The Bible is the revelation of God s purpose and plan for mankind, but it also records the faith of those who trusted in Him as the Creator and Redeemer. More than just a list of those who professed to believe that God exists, the Scriptures convey the faith of those who embraced His very specific promises in Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews makes clear the Divine promise of salvation by presenting Jesus as the faithful Son of God and true High Priest of heaven. Jesus obeyed God where we have all failed, and He suffered on the cross the death we deserve for that failure. In this He has fulfilled the old covenant of law and sealed the new covenant of grace with His own blood. Therefore, He alone can effectively lead us into the heavenly Father s presence. God has been unambiguous about the way of redemption ever since human beings first sinned. While the details were progressively revealed over time, the basis for faith was known from the beginning. So after effectively making the case that the biblical Jesus is the object of saving faith, the writer began in this chapter to focus on what that faith looks like in the life of the believer.! 1
In the first three verses he defined faith as the essence of the reality of God s promise the confident trust of the believer that leads him or her to persevere through this world (v. 1). The basis of this faith is the very logical conclusion that God created us and allowed for sin with the express purpose of redemption (v. 3; cf. 2:5-18). He has testified all along to the faith of those who understand this (v. 2). identifies some early believers of whom God bears witness, and it teaches us that faith trusts God, pleases Him and obeys Him. The Testimony of Faith (11:4-7) Faith Trusts God (v. 4) Conspicuously absent from this mention of the earliest recorded believers is Adam and Eve. The reason is that our first parents initially had no sin. While they trusted God s promise of redemption after their moral fall (Gen. 3:15-21), there was a time when faith was not required. In the beginning, they were obedient and in fellowship with the LORD (Gen. 2), but their children and subsequent generations never had the opportunity to experience this.! 2
So the first mention in Scripture of one who truly believed God s promise without ever experiencing life on earth in His presence was Adam and Eve s son, Abel (Gen. 4:1-15). Their first son was Cain, but he did not believe the promise of a Savior (Gen. 3:15). His unwillingness to offer the blood sacrifice established by God for those desiring to worship Him (cf. Gen. 3:21) betrayed his unbelief (Gen. 4:3, 5-7). However, his brother did as God required because he trusted the LORD s promise of redemption, and his sacrifice pleased God (Gen. 4:4). But while God was pleased with Able s expression of faith, Cain rebelled even further by expressing his rebellion toward God in hatred for his brother. This hatred moved him to murder Abel (Gen. 4:8). And even though he was remorseful, he was in no way repentant. He was sorrowful over the consequences of his wickedness but not sorry he had offended God (Gen. 4:10-15). There was no evidence in Cain s life of a change in heart required for faith. The new nature that produces a disposition inclined toward God is the result of a spiritual rebirth, which God promises under the covenant of grace (Heb. 8:9-12). It is a sovereign work of grace in the inner man that generates genuine faith and repentance resulting in good works (Eph. 2:8-10).! 3
Such an absolute trust in God was evident in Abel s more excellent sacrifice than that of his brother. It was through, this act of worship that Abel demonstrated faith in God s promise of a Savior who would die for sin the promise of grace sealed in the sacrifice of God s perfect Son that makes the believer righteous. Able did not have the details of the Gospel we have today, but he understood the promise and responded in faith through his worship, which included the sacrifice ( his gifts ). Even though he died as a result of His faith, it is through [the offering of his animal sacrifice that] he being dead still speaks. That is, he obtained witness from God in Scripture of his righteousness by faith in the Christ (cf. Rom. 3:21-26). God respected Abel s offering over that of Cain because that sacrifice was ordained by God to reflect His purpose and plan of redemption. Faith Pleases God (vv. 5-6) Trust in God s promise of redemption through His Son is the only faith that saves sinners, and it is, therefore, the only response that pleases God. That is God s testimony regarding the faith exercised by Enoch [who] was taken away so that he did not see death (v. 5). Several generations after Adam came Enoch (Gen. 5:21-24; Jude 14). The Scripture records in Genesis 5:24 that this man of faith walked with God. As it says here, he pleased God by His faith (cf. Gen. 6:8; Heb. 10:38).! 4
Enoch s trust in God was so strong and obvious (i.e. he had this testimony ) that, while all his ancestors had tasted death, God spared him that experience and simply took him instantly into heaven. Why? His life of faith so pleased God that, he was not found, because God had taken him as a clear statement of His delight in his faith. The LORD later took Elijah into His presence without the prophet experiencing the death of his body (2 Kings 2:1-12). Although we are not told the specific reason, we do know that he was a righteous man who demonstrated his faith by a life of prayer (Jas. 5:15-18). What happened to the bodies of both Enoch and Elijah is unclear. Were they translated instantly into glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:50-54; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Jn. 3:2-3)? We do not know, but Enoch s miraculous departure from earth into heaven was directly attributed to God being pleased with his faith. For without faith it is impossible to please [God]. There is no way for us to be righteous in the LORD's sight unless we trust in the salvation He provides. That begins with believing that He exists. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is. This is the basis of saving faith (11:3). It is undeniably obvious that the Creator is the one true God who has power to bring all things into being at His command. Since sin is a reality, then His purpose for creating allowed for sin. That being the case, the logical conclusion is that we are accountable to Him and can confidently trust His promise to save us.! 5
This is what the writer means when he says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He who has the power and will to create also has the power and will to redeem, and He rewards the faith of those who believe His promise of forgiveness and righteousness through Christ (10:17-18). Faith Obeys God (v. 7) Faith trusts and pleases God, but it also obeys Him. God bears witness in Scripture to the faith of Noah for this reason. When this man of faith was divinely warned about the global flood 120 years before it happened ( things not yet seen ; cf. Gen. 6:3, 13-22), he moved with godly fear [and] prepared an ark for the saving of his household. Noah was a righteous man who found favor in God s eyes along with his family (Gen. 6:8-9; Ezek. 14:14). His godly fear refers to his reverent trust in God as both Judge and Redeemer. He understood God as the just Judge of sinners and the justifier of those whom He makes righteous by faith in Christ (Rom. 3:26). It was this understanding of God and His promise that motivated Noah to obediently build the ark. Even though the world had never before seen rain or catastrophic judgment (Gen. 7:11-12), He proclaimed God s imminent wrath on sin and preached the righteousness that is by faith in God s promise (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5). And he did this while building a ship without water to float it.! 6
This unwavering obedience condemned the world for its unbelief while Noah became the heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Like Abel, Noah trusted God s promise of salvation. Like Enoch, he pleased God by his faith. And the evidence of his faith was his willingness to obey God even when what God promised was not yet fully realized. So the Bible testifies to the faith of those who trust the one true God and His promise of salvation that is ultimately fulfilled in His Son Jesus Christ. Even the earliest believers understood that righteousness is by faith in God s promised Son, and they trusted Him, pleased Him and obeyed Him. Does your faith match the biblical testimony God provides as an example?! 7