Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. (AMP)
These verses are a clear definition of faith and hope, but is there more we can learn from them?
So what are my hopes? I hope I can lose some weight again this year. I hope Ryan makes it into college. I hope Kerianne finds a job. I hope I can catch a sailfish this year. These are superficial issues that really don't demand a chapter in scripture as life continues whether these things come to reality or not. So let's dive deeper.
As a first century Hebrew Christian, what are your hopes and dreams? First, the Jews of this era, like all of their predecessors dating back to at least the Babylonian captivity, were waiting in anxious anticipation of Messiah. Immanuel came and dwelt among them, however, and most of them missed it because they had made up in their own minds that Jesus would be an earthly king and would re-establish a magnificent earthly kingdom along the lines of David. When Jesus came to a lowly carpenter in a small town of no consequence, He didn't fit the mold that men had defined and they missed him. So the first note here is that God does not conform to our expectations. We mold our expectations around facts of God as revealed in scripture. Taking editorial license risks missing God altogether even when in our very presence.
Secondly, the Jews of this era were in a heavy debate regarding the reality of Angels, spirits in general, or the resurrection of the dead (see Acts 23). Now think about that for a second, if there is no resurrection, what hope do we really have? We're born into this physical world, we toil some 80 years or so, and we return to dust. What's the point? Yet, if the resurrection is real, there is a hope that we can live in eternal communion with God Himself! Now THAT is something radical for which to hope.
So into this raging debate the author (I don't know who it is, do you?) jumps stating that faith is assurance of things we do not see. Some versions state it as "substance." What is substance? In literal terms, it is matter - anything that has mass and consumes volume (you do remember your high school physics, right?). My understanding is that the original Greek term is most directly translated as "foundation." Now reflect back to the situation of the time. The author is making a case for Christ to be the one hoped for, the Messiah and has spent several chapters knitting together the old testament for the Jews of that era. Then he hits them with this definition that in my opinion (I share the teaching that Mr. Chris Garick put together over the last several days) establishes Christ as THE foundation or source of all hope. The Sadducees had hoped for resurrection, and the author is stating that not only is there really a true source of hope, but that hope has substance - it is Christ. I believe that without Christ, hope simply doesn't exist - whether for eternal life or simply hoping I catch a fish - without Christ there is no hope at all.
The verse continues to state that faith is the conviction of the reality of this hope in spite of the fact we haven't seen Christ. Reality shapes my life. Gravity, for instance, is real and things thrown into the air will eventually hit the ground (or some other point of minimum potential energy, but we'll save the physics lesson...). If we really have any faith, then the reality of Christ should likewise shape our lives. How has your faith shaped your life? Do you live in each moment aware of Christ? Do you make every decision from a deep-rooted faith in Christ, or is this Jesus someone you're still unsure about? One thing is for sure, He is real, He is pursuing you, and He is relentless!
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