Hebrews 11:1-40
By Faith
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And 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.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
23By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
The author of Hebrews tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see...He goes on to tell us about Abel, Cain, Abraham, and others in the Old Testament who were examples of faith, and explain something about the ancients of their acts of faith and/or why they were commended...All the ancients listened and trusted in the LORD...We are told that without faith it is impossible to please God...This is because anyone who comes to God must believe that He, in fact, exists and that God does reward those who earnestly seek Him...
Faith is abstract and hard to explain...Faith is hard to define and its shape on what we think it is, is different for each individual person...Faith maybe the most important thing in the world...For others it maybe only a small part of their life, while some it may be even smaller than that...How we seek and perceive God, affects how we define faith, and the size of it...If we do not seek God, it will be impossible to please Him...If we feel God is infinite, all powerful, is pure love, pure light, and is perfect, spelled PERFECT that we cannot get too close to Him...Our sins keep us from Him...Imperfection (our sins) can turn perfection into imperfection...This type of God may produce large amounts of faith...
The ancients were commended for faith, yet none of them received what they had been promised...God's plans something for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect...The ancients never got to meet the Messiah while they were on earth...When Christ came perfection of man was finally seen in Him...
Those who believe that God is somewhat smaller or distant (to them) in their beliefs may have a lesser amount of faith, than one who believes in the PERFECT, infinite, all knowing God, who controls the universe...Faith can be stronger from one day to the next...King David (who is briefly mentioned as one of the ancients), won many great battles, had an interesting life...He was Israel's greatest king...In many of his Psalms, David writes about seeking God, asks if God left him, and has many days of lesser faith...King David, though, had strong faith in the God of Israel...
We are not pure in love, and again sin gets in our way...Only Jesus was pure...There was no one on earth who made God more central in His life than Jesus...Jesus also taught that those who do believe in God, even if they have a small amount of faith, the size of a mustard seed, still have power and hope in their lives...
So faith is believing and is a hope, yet still being certain of things we cannot see...Faith is listening and trusting in the LORD...Faith can be lesser on certain days than others...Faith may not be completed or satisfied while we are on earth...Even a little faith goes a long way...Faith makes God a central part of one's life...
St. Paul knew that man is imperfect, even at the best of his times...In all our weaknesses, St. Paul knew that those that know their sins and weaknesses the most and were at the brink, maybe felt a weak faith, but at the same time their strongest faith...When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10)...Faith seems to strengthen and weaken throughout our lives, but it is something we must persistently hold onto like Jesus explains to us in the persistent widow, with the unfair judge, when we are weak(er) in faith...We must stay the course, keep the faith, and be persistent about it (our faith)...