The Substance

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

1. Faith is a substance

"Substance" hypostasis; concretely, essence, or abstractly, assurance, confidence, confident, person, substance.

What is a Substance?

Matter is the substance of which all physical objects are made.

Example: Give some play-doh to 2 people and ask them to create something out of that "substance"

In the millennia-old Aristotelian tradition, as well as early modern traditions that follow it, substances or ousia are treated as having attributes and modes or things.

This concept helps to explain, for instance, state transitions. Let us take a quantity of water and freeze it into ice. Substance theory maintains that there is a "substance" which is unchanged through this transition, which is both the liquid water and also the frozen ice. It maintains that the water is not replaced by the ice – it is the same "stuff," or substance. If this is true, then it must be the case that the wetness of water, the hardness of ice, are not essential to the underlying substance. (Essentially, matter does not disappear, it only changes form.)

According to the Bible Faith is THE substance of THINGS we hope for.

2. Faith has to do with Things

What is a Thing? A thing is defined by an object, a person or a being.

Touch the chair where you are seated. Is it a thing? What about money? is it a thing? What about a car or a house? Are those things? Of course they are!

Remember that Faith is the SUBSTANCE of THINGS you hope for. If you hope for nothing faith cannot operate.

Atheists and agnostics criticize religious faith as superstition, categorizing it with other forms of belief that are not based on measurement of material things.

Faith is an invisible force and cannot be measured. Paul said that we all have received a measure of faith. "I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgement, as God has alloted to each a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)

Some people have no faith, others have a ton of faith. Wish one are you'?

3. How can we operate by faith?

1. Without faith you cannot please God

Hebrews 11:6

New International Version (NIV)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

2. How can we have more Faith?

Yes, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Faith does not come merely from reading the Bible. Now before you get offended with this please allow me a moment of explanation. Truly "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rm 10:17). But the reason our faith can be increased by reading or hearing the scriptures is that God reveals Himself to us through them. Pages from a book can never transmit faith unless God chooses to use them to show us something of Himself. It is a great mistake to study the Bible, attempt to figure out what God's will is, and then try to "believe" it.

How many Christians waste valuable time in this way! Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for precisely this same activity. He said, "You keep on searching the Scriptures, for you yourselves suppose that you will get possession of eternal life or faith through them; and yet they are witnesses that testify to me, but you refuse to come to me to get possession of life" (Jn 5:39,40). When we open the Bible we must also open our hearts to God Himself.

True faith in God comes by a relationship with God! That relationship is built in our day-to-day practice of walking with Him, talking with Him, believing and obeying His Word, and trusting Him during those times in which we do not even fully understand His purpose.

3. How can we "Materialize" the invisible "Substance" of faith?

Speaking the Word of God is called "Confession." There is a saying, "Confession brings possession." In order for the Power of God to cause something that God has promised to be manifested in this natural realm, you must speak, or confess, His Word and agree with God! Then God will back up His promise by bringing it to pass in this natural realm! You must speak the Word!

Jesus said: For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says [Mark 11:23, Matthew 21:21, Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6].