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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Heb_11:1-7
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the men of old gained approval. 3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 4By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 7By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Heb_11:1 "faith" This is not a theological definition of faith, but a picture of the practical outworking of it. The term is used twenty four times in this chapter. From the OT the primary idea is "faithfulness" or "trustworthy." This is the opposite of apostasy. The Greek term for "faith" (pistis) is translated by three English terms: "faith," "belief," and "trust." Faith is a human response to God's faithfulness and His promise. We trust His trustworthiness, not our own. His character is the key.
NASB, NRSV "assurance of things hoped for"
NKJV "substance of things hoped for"
TEV "to be sure of the things we hope for"
NJB "guarantee the blessings that we hope for"
This Greek term for "assurance" (hupostasis) basically means "to place under" or "to stand under" thereby giving the underlying basis or foundation of something. It, therefore, had a wide variety of meanings in the ancient world. It was especially common in Greek philosophical writings to denote the clear manifestation of something. It was that which was real and true versus the unrealized.
1. in Heb_1:3 it refers to essence
2. in Heb_3:14 it refers to the reality of the believers' confession/profession
3. in Heb_11:1 it refers to the promises of the gospel lived out in the present, but not consummated until the future
This term has been found in the Egyptian papyri meaning "a title deed" (cf. NJB). In this sense it reflects Paul's usage of the Spirit as an "earnest" (cf. 2Co_1:22; 2Co_5:5; Eph_1:4).
The Greek terms used in the LXX suggest it regularly translates tôhelet (The Cambridge History of the Bible, p. 9), which denoted "an attitude of patient and confident waiting for something, a state of confident expectation" (i.e., hope). Remember the NT authors were Hebrew thinkers writing in the Koine Greek and using the translation traditions of the Septuagint.
Some have seen the clearest meanings in this context reflected in the OT quote in Heb_10:38 (Hab_2:2-4). Chapter 11 is a list of examples of those who did not "shrink back." This text is the opposite of what the first readers were in danger of doing.
▣ "conviction" This word occurs only here in the NT. It refers to "proof by test." The two phrases in Heb_11:1 are parallel (both present passive participles); therefore, "assurance" and "conviction" are tied closely together and out of them the faithful live their lives.
▣ "things not seen" The following examples are of people who live in (1) hope in the present and future acts of God and (2) confidence in the spiritual promises of God (cf. Heb_10:23). Their worldview guides their daily decisions, not circumstances, materialism or self-centeredness.
Physical reality is subservient to the unseen spiritual reality (cf. Heb_11:3). Physical reality is known by the five senses, and is not eternal, but fleeting. True, eternal reality is unseen (cf. Heb_11:27) and; therefore, must be held by faith, not sight. However, it is so real and true to believers that it controls and demands their priorities.
Heb_11:2
NASB "gained approval"
NKJV "obtained a good testimony"
NRSV "received approval"
TEV "won God's approval"
NJB "are acknowledged"
This is similar to Paul's use of "faith" in Rom_1:17; Gal_3:11. Their lives of faith did not save them, but evidenced God's Spirit in them (cf. Jas_2:14-26).
Heb_11:3
NASB, NKJV,
NRSV "worlds"
TEV, NIV"the universe"
NJB "the ages"
This is one of two Greek terms (kosmos, cf. Heb_1:6 and aiôn, here) used to designate this present physical realm. This "ai ôn" refers to spiritual times and seasons including both physical and spiritual realms (cf. Heb_1:2; Heb_6:5; Rom_12:2; 1Co_1:20; 1Co_2:6; 1Co_2:8; 1Co_3:18; 2Co_4:4; Eph_1:21; Eph_6:12). See Special Topic at Heb_1:2.
▣ "the word of God" This is not the Greek term logos but rhçma which is used of the spoken word. This then refers to creation by fiat, the spoken word (cf. Gen_1:3; Gen_1:6; Gen_1:9; Gen_1:14; Gen_1:20; Gen_1:24; Psa_33:6; Psa_33:9). From Heb_1:2 we know that the logos of God was the Father's agent of creation (cf. Joh_1:1; Joh_1:10; 1Co_8:6; Col_1:16).
This faith affirmation becomes the worldview out of which believers live their earthly lives. This does not reject scientific research, but puts it within a faith perspective. Believers allow science to discover the mechanisms of the created order (natural revelation), but affirm ultimacy to God alone (see John L. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis, Who is revealed in the Bible and supremely in Jesus Christ.
▣ "so that what is seen is not made out of things which are visible" This is not primarily an affirmation of creation ex nihilo (creation out of nothing), but an example of the reality versus unreality of Heb_11:1. Believers affirm what they have not personally seen or experienced based on the revelation of God. This is not so much a creedal theology as a life of faith and hope.
Heb_11:4 "Abel" This was Adam and Eve's second child, who was killed by his brother, Cain (cf. Gen_4:3 ff).
▣ "a better sacrifice" It was not the type of sacrifice which Cain and Abel offered which caused the distinction, but the attitude (faith) in which it was given. This cannot be a proof-text to the superiority of a blood sacrifice.
▣ "though he is dead, he still speaks" This is recorded in Gen_4:10; Heb_12:24. In context this is an affirmation of faith that faces death and triumphs over it. The readers were shrinking back from persecution. They must, like Abel, have faith.
Heb_11:5 "Enoch" He was the first man after the fall not touched by death (cf. Gen_5:24). The OT does not elaborate on the circumstances but asserts that he "walked" with God.
▣ "was taken up" This means "moved to another spot." This is not a "resurrection" but a "translation" like Elijah (cf. 2Ki_2:11). There is a clear distinction in the Bible between
1. people brought back to life (resuscitation)
2. people taken to heaven without physical death (translation)
3. Jesus having a new spiritual body (resurrection)
▣ "he was pleasing to God" This follows the Septuagint, but the MT has "walked with God."
Heb_11:6 "without faith it is impossible to please Him" This is the key assertion of this literary unit. It is not just initial faith, but persevering faith that pleases God. All of these examples remained faithful to the end of life, no matter how that end came. Faith is the way that humans believe, receive, accept the promises of God. Salvation and discipleship are both impossible without faith. Faith in God's actions in the past (creation, revelation); faith in God's presence in the present (persecution, suffering, even death); faith in God's promised actions in the future (salvation, heaven).
For "impossible" see full note at Heb_6:6.
▣ "must believe" The Greek word pistis is translated by three English terms: "faith," "believe," and "trust." The focus is not on cognitive facts alone, but personal trust in God's trustworthiness; faithing His faithfulness! It is not just an affirmation, but a lifestyle.
The term "must" is a present active indicative, which means "it is binding," "it is necessary." Faith is necessary!
▣ "He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" This refers to both an initial faith response and a continuing faith response
Heb_11:7 "being warned by God about things not yet seen" Here is the faith pattern. These OT saints acted on what they had received from God. Their actions proved their faith was not mere words! Can you imagine the ridicule and humiliation Noah experienced in building such a large boat, so far from the water, to hold animals!
▣ "ark" This was not a maneuverable boat, but a vessel meant to float like a log. The term was used of a "chest" like the ark of the covenant.
▣ "by which he condemned the world" How did Noah condemn the world? There are two possibilities: (1) by his faith actions and (2) by his preaching (cf. 2Pe_2:5).
▣ "became an heir of the righteousness" In Genesis 6-8 Noah is the first man in the Bible called "righteous" (cf. 2Pe_2:5). It does not mean sinlessness but that Noah walked in the light he had in faith and trust in God. As Abraham's faith was later accounted to him as righteousness (cf. Gen_15:6), so too, was Noah's. For a word study on "Righteousness" see Special Topic at Heb_1:9.