”Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1New International Version (NIV)
Hebrews 11:1 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see
Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. And in the verses that follow (2-40), the author highlights Old Testament examples of living by faith.
The author, therefore, added that this was how God commended the saints of the old (Hebrews 11:2). These men and women drawn from Scripture had demonstrated lives of persevering faith in God and His promises.
Hebrews 10:26-39
Moreover, Hebrews 11:1 is founded on Hebrews 10:26-39 where the author warned his audience against defecting from their allegiance to Jesus Christ. He also warned them against seeking fellowship with God in an alternative way.
Essentially, the author of Hebrews warned them against taking lightly the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, which were superior. Therefore, the author warned his audience against spurning the New Covenant that Jesus Christ had instituted.
Additionally, Hebrews 11 is directly connected to Hebrews 10:39, where the author expressed his expectation of better things for his audience. He actually opined that they were not the kind to fall away.
Saving faith
Nevertheless, the author of the Book of Hebrews illustrated saving faith to be a function of two things. That is “confidence in what we hope for” and “assurance about what we do not see”.
Confidence in what we hope for
When you are confident in what you hope for, your confidence is founded on the objective truth of God’s word (Hebrews 2:1-4). That is, you have and hold onto the belief that God will keep His promises, even when your circumstances contradict the same.
Assurance about what we do not see
When you are assured about what you do not see, you are convicted of the reality of the things which you cannot presently see. This is because faith substantiates the unseen realities. And therefore, you are able to hope in these realities and prove them in your personal experience by faith.
Living by faith
Therefore, when you have the kind of faith that the author of Hebrews is describing, you live as though things that do not yet exist will. You live as though things that cannot be seen are really there. And then this becomes your testimony of the reality of the spiritual realm in your life.
Furthermore, the author of the Book of Hebrews, in Hebrews 10:38, exhorted his audience to “live by faith”. And in Hebrews 10:36, he wanted his audience to persevere to do God’s will and be blessed. And this is the kind of life you are to live in Jesus Christ.
Consequently, faith involves seeing the things of the spiritual world, just as your eyes see the things of the physical world. Faith, therefore, substantiates the unseen realities as promised by God.
Finally, faith is the willingness to trust in God’s word (promises). You, therefore, believe what God has said in His Word (James 2:20-26).
Prayer/Blessing
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of faith. With it, I am able to see and hope for the things that You have promised in Your Word, that I cannot presently see.
Therefore, I can continue to place my hope and confidence in You. And I do this in Your Name, Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 36-39 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
