“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).
God has told us that without faith, it is impossible to please Him, but He has also told us how to get faith. If we don’t have faith, God is not to blame.
“But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).
Hebrews 11 is known as the Hall of Faith in the Bible. It lists many men and women who showed faith in God and His promises. This powerful chapter is an example of how we can and should have faith in God. Beyond reading the accounts of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11, we should look into the Old Testament stories which are referenced in this great chapter.
A simple definition of faith is given in verse one, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” While faith is putting our trust in something we cannot see, it does not mean that there is no evidence for that faith. We believe there is a God, not because we can see Him, but because we have plenty of evidence that He exists. We have nature which tells us there is a Creator (Romans 1:19-23; Hebrews 11:2). We have God’s Word, the Bible, which proclaims that God exists. There is plenty of evidence
through history and science which proclaims the accuracy of the Bible. While we cannot see God, we can have faith in Him because of the proof that He has given to us through history, science, nature, and His Word.
Here is the list of names mentioned in Hebrews 11 which make up the Hall of Faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.
After all, these great stories of faith, verse 39 tells us that these individuals never received the promise in a physical way. That promise was the future birth of the Redeemer Savior and Messiah Jesus Christ. They did not see the day of His coming. However, their faith in that promised Redeemer was counted for their salvation. Their faith was in something they never saw, but that does not mean their faith was in vain. They believed God for something He promised.
Though we don’t see Jesus Christ walking among us today, we can receive the promise in the same way these Old Testament believers did: through faith. We don’t look forward to the future promise of a Redeemer; we look back through the written Word of God to see what God has given.
