Faithful for Life

The faith of the Bible is seen very clearly in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. We have renamed this chapter Faith’s Hall of Fame. We read about men and women who lived lives that point out to us the need for us to be faithful unto our Holy and Righteous God. Let’s take a few moments to understand faith.

Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” The Greek word for substance is beautiful and so very simple to understand. It is a construction term meaning the sub-flooring. It is the foundation on which we stand to live for Christ. Faith is the evidence of the things we have not seen with our own eyes. Faith is the evidence based on the One who would educate me. That One—God—has an innate ability to educate me because He is the Maker and sustainer of all things.

As we read this chapter carefully, we are exposed to the great amount of our Old Testament children of God who lived faithfully unto the Holy Father. Men like Abel, Noah, Moses, Daniel, and Jacob teach us to be examples to follow God. Women like Sarah and Rahab prove to us how easy it is to follow sound leaders. As we read this list of names and see the examples, we ask ourselves, “If THEY can be faithful, can I?”. The answer is a resounding YES!!! As a matter of fact, we are urged to follow those examples. In Hebrews 11.13-16, we also see those looking for a
“better city”. Don’t you want to be in that Better City?

In Hebrews 11:6, the inspired writer penned a strict warning for all of us. “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him…” You and I could pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. We could fool everyone around us into thinking how great a Christian we are as we live our lives. We will never fool God. Without the proper attitude toward self and God, we will never please God with our actions. The verse does not say: we might not be able to please Him; it states it is IMPOSSIBLE! Faithfulness, true faithful-ness, is the key to an Eternity with God the Father.

Faithfulness unto God will never be easy, but will be worth the struggle. This chapter also tells us that of these faithful unto God who were so mistreated, “the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38). We must ask ourselves: Do you want to be approved of man or of God?