Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Hebrews 11:1 (AMP)
Word Studies
Why so many different translations? The original Greek words have complex meanings that don’t easily match to a single English word. Here is the sentence with the main Greek words inserted. We’ll take a look at each of them.
Now pistis is the hypostasis of things elpizō, the elegchos of things not blepō.
- Pistis means faith, belief, trust, confidence.
- It is being persuaded of the complete dependability of something, to the point of being willing to totally rely on it.
- Hypostasis means substance, assurance, confidence, essence, reality.
- It describes foundational truth, the underlying reality that supports everything else.
- Elpizō means expectation, confident hope.
- It is not wishful thinking but is a certainty of anticipation for something that is fully expected to happen.
- Elegchos means proof, reproof, conviction, even rebuke or correction.
- It is the convincing evidence that leads to persuasion in favor of (or against) the subject under consideration.
- Blepō means to look, see, perceive, discern.
- It means to observe physically or to grasp spiritually.
Putting it all together, the writer of Hebrews is telling us that trust and reliance on God is the foundation undergirding our confident expectation that He will continue to be faithful to His promises. That trust is also what persuades us that what He says is true, even when we can’t immediately see the full picture, because He has always been reliable in the past.
Faith in Action
Personally, I am an obsessive planner. I want to know what to expect before I act. The writer here is telling me that God doesn’t work like that. To see His full power in action, I have to take a step of trust that it will be there when I need it.
For a classic dramatization of this concept, here is the “leap of faith” scene from the Indiana Jones movie “The Last Crusade”. The path that Indy needs is really there, but he can’t see it until after he chooses to trust in it.
That step is NOT “blind” faith, though. It has the backing of thousands of years of history, science, and the life experiences of those who have come before me.
Old Testament Heroes
In fact, the rest of Hebrews chapter 11 is a roll call of the “Faith Hall of Fame”. It lists the Biblical heroes who acted in faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the other prophets.
The writer reminds us, though, that some of these people did not see the complete fulfillment of God’s promises within their own lifetime. For instance, Abraham did not live to see “great nation” that he fathered. But we know that the promise of Genesis 12:1-3 has come to pass, abundantly! The heroes knew that God would not let them down, and were willing to wait for heaven before seeing the end of the story (Hebrews 11:13-16). We, who inherit their legacy, are a part of that story, as well. Their faith will not be perfectly fulfilled until ours is also (Hebrews 11:39-40).
Modern Heroes
In more modern examples, think of the Christian heroes who acted on their faith that wherever God guides, He also provides. There are too many to list, but think about these examples:
Lottie Moon spent over 40 years as a missionary to China. When she died of starvation in 1912 — because she gave so much of her own food to her Chinese neighbors — she didn’t know the full extent of her impact. Thousands of Chinese Christians can trace their spiritual heritage to her, and well over two billion dollars has been raised via the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to continue the mission work to which she gave her life.
Annie Armstrong never served as an overseas missionary. Instead, her life was spent campaigning to support not only Lottie, but eventually several thousand missionaries. She also organized efforts to serve within the United States. The annual Easter offering in her honor has raised over a billion dollars for North American missions.
Billy Graham presented the Gospel to over 200 million people in live audiences (and who knows how many more via television and radio) in over 185 countries. Thousands have come to Christ through his ministry. When those new Christians turned around and shared their new faith, Billy’s influence spread exponentially. I would easily expect him to be greeting a million or more of his “God-children” in heaven.
Martin Luther stood up to the corrupt and immensely powerful Catholic Church hierarchy of his day (the early 1500’s). His insistence on 1) the Bible, not the Church, as the sole authority, 2) that the Bible teaches salvation by Christ alone rather than by following Church rules, and 3) that everyone should have a Bible they could read in their own language, became the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. Things that I take for granted as “Of course, I can read the Bible for myself, and follow the Christ I find there without needing anyone else’s permission” would not be true without this monk who dared to think for himself, and encourage others to do so.
William Wilberforce was a man who served God by being a politician. As a member of the British Parliament, he fought for decades to get Britain to renounce the slave trade. After introducing measures to end slavery and slave transport each year starting in 1793, he was finally successful in getting his bill passed in 1807. Meanwhile, he spent the rest of his time, energy and money on dozens of charities and philanthropic causes.
Each of these had faith (pistis) that their hope (elpizō) in God had a rock-solid foundation (hypostasis). They were pursuaded (elegchos) even before they could see (blepō) the fruits of their labors. When they stepped out, the path was there. God faithfully came through for each of them.
Our Turn
Now, what about me…and you? Do we really trust God to be the unshakable foundation for everything else in our life? Are we confidently anticipating what God has promised? Are we so convinced of His truth that we are willing to step out onto what seems to be thin air, if He so directs, and know that the path will be there strong enough to support us?
It’s not a leap into unproven darkness. As an old saying goes: “Faith is walking to the edge of all the light you have…and taking one more step.” What step is He asking me to take next? What step is He asking of you? Will we make that leap, and see what He has in store for us when we do?
Note: Some similar articles on this site include “Faith“, “Hope” and “Foundations“.
