Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1-3
Understanding the nature of true faith is essential if we are to know whether or not we belong to the Savior. Our verses today informally define faith. Faith is an assurance of the future, not wishful thinking. It is an objective reality of what we know is coming, enabling us to live now as if we already possess the fullness of our inheritance in Christ. We do not yet fully experience all the blessings of the gospel; we do not yet enjoy full freedom from sin’s presence nor the possession of our glorified bodies. Our faith, however, gives a present, weighty objective to this future reality and we can stand firm and obey God in the face of trials and tribulations because we know all His promises will be accomplished. A 20th century theologian wrote, “Faith gives the object hoped for at a future period, a present reality and power in the soul, as if already possessed; for the believer is satisfied with the security afforded, and acts under the full persuasion that God will not fail of His engagement.” Because faith is tied to future realities, it is tied to things not directly accessible to the five senses of our humanity. So, it is “the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is not exercised in what we can see, hear, feel, touch, or taste but in what our senses do not presently experience. To be clear, this does not make faith a blind leap into the dark or something we exercise without any consideration of evidences because the author moves on to refer to God’s work in history to illustrate true faith. Faith is not believing in things for which there is no evidence, such as pink unicorns, leprechauns, mythological gods and heroes, etc. Believing in such things is wishful thinking at best. Christian faith, on the other hand, is believing in things for which there is evidence. The testimony of history in Scriptures and the evidence of God in His handiwork in nature give us reason to believe the Lord’s promises. In 1st Corinthians 13, Paul indicates that faith is a virtue that will, one day, pass away. In glory we will see God face to face and will no longer need hope. All hope will be fulfilled. Until then, Christians are called to stake their very lives on the promises of God. Christians must affirm the truth of God’s Word because He has kept His promises in the past and will certainly do so in the future.
Source: S C Ball April 10, 2024
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