Faith is Substance and Evidence

Introduction. (Hebrews 11:1-6). This beautiful passage begins one of the most powerful chapters in Scripture that offers examples of what it actually means to live “by faith.” I call your attention to the first verse, in which the Holy Spirit offers a definition of what faith truly is. This morning let’s look closely at this text to understand what God seeks in His creatures.

I.  The Structure of the Verse. The definition consists of two statements that together define what faith is. This is a common way that the Holy Spirit defines things—by offering two parallel statements that each help clarify something.

A. Examples of parallelism:

1.      Defining the nature of God (Exodus 15:2).

2.      Defining the nature of God’s word (Psalm 33:4).

3.      Defining the nature of wisdom (Job 12:12).

B. The verse offers two parallel phrases that each define “faith” in its relationship to two things:

1.      “Things hoped for” and...

2.      “Things not seen.”

C. Two words are applied to explain each relationship:

1.      “Substance” and...

2.      “Evidence.”

D, To understand these relationships (and thus define “faith”) we must first understand these two words.

II.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (11:1a).

A. Other translations: “Substance” (KJV, NKJV); “assurance” (ASV, NASB, ESV).

B. “Substance” defined. Gr. hupostasis

1.      In classical usage it referred to “1. that which settles at the bottom, sediment,” and “2.anything set under, subject-matter of a speech or poem” (LS).

2.      In New Testament usage it referred to “…the foundation or ground of hope, confidence, assurance” or “3. substance, the real nature of a thing, essence”(LS).

C.  Examples of New Testament usage. It occurs five times.

1.      Used of confidence:

a)      Paul had “confident boasting” about the Corinthians (2 Cor. 9:1-4).

b)      He demonstrated the foolishness of boasting according to the flesh, by “confidence of boasting” (11:16-18).

c)      We must keep the “beginning of our confidence” to the end (Heb. 3:12-14).

2.      Used of the true essence of something.

a)      Christ is the “image of His person” (Heb. 1:1-3).

3.  In our text we must decide which sense applies: confidence or true essence.

D. Meaning in our verse. Some of the less literal translations take this to refer to confidence: “being sure of what we hope for” (NIV) or “the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen” (NLT). That puts the focus on man’s action, yet in the context the focus seems to be more on faith and what it really means.

1.      Context of focus: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (Heb. 11:17-22). Yes, there is here confidence that the things hoped for would happen, but there is more.

2.      In these examples faith sees the true essence of what was actually going to happen.

3.      We must understand it in the same way. It is not just about whether we are confident. That is important, but we need to recognize that our hopes in Christ are the reality of what will actually happen.

·         One day we will be judged. In Christ...

·         One day we will be freed from death and pain.

·         One day sorrow will be ended.

·         One day temptations will no longer plague us.

·         Once day the mocking, false accusation, ridicule, hatred, abuse, and pain that other people can cause us will be ended.

Faith sees the true reality of these things now while they are merely hoped for.

III.  “…The evidence of things not seen” (11:1b).

A.    Other translations: “evidence” (KJV, NKJV); “conviction” (ASV, NASB, ESV).

B. “Evidence” defined. Gr. elegchos. From the verb meaning to convince or rebuke.

1.      Thayer defines this in two ways, “1) a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested; 2) conviction.” From this we can see why translations have gone in different directions.

C.     Examples of use in the New Testament. It is used only twice in the NT.

1.      Paul uses it of the “reproof” that Scripture can offer (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

D. Meaning in our verse. Again, some of the less literal translations take this to refer to man’s attitude: “being…certain of what we do not see” (NIV); “it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (NLT). The same problem we noticed above is true with this rendering. It puts the focus on man’s action, but in the context the focus is more on faith and what it really means.

1.      Context of focus: Moses saw the One who is unseen (Heb. 11:24-27). This is close to the wording here. Yes, Moses was confident and assured of thing he couldn’t see, but that is different from seeing the unseen.

2.      Moses saw in those things that he believed the proof, the evidence, the reality of what his eyes could not see.

3.      So it must be with us. What is reality? Is it a world in which...

·         The wicked prosper?

·         No one stays faithful, to God or to commitments they have made to us?

·         Things are plagued by decay, disappointment, discouragement, distress, grief, loss, and pain?

·         Our own flesh, betrays us through sickness, aging, disability, weariness, and eventually death?

No. These things are only a temporary reality. Faith allows us to see the evidence and proof of a different reality. One that is not temporary but eternal.

Conclusion. The challenge is to understand it this way. Bible faith is not weakness. Nor is it something so fleeting that it depends on whether we are confident enough in its reality. It is substance it is evidence of that which is the unseen reality of eternity (2 Cor. 4:16-5:3). Will we see the unseen? Will we hold on to that which is eternal? Or will we be found spiritually “naked.” Will you not accept true faith in Christ?