that
report (Rom. 10:9). John 3:16 declares the promise. “For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Notice the condition: “whoever believes.” “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.
11:6). The person must exercise his God-given capacity to believe the message.
At the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Potentially everyone could be
saved. But only those who believe receive everlasting life. The object of the faith is important.
Look closely at John 3:16. God have his son as a sacrifice for sin. It provides salvation for
whoever believes “in Him.” The faith must be place in Christ. It can’t be faith in faith. It can’t be
faith in positive thinking. It can’t be faith in Buddha or Mohammad. Jesus is the one who paid
the penalty for your sin. He is the only one with authority to forgive that sin and give everlasting
life.
So, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul how to be saved, his answer in Acts 16:31was "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Put your faith in the resurrected Christ. Trust in
what he did for you on the cross. Place your destiny in his hands, and you will be saved. Paul did
not say to the jailer, “Try to live a better life.” That would be faith in self. The faith must be in
God’s only begotten son. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
The belief will be evidenced by the behavior that follows. The actions we take are based on what
we really believe. We can claim to believe something, but if our actions do not line up with that
claim, then we really don’t believe it. I can claim to believe in the benefits of a good education,
but if I never study, I have proven that claim to be false. I can claim to believe in the necessity of
gasoline for my car to operate. But if I never put gasoline in the tank, my confession of faith will
not keep the car going.
James dealt with this issue in his epistle. In James 2:18-20 he confronted
the claim of faith that is inconsistent with behavior. “Show me your faith without your works, and
I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even
the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith
without works is dead?” People are wired in such a way, that their actions are based on what they
truly believe. The thief steals because in his heart he believes he will get away with it. The
investor buys Apple stock because he believes that stock will increase in value.
The person who believes Christ is the Savior of the world also believes Christ is the judge of all mankind (Rom. 2:16). That individual believes that he will one day give account for the deeds done in this body whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10). Because of those beliefs, he lives in obedience to the commandments of Christ (Matt. 28:20). Good works cannot save you. But good works give evidence that you truly believe (1 John 3:7).v
Throughout Hebrews 11, verbs are used to describe the action faith produced in people. Here are a few of those:
? Vs 4: “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.”
? Vs 7: “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark.”
? Vs 8: “By faith Abraham obeyed.”
? Vs 17: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.”
? Vs 20: “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.”
? Vs 24: “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.”
? Vs 27: “By faith he forsook Egypt.”
? Vs 28: “By faith he kept the Passover.”
? Vs 30: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land.”
Faith produces action consistent with what is believed. Faith trusts, but it is not passive. It takes the appropriate actions.
UNDERSTANDING BY FAITH
Hebrews 11:3 talks about a way of knowing reality that is not dependent on the five senses. “By faith we understand [we know] that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” There is no way that our natural senses could tell us that “the worlds were framed by the word of God.” We were not there to watch it happen. We are not able to reason our way back to that truth. God has revealed this truth in Scripture. Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” Verse 11 reports, “Then God said [He spoke it into existence], ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so.” By revelation, we know how God made the worlds. Faith is able to lay hold on that truth and enjoy an assurance that it happened that way. Without faith, the person struggles in the dark trying to find answers.
“By faith [Heb. 11:3 says] we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” God made it out of nothing. It takes faith to believe that because we can’t make anything out of nothing. We can reshape it, reconfigure it; we can take a lump of clay and form it into beautiful pottery. But we can’t make something out of nothing. We must begin with the elements God has already made.
The evolutionists reject this truth outright. They think man must have come from the monkey. The monkey must have come from the amoeba. Life must have emerged from the elements. It is the best that rationalists can come up with. They present their theory of evolution which they cannot prove. Then what happens? People read their hypothesis and put their faith in that theory. Since no one was there when the worlds were formed, any concept of what happened depends on some form of faith. I am convinced the biblical revelation is the most reliable explanation.
And if I believe what God has revealed in Scripture, then I cannot believe in evolution. Of course, God has given his creation some adaptability. If I have to work out in the sun, the pigmentation of my skin darkens. With that I become less vulnerable to sunburn. If I have to work physically, my muscles develop greater capacity for that work. All of that adaptability is a God-given blessing. But that is no proof that an animal can evolve from a single-cell organism. It is no proof that homo sapiens evolved from apes. Biblical revelation tells us that did not happen.
There is a phrase in Genesis 1 that shields us from the evolution error. The phrase is “according to its kind” (l-miynow). Notice it in verse 11: “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.” The phrase is “repeated in all the successive parts of the narrative relating to the creation of organic life, thereby clearly announcing it to be a universal law. . . .”vi You will find it in verses 12, 21, 24, and 25. Some have tried to reconcile evolution with that statement, but the arguments are unconvincing. By faith, I embrace the statement as it is, rather than try to explain it away. Hebrews 11:3: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
TWO ESSENTIALS OF FAITH
In Hebrews 11:6 we are told the importance of faith: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God].” That’s a profound statement. It doesn’t say, “Without a lot of good works it is impossible to please God.” That’s what the carnal mind might expect it to say. That’s what many religious systems assumes But the key requirement here is faith.
The Protestant Reformation brought the focus back on this issue of faith. Christianity had digressed to the point that rituals and works dominated the thinking. But Luther’s theme from Scripture was: “The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). Knowing and pleasing God requires a function/capacity beyond human logic. Logic is involved, but this faculty of faith must be exercised. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul dealt with the inadequacy of natural reason alone. In verse 21 he says, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God.” The brilliance of Aristotle and Plato were not adequate for knowing God. They may have been superior in IQ. But knowing God requires faith. It requires the exercise of a function superior to mere human intelligence.
Hebrews 11:6 follows up with two essentials of faith: “for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
First, he must believe that God is: – “that he exists” (NIV). It makes no sense to pray to God when we’re not confident he even exists. The first thing we are told in Scripture is Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God. . . .” God is simply introduced as a fact. No hard-pressed defense of his existence is given. Just the statement of fact! Why is that? God’s existence is so self-evident, it needs no defense. All of creation declares it. Every flower, every bird, every star in the sky, every person with all their abilities to think and love are evidence of divine design. Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Napoleon once pointed to the stars and said, “For no other reason than the lights up there, I am convinced there is a God.”
The vastness and majesty of the universe says someone infinitely capable made that. The order discovered through the telescope screams intelligent design. Peer into the microscope and you see atoms, neutrons, protons that function in an orderly manner. There is no statistical possibility that this is all by mere chance. Beauty fills the earth. It is not by chance. A wise, loving Creator with an appreciation for beauty made it.
Roman 1:19-21 makes this argument from creation. “Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God [through creation], they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” To reject this obvious revelation of God, closes the mind off to light. The choice to no believe leads to greater darkness.”
People ask, “What about heathen? What about those who have never heard the gospel?” They are accountable for the revelation they do have, the revelation available to all through creation itself. (Lk 12:47-48; Rev. 20:12, 15). God will treat them justly. But they do have some revelation to give an account for. They should be inquiring about the one who made it all.
Another evidence of God’s existence is the moral sensitivity he has put in people’s hearts. The sensitivity to guilt and shame may be conditioned by culture, but the core capacity is universal and is unexplainable in purely biological terms. Although specific expressions may vary, religion and worship are practiced across the globe. Even people who deny God’s existence have some sense of right and wrong. Ask people whether it is right to molest and torture children, and only the insane would say it does not matter. If there is anything right and there is anything wrong, then somewhere there is a standard. And if there is a standard, there must be a source of that standard. Every evidence is that God is that source. Conscience can be twisted and even seared (Jn 8:9; 1 Tim. 4:2). But moral sensitivity in some form is universal, and that is evidence of something other than mere biological evolution.
Love is further evidence. The fact that humans love exists is contrary to mere survival of fittest. A soldier lays down his life to protect his platoon. A husband sacrifices his life protecting his wife. Survival of the fittest says, “Every man for himself.” But we did not get here by evolution, we got here by a God who is love (1 John 4:8, 16).
The rational response to creation’s evidence is toward belief in a Creator. It’s not just a leap of faith. The facts declare it, and over 90% of people believe it. A person must work very hard not to believe it.
Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." That fool may have a high IQ, but he has made a moral choice that has rendered him foolish. The heart has been darkened because he does not want to even think about God (Rom. 1:28). Jesus told the story of the man who ignored God and gave his life to accumulating things. In Luke 12:19 he tells himself, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” Live for your own pleasure. In the next verse we read, “But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'”
The atheist claims his unbelief is an intellectual issue, but in reality, it is a moral issue. He chooses not to believe. He chooses to ignore moral accountability to God. Second Peter 3:4 talks about people who scoff at the warning for Christ’s return saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation” (RSV). Then verse 5 says they are willfully ignorant of the facts (KJV). They really don’t want to know. “They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water” (RSV). Bill Gothard once said, “When I approach an agnostic or an atheist, I don’t ask him for the intellectual reasons behind his position—I go one step deeper than that, and I ask him what sin are you committing that you will have to give up if you acknowledge God” Ultimately, it is not an intellectual issue; it is a moral choice of unbelief.
There must be a certain open and honest acceptance of the evidence that God is. For a person to come to God he must believe that he exists.
Secondly, according to Hebrews 11:6, he must believe that God is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” What kind of God is he? Deists believe God exists, but they don’t believe he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. They conceive of a God who created the universe, set certain principles in motion, then stepped back and became uninvolved. He sort of wound up the clock and left it ticking. But the Bible reveals a God who know every hair on your head, knows every sparrow that falls, and cares about every event in your life (Luke 12:6-7; 1 Pet. 5:7).
A wrong concept of God can be a major hinderance in coming to him. “George Buttrick was formerly the chaplain at Harvard University. He recalls that students would come into his office, plop down on a chair and declare, ‘I don’t believe in God.’ Buttrick would give this disarming reply: ‘Tell me what kind of God you don’t believe in. I probably don’t believe in that God either.”
Some people think God is a grumpy, angry old man making unreasonable demands, not wanting them to have any fun in life, and impossible to please. Others think he is a soft old, indulgent grandpa who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Neither of those concepts fit the God revealed in the Bible. He is a God who loved you so much that he sent his only son to make a way for you to be with him. He is a God who cares about every pain you experience in life. He is a God who loves you so much that he hates the sin that would ultimately destroy you. He is a God who rewards those who diligently seek him.
“Rewarder” implies knowledge and involvement. He grants freewill, yet he turns the tide of history when needed. Take one incident in history: D-Day. Had the weather been different, it could have been a disaster that cost the Allies the war. Instead, it was a key event leading to the defeat of Hitler. If you are perceptive, you can look back on your own life and see his hand on specific life-changing events. God is involved.
“Rewarder implies consistency. In Malachi 3:6 God says, “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” He is not capricious or unpredictable. He is faithful to the promises and principles revealed in his word. He is not partial; he is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He treats everyone fairly. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
In Isaiah 45:19 God says, “I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right” (NIV). It is not vain to serve the Lord. He will reward those who diligently seek him and serve him. The devil tries to minimize that. As he did with Eve, he minimizes the consequences of our choices and tries to get us to simply follow our own lust (Gen. 3:4-5). But consequence of choices is a major theme in Scripture: negative consequences for disobedience and positive reward for obedience. God instructed Isaiah, “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isa. 3:10-11).
So here in Hebrews 11:6 we have two essentials of faith. First, we must embrace the testimony of creation and Scripture that “God is”: that “God exists.” Secondly, we must believe “that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” When we believe that, we are inspired to seek him. Keep it in mind. It is not vain to serve the Lord. “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Strong’s Concordance: NT:5287.
iii Strong’s Concordance: NT:1650.
iv Thayer’s Greek Lexicon.
v For an exposition of 1 John 3:7, see Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019), 170-189.
vi (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
