CHAPTER 11

(A.D. 64)

FAITH DEFINED

¹Now Faith is the substance (the title deed) of things hoped for (a declaration of the action of Faith), the evidence of things not seen. (Faith is not based upon the senses, which yield uncertainty, but rather on the Word of God.)

²For by it (by Faith, and as we shall see, it is Faith in the Cross) the Elders obtained a good report (the approval of the Lord).

³Through Faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God (refers to Creation, along with everything that goes with Creation), so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (God began with nothing, thereby, speaking into existence the things needed to create the universe.)

PATRIARCHS

⁴By Faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (immediately proclaims the fact that the Object of our Faith must be Jesus Christ and Him Crucified [I Cor. 2:2]), by which he obtained witness that he was Righteous (proclaims the fact that Righteousness comes exclusively from Christ, and is obtained by the Cross being the Object of our Faith), God testifying of his gifts (referring to the fact that the sacrifice of the lamb which represented Christ was accepted by God; at the dawn of time it was the Cross, and it is still the Cross): and by it he being dead yet speaks (speaks of that alone God will accept).

⁵By Faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death (refers to God transferring Enoch to Heaven in his physical body while he was yet alive); and was not found, because God had translated him (refers to his translation being well-known at that time): for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (He pleased God because he placed his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross.)

⁶But without Faith (in Christ and the Cross; anytime Faith is mentioned, always and without exception, its root meaning is that its Object is Christ and the Cross; otherwise, it is faith God will not accept)it is impossible to please Him(faith in anything other than Christ and the Cross greatly displeases the Lord): for he who comes to God must believe that He is (places Faith as the foundation and principle of the manner in which God deals with the human race), and that He (God) is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him (seek Him on the premise of Christ and Him Crucified).

⁷By Faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet (the Lord told Noah He was going to send a flood upon the Earth), moved with fear (stand in awe), prepared an ark to the saving of his house (refers to him doing exactly what God told him to do); by the which he condemned the world (the Righteousness of Christ always clashes with self-righteousness), and became heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith (Faith in Christ and the Cross).

ABRAHAM

⁸By Faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed (his posterity would receive the inheritance); and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (While he knew where to go [Canaan], he knew nothing about the place.)

⁹By Faith he sojourned in the Land of Promise (the Greek says the Land of the Promise, speaking of a particular Promise), as in a strange country (he lived in this land not as its owner, but as a resident alien), dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same Promise (what God promised to Abraham, He promised as well to those who would follow him, including us presently):

¹⁰For he looked for a city which has foundations (Abraham knew all of this would lead to something Heavenly), whose Builder and Maker is God. (This actually refers to Christ as the great Architect, Designer, and Fabricator of all material creations [Jn. 1:3; Eph. 3:9], plus all moral creations [Col. 1:15-18].)

¹¹Through Faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed (this speaks of Isaac), and was delivered of a child when she was past age (her bringing forth this child had to do with the coming Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who would die on the Cross in order to Redeem lost humanity), because she judged Him (God) Faithful Who had promised. (While we arent always faithful, God is always faithful.)

¹²Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead (refers to the hopelessness of Abrahams situation, which brought forth the multitude; God did exactly what He said He would do!), so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (True Faith is immeasurable and, thereby, brings forth immeasurable results.)

¹³These all died in Faith (believing Christ would come and would pay the price in order that humanity might be redeemed), not having received the Promises (Christ did not come in their lifetimes), but having seen them afar off (they continued to believe, despite the fact that the Promises were afar off), and were per suaded of them(they traded that which they could see for that which they could not see), and embraced them(they claimed these Promises as their own, even though they were afar off), and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (It is the same with modern Believers.)

¹⁴For they who say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. (This refers to that which is not here, and has no reference to that which is here.)

¹⁵And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out (they never looked back), they might have had opportunity to have returned. (It never occurred to them to go back to the old life. They had received a vision of Jesus, and the things of the world had lost their glow.)

¹⁶But now (since the vision) they desire a better country, that is, an Heavenly (all of this is attainable only through and by what Jesus did at the Cross, and our Faith in that Finished Work): wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God (because they have commended themselves to God by their Faith): for He has prepared for them a city (not that He will, but that He has already done so).

¹⁷By Faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac (even though God stopped the event, in the mind of Abraham it was already done): and he who had received the Promises offered up his only begotten son(the Lord had already told Abraham He would send the Redeemer into this world in order to redeem mankind, but now He shows the Patriarch how it was to be done, which was by death, i.e., Sacrifice),

¹⁸Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall your seed be called (refers to the fact that the posterity of Abraham was to be named after Isaac, not Ishmael [Gen. 21:12]):

¹⁹Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead (the Lord had told Abraham to offer up Isaac as a Sacrifice; the Patriarch proceeded to obey, which God stopped at the last minute; but in his mind, he had already offered up Isaac, reasoning that God would raise him from the dead, because it was through Isaac that the Redeemer would come); from whence also he received him in a figure. (The Greek actually says, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.)

²⁰By Faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. (Isaac blessed his two sons because his Faith looked beyond death.)

²¹By Faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph (pertains to Manasseh and Ephraim, both born to Joseph in Egypt); and worshipped (and for many reasons, but primarily because of the Redeemer Who was going to come through his posterity), leaning upon the top of his staff. (On this staff was carved all the great happenings of the past years, which, in effect, was the Word of God. So, he was leaning on the Word of God.)

²²By Faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the Children of Israel (he knew what God had in store for Israel); and gave Commandment concerning his bones. (He was in Egypt when he died, but his heart was in Canaan. When the Children of Israel would be delivered from Egypt in the future, which they were, they would take the bones of Joseph with them to the Promised Land. His Faith knew it would happen.)

²³By Faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child (the Greek says, he was comely with respect to God); and they were not afraid of the kings commandment. (Pharaoh had mandated that all male children of the Israelites be killed at birth. They felt God would protect their child, which He did!)

MOSES

²⁴By Faith Moses, when he was come to years (refers to him coming to the age of 40 [Ex. 2:11]), refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter (in effect, he refused the position of Pharaoh of Egypt, for which he had been trained because he had been adopted by Pharaohs daughter);

²⁵Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God (proclaims the choice Moses made; He traded the temporal for the Eternal), than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (presents the choice which must be made, affliction or the pleasures of sin);

²⁶Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt (he judged the reproach was greater than the throne of Egypt): for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Moses habitually looked away from the treasures in Egypt, and purposely fixed his eye on the Heavenly Reward.)

²⁷By Faith he forsook Egypt (which, spiritually speaking, every Believer must do), not fearing the wrath of the king (Pharaoh tried to kill him at that time [Ex. 2:15]): for he endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible. (This speaks of Christ, Whom Moses saw by Faith.)

²⁸Through Faith he kept the Passover (means that he instituted the Passover according to the Word of the Lord,), and the sprinkling of Blood (referred to the Blood of the Paschal Lamb on the lintels and doorposts of the houses [Ex. 12:22]), lest He Who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. (Every Israelites house was safe that night because of the blood being applied to the doorposts, a Type of the Blood of Christ applied to our hearts, which stops the Judgment of God.)

RAHAB

²⁹By Faith they (the Children of Israel) passed through the Red Sea as by dry land(presents that body of water becoming a temple to Israel, but a tomb to Egypt; the Faith that sprinkled the blood and the unbelief that refused its shelter fixed this great gulf between them): which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. (God, Who opened the Red Sea for the Israelites, closed it on the Egyptians, thereby destroying their army.)

³⁰By Faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days (proclaims obedience).

³¹By Faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them who believed not (while Jericho was totally destroyed, Rahab was spared because of her Faith in the God of Israel), when she had received the spies with peace. (She found out who they were, and instead of turning them over to the King of Jericho, she sought to know Israels God.)

EXAMPLES

³²And what shall I more say? (This refers to the fact that enough has now been said to guide all who are willing to search the Scriptures for themselves.) for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the Prophets:

³³Who through Faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought Righteousness, obtained Promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

³⁴Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

³⁵Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better Resurrection (the Resurrection afforded by Christ):

³⁶And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yes, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (Faith in Christ and the Cross guarantees Miracles of Deliverance, or Miracles of Endurance if that is, in fact, what the Lord desires; it can be done no other way!);

³⁸(Of whom the world was not worthy:) (This refers to the fact that the few true Christians in this world are of far greater worth than all the balance of the world put together, and in every sense.) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (This refers to the lot of some Believers; not all of the time, but some of the time.)

³⁹And these all (Old Testament Saints), having obtained a good report through Faith (refers to being Judged accordingly by the Holy Spirit), received not the Promise (the Messiah didnt come during their times, but they had Faith He ultimately would come, and so He did!):

⁴⁰God having provided some better thing for us (presents that which God had originally promised to Abraham [Gen. 22:14]), that they (Old Testament Saints) without us (the Church) should not be made perfect. (This lays the stress on Christ Who made it all possible for both the Old Testament and the New Testament Saints.)