By Ken Fletcher
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
“I submit to you that this is NOT what faith is, but what faith DOES. The word “substance” in the original language means, “that which lies under or foundation”. The word “hope(d)” in the original language means, “confident expectation”. That’s the true Bible meaning of these words in the verse.
So, without changing the verse at all, with a better understanding of what these words actually mean, we might say it this way: “Now, faith is the foundation of things expected, the evidence of things not seen.”
What is our evidence? It’s God’s Word! God’s Word IS that which lies under everything! God’s Word is the substance or foundation! Our foundation for what? For what we can confidently expect! We can have no confidence to expect anything without hearing from God! This verse describes how faith WORKS not what it IS.
The following verses in this chapter go on to say about the believers, through faith, did this or that. By faith, they did this or that. Can you see? It’s what faith does!
Then, someone asks, what IS faith then? It’s pretty simple. So we all can get it. The Bible says that faith comes to us by hearing and hearing by God’s Word. That IS where the God kind of faith comes from!
We see the Genesis account of Abraham, the Father of faith, that he was fully persuaded about what God promised Him. And, there it is! Did you see it? What faith is? Real faith in God is simply being fully persuaded in our heart what He has said! Full Of Faith = Fully Persuaded.
We are fully persuaded in our heart because of what God has said to us. Going right back to our foundation of faith, God’s Word. We DO what we DO (Hebrews 11:1) by faith because we are FULLY PERSUADED in what God has said! That is what faith IS and what faith DOES.
Now, because we are fully persuaded in our heart about what God has said, (that which lies under, foundation), we abide in hope (confident expectation) of it coming to pass in our lives. Abraham believed God, in the midst of impossible circumstances, AND Abraham BECAME the Father of Isaac, as God promised him.
Through faith Abraham realized God’s Word to him. He believed God could not lie to him. Even in the face of extreme old age and his wife also (who never was able to conceive), he believed God. He was fully persuaded, my friend.
It really is pretty simple. We make it too hard. We simply decide that God always does what He says because He cannot lie to us. So, we in child like faith believe Him. And, then we speak and act upon what He has told us. We speak and act because we’re not in doubt, but we are fully persuaded in our heart. We do Hebrews 11:1. Just like the saints did before us. Just like Abraham did.
Someone says, it can’t be that simple to get a miracle like that! Well, it is that simple! But, I did not say it was easy! Abraham believed for years with no physical evidence. You think he had some patience working? He became an old man. Still no baby! Do you think he was tempted to doubt? Of course he was! A lot! He cast the doubt aside! No matter what he was seeing in his body and his wife! He reminded himself what God told him.
Contrary circumstances? Oh, man! Did He have them! But, he believed anyway! Believed what? What God told him! He would be a daddy with his wife Sarah as the child’s mother! The only thing Abraham had was what God said to him. He believed that God could, (had the ability), and that God would, (do what He told Abraham).
Because Abraham was fully persuaded about what God promised him, he did Hebrews 11:1. So did all those other saints who did the impossible in that chapter!
We have an amazing legacy of faith, dear believer friend. We are so blessed with such a cloud of witnesses in heaven that have gone before us! What amazing examples of faith we see from them in the Bible! I want to be counted in with that number! Don’t you? Are we fully persuaded in what God has told us?” KF KenFletcher.org
