TLDR: Below you will see a brief reflection on the greatest chapter on faith in the entire Bible. Please read and enjoy.
A quick summary of Hebrews 11 reminds us that “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s... By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household... By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going... By faith Moses left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible... By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land... By faith Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthan, David and Samuel... conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, and put foreign armies to flight... By faith some of whom the world was not worthy endured suffering and death... Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised.”
This, the greatest chapter on faith in Scripture, starts with the following phrase, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This is the best definition of faith I have seen, and it simply states that those who have faith do not hope in vain. Faith is their assurance that what they hope for will come to pass. Their faith in a benevolent, mighty God, gave our biblical ancestors the hope of a Promised Land, the hope of liberation from Egypt, the hope of victory in military struggles, the hope of a politically stable Israel, the hope of progress, and the hope of a Messiah who one day would lead the remnant to the New Jerusalem.
Faith is also the conviction of things not seen. As I have said before, life begins and ends in mystery, and everything in between those two historical points is itself enshrouded in mystery. Those who have faith have a conviction that not everything that exists can be seen by the naked eye. There are realities we believe in yet never see. From where I stand, I can’t see the universe beyond a few tiny stars. Yet, I choose to believe the universe exists. I am convinced of this reality out of trust for the testimony of others, but also because I know that there is more to life than what meets the eye.
The author of Hebrews 11 ends his chapter this way, “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect.” This is interesting because Abrahan did have numerous ancestors, Moses and his people did escape Egypt, the people of God did enter the Promised Land, the judges and kings did protect the nation and had times of peace and prosperity, etc. Did these ancestors really died before they received what was promised?
The answer comes at the end of the verse. They were destined to receive something better than what they asked for and received. What is this better gift they can only receive “through us”? This is the restoration of the relationship between humanity and their God, a relationship that had been broken with the fall of humanity. This restoration can only come through the Messiah who was sent by God centuries after their own times. They received a partial answer to their hope, but the final answer that makes them perfect, only came through the Immanuel promised by Isaiah, the Messiah, Jesus. It is only in Christ that we can obtain what we hope for in faith, which is nothing less than perfect union with God. This perfect union is possible because in Christ our sins are forgiven, and we are raised to the status of children of God, heirs of the promised kingdom, citizens of the new Jerusalem, and the remnant of God.
Some of us have a vision problem. Like Thomas, we want to see to believe. But faith works the other way around. We have to believe to see. And we begin to see with spiritual eyes before we are able to see with physical eyes. This is exactly the case with the first Christian martyr in Acts 7: Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit said, “’I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ (And while they were stoning him, he prayed) ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’” (Acts 7:56-60).
Today, I want us to pray for improved spiritual eyes to see God’s loving actions on our behalf. Faith tells us that what we hope for will one day be realized. Until then, may our Lord continue to bless us. Amen!
VERSES FROM A GENERAL PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone. (BCP, 836).
Fr. Roman +
