VIII.
Faith (continued) ()
A.
The Meaning of Faith ()
1.
() Continued: Elégchos implies a thought or belief that has been cross-examined, questioned to be tested for validity or reality, brought to proof or placed under scrutiny for possible confutation. The Greek phrase pragmátos elégcho is translated as the single word “evidence or assurance.” Faith then, is based upon that which is - - - - - - and is crucial.
2.
() And what is it that is unseen but is yet tested and important; is it not the power of God working through His government of all events in history, which from time to time experiences His mighty acts? This power may be unseen for a while, perhaps, but we come to know it as ultimate and crucial, dependable, solid, foundational. Our faith does not - - - - - - reality but is based upon the reality of God’s government and power. It is by this faith, turned loose in history by the faithful action of prophets and believers, that God has brought His - - - - - - - - to bear upon nations and their history.
3.
() In verse 3, our writer indicates faith’s place in epistemology, that is, in the structure or formation of knowledge: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made of things which are visible.” How do we know how the world was made? By scientific observation? No, for no one was there to - - - - - - - . By laboratory experiment? Impossible, for in any experiment we must begin with that which is a substance or material. Creation was out of nothing! By mathematical formulation? No, because all equations must finish with a - - - - - - - ; nothing can be added or subtracted from the sides of an equation without a corresponding function on the other side. By what method do we then know how the worlds were made? Only through faith, given by revelation of God, beyond the proof or disproof of any person: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared (created) by the word of God” (vs. 3). If that is what God has said in His communication with the prophets through the ages and we find Him - - - - - - - - - - on all other matters regarding which He has communicated, then we believe — we know by faith. (, ; , ) Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word bára is used to show that God created the heavens and the earth as well as the people who - - - - - - - - the earth.
a.
All physical matter is made up of that which “is visible.” The basic particles of matter as we perceive them today are the protons, neutrons, and electrons that make up atomic nuclei. Put these into certain atomic relationships and build up enough of them in molecular structure and you have that which - - - - - - - - - - .” Yet separated and unassociated, these building blocks are but energy — and unseen. Our author’s statement is amazingly sophisticated in the light of contemporary understanding of physical matter.
B.
Examples in Faith — Abel and Enoch ()
1.
(; ) Our writer now leads us on in verses 4 and 5 to consider the lives of two men known simply for their faith. Abel and Enoch pleased God, by their faith. Abel offered to God a sacrifice more - - - - - - - - - - than his brother Cain. Some have said this was because the sacrifice was one of blood, but our author does not appear to support that thesis. At least, at this point he is not talking about blood sacrifice but about faith. It seems most probable, therefore, that the factor of difference in the comparison was that of - - - - - , not of the sacrifice. Evidently Abel surpassed his brother in that his attitude toward God was one of confidence in God’s graciousness. Cain’s attitude, on the other hand, was one of competitiveness that thought this graciousness had to be bought by human effort or the sacrifice of a minimal offering after calculating God’s “price.” To our author, the critical factor was the quality of Abel’s faith and the - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - faith of Cain.
2.
(; , ) Enoch is described as having pleased God and so did not see death but was simply taken straight to God without the experience of physical death. How he pleased God was that of faith, however expressed. His walk with God must have been one of sensitivity to the mind of God and - - - - - - - - - to the mind and will of God. In the thinking of our author, expressed in chapters 3 and 4, no one is going to obey God unless that person believes God knows what He is talking about: that belief is called “faith”. Moreover, because God has a plan for every person and for His world, anyone who is not sensitive to His will and who does not obey in faith is going to leave that will of God - - - - - - - - - - - . God takes no pleasure in such disregard. Without faith in a God who created the world with order, without faith in a God who provides for the children of His love, without faith in a God who loves justice and hates lawlessness, without faith in a God who makes a way, the only way, into the sanctuary of His presence — without such faith it is - - - - - - - - - - to please a God who desires and demands that we believe these things about Him. To believe anything else or to think we can do these things without His aid is to deny the very character of God and try to play His role ourselves. That is the height of arrogance! No, without faith it is impossible to please [God]! (vs. 6)
a.
God reveals His plan to redeem some of His people in exile in Babylon in , extending pardon for their sin and restoring them to Israel. Jesus paid the full price of the wages of sin of those chosen in () eternity past to have - - - - - - - - - - - - in Jesus as their Savior and Lord). Some of those Israelis who left exile for home were saved “on account” of being chosen in eternity past and the future death of Jesus paying their wages of sin. On the other hand, God’s plan to bring - - - - - - - - upon His enemy Babylon is noted in . Our divine author writes to encourage his readers to obey the Lord and avoid His wrath and judgment.
C.
Faith and Obedience ()
In these verses our divine author gives us three examples of obedience that rise out of faith. Here again he shows the inseparability of faith and obedience. In this he concurs with other New Testament writers: there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Noah, Abraham, and Sarah all exhibited obedience because of their faith. Moreover, all were characterized by an obedience that went beyond, or even contradicted, common sense.
1.
() Noah, in faith, () received a divine revelation, (vs. ) heeded it, and built an ark, even against normal - - - - - - . Imagine, in a large field behind your home, constructing an ark that obviously could not be transported to water because of its bulky size. When Noah did this, friends and neighbors began to ridicule him. “Hey, Noah, what are you doing — building a boat? How are you going to get it to water?” Probably, raucous laughter mingled with their friendly or not-so-friendly jibes. However, when the waters came, the laughter changed to cries of anguish and pleading, finally fading away in the swirling waters of judgment. Noah’s faith and obedience became - - - - - - - - to those who would not listen or believe. His obedience was received as righteousness. It was obedience against all common sense.
2.
(; ) Abraham, too, in faith, obeyed. His motivation was simple; he believed God when He said, “Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you” (). Abraham went, yet he did not have the slightest idea where he was going. It was against all - - - - - - - - - - - - to leave the place of familiarity — the land and people that he had known and loved all the years — and go to a place that was unknown. When he reached his destination, he lived as a - - - - - - - - - , not an owner or possessor, in tents of temporary nature. By faith, he looked into the future toward a city whose buildings had foundation stones, a symbol of permanence of the - - - - - - - of God, in comparison to movable and unstable tents. He foresaw that the builder and maker of that city would be God. (; , ) He believed — and so was counted as righteous; his righteousness is credited to saved Christians.
3.
(; ). Sarah, his dear old wife, having long since gone through menopause, received the message that she was going to have a son. At first, she laughed. She might have said, “Imagine, I who am called ‘barren,’ I am going to have a baby! I guess the messenger doesn’t know my female condition or doesn’t understand about bearing children. Oh, these men!” However, the three messengers, including one who was - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , persisted in their promises with an intensity and honesty that put aside all flippancy or doubt. () She yielded, and a wave of belief swept over her whole being: she might have thought, “I am going to have a miracle baby!” By that faith she received power to conceive, and she bore the promised child. Isaac is a Hebrew word that means, “He laughs.” Every time Sarah saw Isaac, it was a - - - - - - - - of her laughing response when she overheard God’s plan for her, a barren woman of advanced age, to bear a son. At her age, to have a child was against all common sense. The promise came through - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
D.
Faith and Future ()
1.
() A faith in the God of the future is the theme of this next passage. Those mentioned — Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and his parents, the followers of Joshua and Rahab, a Gentile harlot — were all futurists. In each case, they died without having received what had been promised to them; they saw it afar off. The Greek verb translated “without receiving” carries the notion of not having the - - - - - - - in one’s possession or pocket, as it were. As people of faith, however, they could see this promise afar off and were assured of it, embracing the vision of faith to their hearts, realizing they were merely pilgrims and strangers in the here and now. The desire was so intense, yet they sensed this was not God’s timing. They put their lives on the foundation stones of - - - - - in a reliable God upon which the future would be erected. Someday the building, the temple of faith, would be finished, and, according to verse 10, God Himself would be the builder (techníte¯s, “craftsman, artificer”) and maker (dé¯miourgos, “author, builder, maker, Creator”). This is the only place in the New Testament where this word is used, thus called a hapáx legómena.
a.
() All the believers mentioned in this passage were to be the living stones of foundation upon which others would be laid. Thus, they would be completed in those who would come later. We who have come later are those - - - - - - - - - - stones, giving the saints of old the joy and satisfaction realized by any pioneers who are able to look back and see their dreams fulfilled in later generations.
b.
Each of these futurists looked into the future with eyes of faith and had some glimpse of the promise God had for them and for their children. They were unwilling to satisfy themselves with the short-term advantages that would have denied the - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Many of them made the sacrifice of the quick gratification to possess the greater satisfaction of the ultimate promise. They did not jeopardize a future generation’s resources or promises by craving immediate satisfaction of their desires. They left the promise intact for those who came after.
2.
(; ; ) Abraham was told to offer up his son Isaac. We can only imagine the horror and anguish of his heart as he wrestled with the - - - - - - - - - of such a command. He may have thought, “But he is the son of promise, the one through whom God is going to fulfill His promise! Surely there must be some mistake. It’s a bad dream; it’s the silly pessimism of an old man who has waited so long. A foolish thought — I must get it out of my head. It can’t be true!” Still the command persisted. Abraham put aside his immediate - - - - - - - - - - - - - of having his son with him and in his mind gave him up to God — as our author says, believing that God “is able to raise people even from the dead” (). That is faith! — against all common sense. But who said the God in whom Abraham believed was at all common! In the very process of the sacrifice, God provided by other means, showing the importance of - - - - - - - - - but at the same time His gracious provision for our needs. When we act in belief, God gets into the act.
3.
(; ; ) Isaac, looking into the future although no kind of demand was placed upon him to challenge the dream, blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau. The - - - - - - - - had been given to him as it had to his father, and he believed God. Jacob, old and feeble, living in the sojourn of simplicity, blessed each of the sons of Joseph. () However, Jacob stole his brother’s - - - - - - - - . Esau threatened to kill Jacob.