Before we begin our look at the heroes of the faith from Hebrews chapter eleven, let’s see what made them special…
“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead” (Hebrews 11:1 TLB).
“Faith” represents “a belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will for one’s life.” (1) Faith involves the confident expectation that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He’ll do, even in those instances when we don’t understand why things have transpired as they have within our lives.
In the Scripture quoted above, we’re told that “faith is… certain of what we do not see.” This makes good sense, for there is little need for faith in regard to the things we can see. Faith is necessary for those things we can’t see.
This brings us to the word “substance.” This word conveys the image of a foundation or structural component. Just as we ordinarily cannot see the framework that provides for the structural integrity of a home or building, faith is the unseen substance that undergirds our trust in the God who possesses the ability to make “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 828).
One Biblical scholar adds to our understanding of this concept by dissecting this word in the original language of this passage…
“The word ‘substance’ deserves careful treatment. It is hupostasis, made up of stasis ‘to stand,’ and hupo ‘under,’ thus ‘that which stands under, a foundation.’ Thus it speaks of the ground on which one builds a hope.” (1)
Another commentator offers a familiar analogy to help communicate this idea…
“When faith is biblical faith, the object of your faith is unseen, but there is evidence that supports the conviction that the unseen object is there. It is like the aroma of a favorite meal that you have not yet seen, but the aroma is evidence that the meal is about to be served. Therefore, a good definition of faith might be: ‘Faith is an act of belief in something, or Someone, you cannot see, which is based on evidence.'” (2)
These definitions will assume greater importance in our next study. There, we will examine the difference between “faith” and “blind faith” in the context of Hebrews chapter eleven.
(1) “Faith” Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers
(2) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament (Hebrews 11:1) Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(2) Dick Woodward, Mini Bible College Study Booklet #15 Hebrews, James, I and II Peter, I, II, III John, Jude and The Revelation [pg.6] https://mbc.icm.org/