The Reality of Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. [Hebrews 11: 1-2]
Other than righteousness and grace, faith is perhaps the least understood term in the Bible. Some people view faith as some mystical force while others will define faith simply as something you believe in. While the results of faith can appear to be mystical in that faith involves the supernatural, and belief is a component of faith, neither of those definitions is correct. The biblical definition of faith as written in Hebrews 11:1, although simply conveyed, has proven to be very complex because most people rely more upon what their physical senses detect than what their hearts perceive. Consequently, I want to dissect this verse in a way to provide complete understanding.
Faith is Substance
Because faith is substance, this makes faith tangible, real. However, just because it is substance, it doesn’t mean that you can perceive it with one or more of your five senses. Rather, faith can be likened to what we call a “sixth sense.” Although some people see it as intuition, true faith is much stronger.
Substance of Hope
The definition of hope has been watered down over the years. The true definition of hope in the context of the Bible is a confident expectation. However, in modern Christianity, hope is equated to a wish of an uncertain outcome. Instead being confident in hope, most are hoping with their fingers crossed, unsure of a positive outcome. The reason people equate hope with uncertainty is that they rarely see something happen as a result of faith, which causes them to doubt. This is not hope, and it certainly isn’t faith, which is why they do not see God’s power in their lives.
Evidence of the Invisible
Faith is evidence or proof of the invisible. God is invisible; and therefore, faith, among other things, proves He exists. It’s that simple. What confuses people when reading this part of the verse is that when they read things not seen, they immediately conclude that these things do not yet exist; when in reality, these things do exist, but they are invisible. Faith doesn’t cause God to “move” in your life as some would have you believe. More accurately, faith appropriates and accesses what God has already provided and exists in the invisible spirit realm, which in turn, makes it a physical reality.
Jesus said, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. [Matthew 18: 18] The Bible says that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. [Ephesians 1: 3] The truth is that God has already moved by grace and if He hasn’t already provided it by grace, no amount of faith can make it happen.
Let me use a natural example to illustrate this important spiritual truth. Most everyone is familiar with radio and television waves. Television and radio waves are invisible and inaudible, but we know they exist because when you turn on the television or radio you receive a picture or sound. Now your receiver doesn’t create the pictures or sounds, it simply receives the waves and then converts the invisible waves into a picture your eyes can see or sound your ears can hear. God’s promises, blessings, and power are all part of His grace, and they are the invisible waves, and He is the transmitter. We are the receivers and faith is what converts the invisible to the visible, or inaudible to audible.
Using the same illustration to go into more depth, most cable or satellite companies provide a listing of what’s playing on each channel at a certain time. Even most regions provide a programming guide for radio stations. These guides are like the Bible, which not only tell us what is promised to be on, but also give us highlights. Therefore, before turning on your television or radio, most people consult the guide in order to learn what’s going to be on, and where. Then, after consulting the guide, you turn on your receiver and tune to the correct channel.
Now this doesn’t happen as much as it used to because of cable and satellite, but televisions and radios utilize an antenna to enhance their reception of the signal. In fact, the stronger the antenna, the better the reception. In order to receive the best quality signal, you must get tuned in because static will interfere with your reception, although it does not affect the signal as it is constant. The same is true with the promises, blessings, and power of God. God’s signal does not change, but if you haven’t consulted the Bible, you will not know what God has promised, and consequently you will miss out. Furthermore, you can consult the guide and be on the right channel, but if your antenna isn’t strong enough, you won’t get a clear signal and miss out. This means that not only do you have to read the Bible, but your attention is your antenna and if your attention isn’t on the word of God, you will miss out. And finally, you can use the guide, be tuned into the right channel, and be receiving a strong signal, but if you don’t consider and meditate on what you saw or heard, you will not remember.
Finally, faith functions as a window into the spiritual realm. As faith proves the existence of the invisible, it also allows a person to see into this realm. In fact, faith is the same as spiritual vision. This point is illustrated throughout the Bible and especially in the life of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, Truly, truly I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do. For what things soever he does, these also the Son does likewise. [John 5: 19]
The Lord was driven by what the Father had shown Him in the spirit—and it was by this spiritual vision, Jesus lived His life. In fact, Jesus used spiritual vision on His journey to the cross, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12: 2]
This spiritual vision is also likened to one’s eyes being opened to the truth. Like in 2 Kings 6 when the prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the Syrian army:
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! How (what) shall we do? And he answered, Fear not. For they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Once again, the servant’s eyes being opened did not bring the horses and chariots of fire, but when the Lord opened his eyes, he was able to see what was true in the spirit. This is how faith operates. Furthermore, the Bible does not say that Elisha actually saw the horses and chariots of fire. Therefore, we can conclude that Elisha simply believed what God’s word taught in Psalm 91, He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him will I trust. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
In another case, just after the Resurrection of Christ, two of His disciples were walking along the road to Emmaus when the Lord drew near and walked with them. The Bible says that because they did not believe the reports of His resurrection, their eyes were holden that they should not know him. [Luke 24: 16-25]
What the Scripture is teaching here is that because these men were so focused on what they could only see with their physical eyes, they failed to see Jesus in His glorified spirit body. Then the Lord began to show them the truth through the word of God, and only when the Lord did something very familiar to them (took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them) did their eyes finally open to the truth.
Spiritual vision is at the very heart of faith.
Faith—the Fruitful Gift
The Bible says that faith is part of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and also a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). Faith is imparted unto us by God through His word when we are born again as it is written in 1 Peter 1: 23: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. Romans 10: 17 says, So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Therefore, we can conclude that faith is a byproduct of receiving (hearing and/or reading) the word of God. Herein is an important truth. Because faith is an element of the word of God, and faith comes only through the word of God, therefore, we can only believe what we have received from the word of God. Although we, through the Spirit, have been given the ability to believe everything contained in the word of God, we will not see the complete manifestation of what is contained in God’s word until we either read or hear it for ourselves. Therefore, a person is limited in receiving from God according to his own knowledge of God’s word. The Bible says that grace and peace are multiplied through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. [2 Peter 1: 2]
Here’s an example to illustrate this point. There was a girl who grew up in a Christian family. They went to church whenever the doors were opened. At the age of 13, the girl was diagnosed with leukemia and immediately began treatments for this condition. When her parents announced the news to their church, the pastor charged the entire congregation to begin praying for God to heal the young girl. The girl was instructed to ask God every day in prayer to heal her. Because of the treatments, the girl had to stay in bed. The medicine caused her to lose her appetite and therefore she lost a great deal of weight. One day while her parents were at work, she watched a Christian television station where a man was teaching on the subject of healing. To her amazement, the man said that God had already healed every person who will ever need to be healed, and said that all anyone needed to do was to believe this and it would be done. The man quoted from Matthew 8: 16-17 teaching that Jesus healed all the sick so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, (in Isaiah 53: 4) Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.
Then, the man taught about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34) who simply believed that if she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. She didn’t have to ask Jesus to heal her; she simply pressed into the crowd and made a connection with the power of God by faith. She had never heard this truth in church before. Although she knew that God healed people sometime, she had been taught that she had to “ask” God to heal her and then God would decide if she would be healed or not. The girl was excited to hear these truths, but yet she was confused because although she was only 13, her parents had been in church for a long time, read the Bible, and prayed, but they either had not read these verses or they did not believe them.
In closing, the man added from Mark 11: 23 and Mark 16: 19 that not only had Jesus healed every person, but that God had given every person who believes in Jesus power to heal diseases and sickness by laying on hands and commanding them to be removed. From the television, God spoke directly into this girl’s heart, saying “There’s a girl watching who’s suffering from leukemia and she’s asked God to heal her.” He said, “God is telling you to speak to that mountain called leukemia and command it in the name of Jesus, to leave your body, and it will obey you.”
The girl had opened her Bible and followed the teaching, now seeing it plainly in God’s word. Her heart was stirred and she became bold enough to speak to the disease and commanded it to leave. After speaking, she believed that she was healed and instantly her hunger returned. After giving thanks to God for her healing, the girl hurried to the kitchen where she cooked herself a frozen pizza.
The awesome thing about this story is that this girl, after hearing the truth, used a child-like faith and believed the good news, which resulted in her being completely healed. The tragedy of this story is the fact that so few receive revelation of this knowledge, and unfortunately, their lives are cut short due to destructive diseases. They were like most Christians—they believe God can do anything including healing any disease; therefore, they ask God in prayer and encourage others to ask as if God needed His children to storm the gates of Heaven in order to get a prayer answered.
Although believing God can heal, they do not believe the fact that God is not only always willing to heal, but has already provided it to us as a free gift through the physical suffering of the Lord Jesus; and has empowered His disciples to minister healing to those in need (Matthew 10: 1, 7-8). It’s no wonder many Christians don’t get healed in spite of their prayers to God, begging for healing. They are coming to God from a position of unbelief, asking instead of doing what the Scripture teaches to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find help in time of need. [Hebrews 4: 16]
Part II-- The Reality of Faith
