“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
Dear Ones:
We are apt to always perceive the invisible by that which is visible. The problem with this idea of basing all that is unseen by what we see, is that we can be in error. If we cannot see it, to validate it, is it true? Are we deceived, or is that which we perceive in the invisible true, ever-lasting, and viable as something, or Someone, in whom we should trust? The author of the letter to the Hebrews caught the reality of this problem, or dilemma, and brought it front and center stage to be considered and comprehended. How did he approach the matter?
First of all, we need to understand that when we speak of the author of the letter to the Hebrews, we are speaking of the Spirit of God. So, how does God deal with the subject at hand, and this in such a manner that shall not only give us clarity, but lay the basis for conviction as to the truth. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the writer begins by declaring: “NOW, faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (v.1) He begins with the present-continuing reality of this matter of faith. In that declaration, he not only speaks of the reality of faith as being a real thing, or “substance,” but by its essence it is forward-leaning, believing in a result, an accomplishment, a resolution. The invisibleness of faith does not mean that it does not exist. What then is the great characteristic of faith, true faith, that confirms to us its validity? The answer is found in the words of the Apostle Paul: “…saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” True faith is a GIFT of God. It is like the Holy Spirit of which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus. Like the wind, we do not see His presence. However, we do see the effects of His moving and working. And so it is with this “gift” of faith. All changes in the life when it is received, and exercised. There is a remarkable effect of the faith that God gives, especially because it is the very “faith of the Son of God,” (Gal. 2:20) given to men who turn to God, and cry out to Him to be saved. God gives invisible faith, in order to live in the expectation of the working of God. Faith is thus “the substance of things hoped for.” Later on in the letter to the Hebrews, there is a clarification of this hope. The writer declares: “He that cometh to God must believe that He IS, and that He is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (v.6) There is great reward in believing, trusting, hoping, living in the anticipated result of what God will do.
God, in taking us by the hand to reveal His ways to us, speaks to us also of faith being, “…the evidence of things not seen.” (v.1) Why are we brought to consider faith as a substance, and now evidence? Evidence of what? Throughout Scripture the Lord makes it very clear that His glory is His own. In Isaiah 48, the He declares: “I will not give my glory unto another.” (v.11) The whole of the message and means of the redemption and salvation of man has this underlying principle, that God does His work, His way, for His unique glory. One aspect of that revelation of His glory is the invisible faith that He gives, which in turn, testifies and proclaims the reality of His presence, person, and power. True faith is the proof of God’s presence and power. In the long, and yet abbreviated list of men and women of faith, mentioned in Hebrews 11, having lived at different times throughout the centuries, there is the powerful testimony, the substance and the proof, that God IS, and that He IS a REWARDER of them that diligently seek Him.
Dear Father, Give us not only Thy Son’s faith, but grant it to us in its fullness and love. We thank Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad