Prayer: Father, we thank You that we are guided, not in our strength or wisdom, but the knowledge and wisdom of our omniscient God. It is not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit we can stand against the tactics of the enemy as we build our foundation of faith, one brick at a time. Like Nehemiah, may our first impulse be of prayer and our second impulse be that of obedience. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.[1]
Main Scripture: Read Hebrews 1:1b-3.
Now faith is…the evidence of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By 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 (Hebrews 11:1-3, NKJV).
Associated Scriptures:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host (Psalms 33:6, NASB).
For this is what the Lord says he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18).
Correlative Quotes:
Verse 1 says "faith is the evidence of things not seen," and verse 3 says that faith understands that the world - what is seen - was made out of what is not seen - the word of God. So verse 3 is a specific illustration of the definition of faith in verse 1b.[2] – John Piper
To the believer the thought is clear and simple; his mind is assured and intelligent by faith. God, by His word, called all things into existence. The universe is not a producing cause; it is itself a creature acting by a law imposed upon it. It is One having authority who has spoken; His word has divine efficacy. He speaks, and the thing is.[3] – John Nelson Darby
…of things past, of what was done in eternity, in the council and covenant of grace and peace; of what has been in time, in creation, and providence; of the birth, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; of things present, the being, perfections, love, &c. of God; of the session of Christ at God's right hand, and his continual intercession; and of the various blessings of grace revealed in the Gospel; and of future ones, as the invisible realities of another world: faith has both certainty and evidence in it.[4] – John Gill
“things not seen” Physical reality is subservient to the unseen spiritual reality (cf. v. 3). Physical reality is known by the five senses and is not eternal, but fleeting. True eternal reality is unseen (cf. v. 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.[5] – Bob Utley
Study:
The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.[6] – Albert Einstein
Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of facts.[7] – Henry Brooks Adams
In Hebrews 11, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (vs. 1a), but it is also “the evidence of things not seen” (vs. 1b). These are two completely different pictures of faith. The “assurance” is an internal faith that is a reflection of the Holy Spirit’s work within us. We have the assurance of our hope anchored in the fact that “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). The Holy Spirit is the internal witness that supplies us with the assurance of our salvation and the expectation of the promised events yet to come.
The word assurance describes the first half of the definition or explanation of faith found in Hebrews 3:1-3. The second aspect of faith, pictured in this scripture, is the “evidence of things not seen.” The keyword in this expression of the writer’s interpretation of faith is evidence. The evidence is the proclamation of things that we cannot see. God is not seen (John 1:18), nor have we seen Jesus (John 20:29), and we don’t see the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). However, we have the historic record of witnesses over all of the time (1 John 1:1-4). In addition, we have the physical evidence of creation that can still be seen (Romans 1:20) as our defense of their existence.
Creation as an explanation of faith is the external manifestation of the eternal presence of God. Therefore, we can believe that God exists because we have the evidence of the witnesses of the scriptures and we can see His creation with our own eyes.
For example, our faith in the declarations of scripture, interpreted by the Holy Spirit, and the observation of His creation are the foundation for the evidence that God made everything out of nothing. In combining the two expressions of the evidence for faith Job 26:7 says, “He spreads out the northern [skies] over space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
Although creation ex nihilo has been compromised, confused, and contradicted, nothing could be more certain, correct, or theologically significant. Why? Because the doctrine of creation out of nothing (ex nihilo) implies God’s necessary existence, underscores his divine freedom, and exhibits his divine omnipotence.[8] – Hank Hanegraaff
The force called gravity is invoked to account for the earth’s affinity to the sun, but that doesn’t explain anything, since no one knows what gravity is or why it works. How such a mysterious “action at a distance” could keep the earth attached to the sun, 93 million miles away, is quite unknown.[9]
The power of the universe, the glue that holds all things together and keeps all bodies that are in motion from smashing into each other is called God. However, that is only one piece of evidence. Light is another problem for modern science. Genesis 1:3 explains, “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.” This simple explanation for the existence of light is the only one that exists today.
The scientific explanations for light are theories, not facts. For example, some scientists believe that light is matter and is, therefore, a particle. Others believe that light has no matter and is a wave. Still, others have concluded that light is both a particle and a wave. “light is one of those things that we don't tend to understand.”[10] I think it doesn’t matter!
God is light; in Him, there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5).
Light is energy and power; God’s energy and power. The external evidence of God’s creation supports this scripture. Science, with its theories and mathematical models, can try to explain the existence of the universe, but there is no absolute evidence on its side of the argument.
We not only have the evidence of creation, but we also have the internal evidence of the scriptures. More than two centuries ago, the Apostle John wrote these words as evidence of the life and work of Jesus, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-4).
The evidence of the preexistence of Jesus, His life, death, resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, ascension, and ultimate position at the right hand of God are all attested to in God’s word the Bible. We don’t have to believe secondhand accounts of the reality of Jesus. We have firsthand documentation. As John points out, He was from the beginning (John 1:1, 14), they heard Him claim to be God (John 8:58, 10:30), we saw Him work many miracles (John 20:30), and they touched Him with their hands (John 20:25-29).
Summary Statement:
God’s Almighty power in creation is seen primarily in three physical areas. First that He can begin to make. Second, that He can sustain that which He has made, and third, that He can complete that which He begins to make and continues to sustain. In other words, God is Almightiness![11]
Hebrews 11:1 gives us two reasons to have faith in God our Father, Jesus His Son, and the Spirit of God. The substantiation of our faith is seen in His creation and our provision of salvation. Our faith guarantees us life and freedom now and eternal life with Him in the future.
The first reason for our faith is our assurance through the relationship with God’s Spirit. We have faith through assurance in the internal presence of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). He calls us, convicts us, gives us the gift of salvation and guides us in our interpretation of scripture. The Spirit also directs us in the moment-by-moment decisions of life (Romans 8:4).
Secondly, we have faith through evidence. Faith does not have to be the result of mysticism, feelings, or second-hand information. We are blessed with the evidence of creation and the physical works of God. In addition, we can read the eyewitness confirmation of those who were alive at the time of Christ. Finally, we can see the results of our continued faith as God works through our day in and day out. God is regularly working His plan in the lives of those who are in fellowship with Him.
How blessed is He who saved us and keeps us for His glory now and for eternity through the shed blood of His only Son Jesus (Ephesians 1:7-8).
Lesson within the Lesson:
Are you living by faith or are you trying to live in your power? Read 2 Corinthians 5:7 and Habakkuk 2:4.
Are you willing to live by faith even though the trials and suffering seem insurmountable? Read 1 John 1:1-9 and Romans 5:1-3.
What is the evidence of God’s existence that is the basis of our faith? Read Romans 1:16-32.
How does God’s creation alone increase the likelihood of His existence? Read Psalms 19:1-6 and Romans 8:22-24.
[1] adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/a-prayer-for-a-compassionate-touch/ Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law,.
[2] John Piper, What Faith knows and Hopes for, By John Piper. ©2015 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org, desiringgod.org/messages/what-faith-knows-and-hopes-for, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
[3] John Nelson Darby, Hebrews 11:1-3, Darby’s Synopsis of the New Testament, © 2001-2016 StudyLight.org., studylight.org/commentaries/dsn/view.cgi?bk=57&ch=11, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
[4] Gill, John. "Commentary on Hebrews 11:1". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". "http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/view.cgi?bk=57&ch=11". 1999, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
[5] Dr. Bob Utley, Copyright © 2006 - 2014 Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law, Small Group Publishing Company LL, free-online-bible-study.com/support-files/commentary_hebrews.pdf.
[6] Albert Einstein, On Education, math.uchicago.edu/~kach/personal/education, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
[7] Henry Brooks Adams, On Education, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law, math.uchicago.edu/~kach/personal/education.
[8] Hank Hanegraaff, Did God Create Everything Out of Nothing?faithgateway.com/did-god-create-everything-out-of-nothing/#.VpWUGRUrLIU, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
[9] How does the Bible demonstrate its accuracy about scientific data? © bible.org, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law, bible.org/question/how-does-bible-demonstrate-its-accuracy-about-scientific-data
[10] bbc.com/earth/story/20150731-what-is-a-ray-of-light-made-of, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
[11] United Christian Broadcasters Limited, God as Creator and Sustainer, lookingforgod.com/questions-and-answers/category/25/question/47/, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law.
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