"And 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. Hebrews 11:6
"Faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen." Through faith, the elders obtained
a good testimony. By faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God so that the things which are seen were not made of things that are
visible.
By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
and God testified of his gifts. Though he is dead, he still speaks through his
faith. By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and he was
not found because God had taken him. Before he was taken, he had this
testimony: that he pleased God.
But without faith, it is impossible to please
God. Whoever comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those
who diligently seek Him.
By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of
things not yet seen, moved with godly fear and prepared an ark for the saving
of his household. Through this act, he condemned the world and became an heir
of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to
go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance. He went out, not
knowing where he was going. By faith, he dwelt in the land of promise as in a
foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same
promise. He was waiting for the city with foundations, whose builder and maker
is God.
By faith, Sarah herself received strength to
conceive a child, even though she was past the age, because she judged Him
faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man—who was as good as dead—came
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on
the seashore.
All these people died in
faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from a distance
and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and pilgrims on the
earth. Those who speak in this manner show that they are seeking a homeland. If
they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the
opportunity to return. But instead, they desired a better country—a heavenly
one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared
a city for them.
By faith, Abraham, when
tested, offered up Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was
ready to offer his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac, your
descendants shall be called." He reasoned that God was able to raise him
even from the dead, and in a figurative sense, he did receive him back.
By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob
and Esau concerning things to come. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed
each of Joseph’s sons and worshipped while leaning on the top of his staff. By
faith, Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites
and gave instructions concerning his bones.
By
Faith, Moses and Others Overcame When Moses was born, his
parents saw that he was a beautiful child, and by faith, they hid him for three
months, not fearing the king’s command. When he grew up, by faith, Moses
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Instead, he chose to suffer
affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of
sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the
treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward.
By faith, he left Egypt, not
fearing the king’s wrath. He persevered as though seeing the invisible God. By
faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood so that the destroyer
of the firstborn would not touch the Israelites.
By faith, the Israelites
crossed the Red Sea as though on dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to
do so, were drowned. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after they had been
encircled for seven days. By faith, Rahab the prostitute did not perish with
those who were disobedient because she had welcomed the spies in peace.
What more shall I say? Time
would fail to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the
prophets—who, through faith, conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained
promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of
the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put
foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead through resurrection.
Others were tortured, refusing release so that they might gain a better
resurrection.
Some faced jeers and flogging,
and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death
by the sword. They wandered in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted,
and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts,
mountains, caves, and holes in the ground.
Though all of these were
commended for their faith, they did not receive what was promised. Since God
had planned something better for us, they would not be made perfect apart from
us.
Comments
Post a Comment