Hebrews – Chapter Six III

by Ed Urzi July 18, 2022

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1 ESV).

The importance of faith toward God is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures. One Biblical dictionary defines faith as “A belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will for one’s life.”₍₁₎ However, the book of Hebrews will later provide us with the best definition of faith…

“Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]” (Hebrews 11:1-3 AMP).Because of this, we can say that genuine, Biblical faith reflects the assurance that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. It also involves the confident expectation that God will act in a trustworthy manner to fulfill His promises, even when external appearances seem to suggest otherwise. This type of faith serves as a defining quality of God-honoring life, for as Romans 1:17 tell us, “…’The righteous will live by faith'” (NIV). This makes faith something we possess, as well as a mindset that should characterize anyone who genuinely seeks to follow Christ.

We should also note that there is a difference between faith and blind faith. For instance, blind faith describes a type of faith that has no basis in reality. On the other hand, we can point to a reasonable basis for Biblical faith. For example, we have the opportunity to examine the Scriptures and note the Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled. We can also find examples of God’s faithfulness in the lives of those Biblical personalities who placed their trust in Him. We will examine several of those examples later in Hebrews chapter eleven.

These things help provide a reasonable basis for faith in the God of the Scriptures. So, real Biblical faith is not blind faith- it involves a belief in a God who has already been proven faithful through the Scriptures and in the lives of those who sincerely follow Him. As we’ll later be told in Hebrews 11:6…

“You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him” (TLB).