Faith in the Promiser
10/24/25 Bible Thought (Hebrews 11)
That which is seen does not require faith. Faith and sight are, as it were, on opposite ends of a spectrum.
As we turn to Hebrews 11, we see the author provide what is commonly known as the “Hall of Fame of Faith” or simply the “Hall of Faith.” However, first, faith is defined:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hb. 11:1).
Likewise, Paul the apostle wrote in another place,
“Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? (Rom. 8:24b).
To back up this principle of faith in the unseen, the author of Hebrews offers many examples from the Old Testament that showcase what faith is like.
Consider the great number of old covenant believers who obeyed God even though they had no reason to believe aside from the promise of God. Their obedience was solely rooted in their faith in the Promiser when naturally speaking there was no reason to believe.
Noah obeyed God and began to build an ark before it began to rain (Hb. 11:7). Some people even believe it had yet to rain on the earth! Until that point all we know for sure is that in the early chapters of Genesis the Lord had not caused it to rain yet (Gen. 2:5).
With simply the promise of God in tow, Noah obeyed God and underwent an incredible building project all due to faith—a faith that ultimately provided salvation for his household. If he had waited until the raindrops were sight, they would not have stood a chance.
Likewise, Abraham obeyed God when he had nothing to go off of but the Promiser and His promise.
God promised him a land but at first did not even tell him where he was going! Still Abraham left his family and former way of life behind and went on a journey. Even still, consider that Abraham’s descendants were to possess that land and all Abraham had in this life was a burial plot at Machpelah. Yet, God’s promise was not constrained by the grave and in the days of Joshua, hundreds of years later, the promises came to pass.
The Old Testament is chock full of people of faith who obeyed with great acts of faith and yet did not receive the fulfillment of the promise in this life (Hb. 11:13).
Now, the need for faith has not ceased. God is still an unseen, eternal God and faith is the prerequisite to pleasing Him:
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hb. 11:6).
While the original disciples saw the resurrected Christ and spent 40 days with Him (Acts 1:3) we do not see or know Him personally as they did (1 Pet. 1:8). As such, like the saints of old, we walk by faith.
We believe in a God we cannot see visibly, trusting that we can only see His hand at work in the world in creation and providence. We believe in a Savior we cannot see, trusting that His death on a cross 2,000 years ago merits our right-standing with God even today.
We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). It takes faith to believe the gospel message that is foolishness to the unbeliever (1 Cor. 1:18).
Like those of old, unless Christ returns, we will die in faith. The promises of God will not be exhausted in this life—they await the life to come. That being said, are we willing to walk in an obedient faith, even today?
As the people of God, we are not led by sight, but by faith. We trust the promise of our immutable God, knowing that He who promised is faithful. This life is not the end of the story. There is so much more to come.
The Promiser has proven He is trustworthy. Will we walk by faith and trust Him?
Wonderful challenge and encouragement. I think of Thomas refusing to believe unless he saw Jesus, saw and touched His wounds, and what Jesus said to him in John 20:29, "Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”