r. Bruce Waltke once told a story about a man who attempted to cross the frozen St. Lawrence River in Canada. The man was unsure of the ice sheet covering the river. At first he tested the firmness of the ice by laying his hands on it. Then he kneeled on the ice and eventually stood to his feet and carefully, slowly walked on it. When he had almost reached the most dangerous part of the river, the middle, he heard a noise behind him. Looking back he saw a team of horses pulling a carriage to the river. Upon reaching the river, the horse and carriage did not stop but rushed across the ice, up the bank and away. What a picture of faith! The man in the carriage being pulled by the horses knew the ice was solid. He had no doubts.      What is faith? Frequently children are encouraged to ask Jesus to come into their hearts - to come in and to stay. For many young boys and girls that is very meaningful. They respond and ask Jesus into their hearts. The idea of someone's coming into their lives and forgiving them of all the things they have done wrong and taking over their lives is what most children think they are doing. We urge children and adults to believe in Jesus. But what does that mean? What is faith? Is faith intellectually believing some facts about Jesus? Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when He said “believe?” The book of Hebrews will answer this question for us in chapter 11.      The Foundation. The Holy Spirit has decided to define faith for these Hebrew readers. Why? We discover the answer to that question in the next chapter. Hebrews 11:1-12:3 is a break or a parenthesis in the discussion. The Spirit has just reminded them of their suffering, and He will continue talking about their suffering in Hebrews 12:4. But for now He wants to talk about faith. What is faith?     Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (NASB) 11:1-3   What is faith? Whatever it is, it is the “assurance” of a future event or the “title-deed” to property - something we own. It is something that is certain, the “conviction” or the proof of the invisible. Do you believe in something you cannot see? That is faith. Years ago I took my first trip to Washington D.C. I remember being excited because I experienced the fact that the city really existed. It was a real place. It was not just a legend, a story, or folklore. It was not something only in the movies. It was real! Faith believes the invisible is real!      Most of us, myself included, struggle to understand “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We struggle because we do not understand the Greek word for “faith.” We have been taught the English meaning of the word “believe” or “belief.” The Greek word means more than “believe.” Before we talk about the Greek meaning of the word “faith,” we want to understand the flow of chapter 11.         < Back   Next >
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