How Hebrews 11:1-6 defines true faith – A Faith That Transforms
What is faith? One man gave this curious response: “Faith is believing in something that you know isn’t true.”
For some people, faith is something they use as an irrational defense against a cold, cruel world.
This kind of faith might help an insomniac get through another sleepless night, but it’s not the kind of faith that will transform our lives or please the God who wants his followers to trust him with childlike abandon.
Francis Schaeffer was an influential Christian thinker who lived many years in the Swiss Alps.
So when he tried to explain faith in his book, he did so in a way that made sense to him: Suppose you’ve been out hiking in the mountains when a blizzard sneaks up on you.
Hebrews 11:1-6 Examples of Exemplary Faith
Just as the snow and wind surround you in a blinding fog, you find yourself on a small rocky ledge unsure of where to go.
If you suddenly get a strange notion in your head that the path back home is a few feet below you and you jump, based on your faith in that notion, this is blind faith.
Your faith may be strong, but that doesn’t mean you will land safely.
On the other hand, suppose you’re sitting on your rock ledge, shivering in the biting cold, and you hear a voice calling out to you.
The voice says, “Hello, you can’t see me, but I know where you are and I know how you can reach safety.
You need to walk to the edge of the ledge and jump. When you land, I will be there to care for you and take you safely home.”
In this case, jumping would still require an act of faith, but this wouldn’t be a blind leap into the dark.
Biblical interpretation of Hebrews 11:1-6
It would be a reasoned faith that the man who called out to you is really there and means what he says.
How can we be sure of something we don’t see? How can we have hope in something we can’t touch? This is the kind of faith God wants from us.
Though we cannot see him, he wants us to trust him. And though we cannot touch him, he desires that we place ourselves in his outstretched arms.
When people claim that God doesn’t exist, he instead wants us to believe in him and rely on him.
When it looks like life is pointless and meaningless, God wants us to have faith that he is still in control and is working behind the scenes to do his work.
What Faith Means In Hebrews 11:1-6
And when it seems that we are surrounded by evil and it looks as if the darkness will prevail, God wants us to trust in his promise that good will ultimately prevail.
This is the kind of faith for which God has commanded believers throughout the ages. And it is the only kind of faith that will see us safely home.
God, there are times I wish I could touch you or see you face-to-face. But until then, help me to believe and remain faithful.