Hebrews
Faith
Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony
Subject: Conversations, Panels, and Sermons
Lesson: 25-33
Genre: Lecture
Track: 25
Dictation Name: RR198N25
Location/Venue:
Year:
Let us pray. All mighty God our heavenly Father we give thanks unto Thee that Thou who art Lord of Heaven and earth, creator of all things, are yet mindful of us. Thou hast made us, redeemed us, and prepared a place for us for all eternity. Thy providential care oh Lord is marvelous to our eyes. And so we gather together to praise Thee, to rejoice in Thy mercies, and to give thanks unto Thee, in Christ’s name, amen.
Our scripture is Hebrews 11:1-3 Our subject: Faith. Hebrews 11:1-3, Faith.
“1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
These verses are commonly misunderstood and misinterpreted, because faith is assumed to be human belief. A man can believe that there is a God, but this is not what our text is about. We are told in James 2:19 that the devils believe and tremble. In Psalm 14:1 we are told: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” It is no great wisdom to believe in God, because any other alternative is idiotic and mad. Thus what Hebrews speaks of is not any wisdom or insight gained by man through his reason and observation.
Paul in Ephesians 2:8 tells us: “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.” In Hebrews 10:39, Paul and the apostolic company declare: “But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believed to the saving of the soul.” No credit is claimed for this, for faith is immediately defined, as a supernatural grace. In verse 1 of our text: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.=, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith is the gift of God’s grace, and it gives to all who receive it a forward look. Time and eternity now are seen as a dimension of our lives, and our duty. With this supernatural faith, we enter into the world of reality. The word substance and evidence make this clear. Faith has enabled us to go beyond and to see beyond the blindness and foolishness of unbelief, to begin to see reality. Man’s faith can accomplish little, but God’s supernatural gift of faith can enable man to remove mountains of difficulties.
This gift of faith gives us a forward look. It is concerned with things hoped for, and things not seen, which are the things to come in God’s great and holy purpose. Faith is the substance, or assurance, of these things.
What God from all eternity has decreed, we see by faith, and we know to be an assured reality. Man by his human faith, can hope for certain things, but this does not make them a reality. A God given faith links us to God’s reality. In verse two we are told that by this supernatural gift of faith, the saints of old, living in this reality of faith, received a witness of the truth of God’s promises. They were not vindicated for their personal beliefs, but for the promise of God they embraced and followed.
In verse 3, the first mark of this gift of faith is cited. We understand and know the fact of creation, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. For the ungodly, any solution to the question of the source of the universe is preferable to acknowledging God as creator. Over the centuries a variety of fantastic solutions have been devised, including Charles Darwins Gnostic dream. But none are more than imaginary concepts.
To imagine that creation developed out of nothing, or out of some primordial spark, is to credit nothingness or some original Adam with all the potentiality of the universe, which makes the original spark equal to God without being God. The goal of the anti creationists is a God without God. The eternity of matter is denied by our text. So too is the idea of modern 20th century scientists like (Eddington and Genes?), of a supreme mind behind the Universe that makes no claims on man or creation.
Such thinking is evasive of the basic moral claim that God makes on all His creatures. Apostasy is a retreat from truth. Faith is an advance, empowered by truth. Faith is Christ centered because Gods purpose in history comes to focus in Him. Apostasy weighs the factors in personal terms; which course is the wisest for me? Faith on the other hand, looks to the future in Christ.
In verse 13 we are told, these, referring to the Old Testament saints, All died in faith not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off. And were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We are allowed no illusions concerning the price of faith, faith puts us at odds with a fallen world because it is an active presence of Gods power and work. Faith is a gift and a blessing, and also a burden because it separates us from other men.
Calvin noted of the ungodly and I quote: “That they assign to fortune or chance the supremacy in the government of the world, and they made no mention of Gods providence which alone rules everything.” Because man is fallen and his mind darkened by his revolt against God, he is ready to deny creationism and embrace every kind of nonsense to avoid acknowledging God. Faith is not a trust, nor a belief in the unknown, but the firm knowledge that God is God, He is true to His word, and what He has promised He will bring to pass.
Therefore the writers of Hebrew declare: “We do not shrink back, we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believed to the saving of the soul.” E.F. Scott, and English scholar, held that Hebrews differs in its definition of faith from Paul’s emphasis on the object of faith as the cross of Christ, with its supreme revelation of the supreme will of God. “Whereas,” He says, “The writer to the Hebrews conceives of faith in a more comprehensive measure, as the power by which we hold fast to the unseen, in spite of the illusions and temptations of this passing world.”
That’s a strange statement. The whole point of Hebrews is to set forth Jesus Christ as the great high Priest and sacrifice. There is here no retreat from Paul’s statements concerning the cross, only a further development of its meaning to reinforce the warning against retreat.
It should be apparent by now, that for the Bible faith is not the human response to God, but a God given gift. As Hebrews 11 continues, we are told that the gift of faith empowered man and women to do remarkable things. The purpose is not to tell us how much men can do, but how much God has accomplished in a hostile world, through persons moved by faith. We do not depend upon ourselves for strength, but upon God. Let us pray.
Our Father, we give thanks unto Thee for the gift of faith. We thank Thee that by this gift, and by thy regenerating power, we have been separated from ourselves and the past, and from other men, unto Thy calling, unto Thine eternal purpose in Jesus Christ. Make us ever joyful in this our privilege, in Christ’s name, amen.
Are there any questions about this our lesson? Yes?
[Audience Member] So faith is not intellectual, correct?
[Rushdoony] No. It is not. It is not something that is from us, but it is from God. Now next week we will see our part in that faith, but the primary factor in faith is God, His supernatural grace, His power working in us, so that when we look at ourselves we have to say: “Since I became a Christian, there is more to me than myself. And therefore I cannot despair at the predicaments I find myself in, because I am never alone. There is always more here than appears.” We have to recognize that when faith is seen as a human attribute it becomes easy-believe-ism and such faith may have a lot of confidence but it does not have power. And that is why the church in our generation has become weak, because it has transferred the idea of faith from the gift of God to an attribute of man. And with that you destroy the reformation.
Are there any other questions or comments? Yes?
[Audience Member] So once the gift of grace has been given, automatically you have it? In other words, you can’t have faith without the gift of grace, but you will have faith with the gift of grace?
[Rushdoony] That’s right, it’s the gift of God, in both instances. And it is a gift without recall. It’s a gift we dare not neglect. And that is one of the evils of so much contemporary preaching which sees faith as a human attribute. Because then you’re going to trust in yourself, and not in the Lord. You are going to look at your abilities and not at Gods power. So it is urgently important for our generation in order to reclaim its place in God’s plan, to recognize that faith is God’s gift to us, not some attribute of our own. So it isn’t a question of telling people: “Buck up, believe harder, and everything will be alright.” No, it’s a question of saying: “What you are and what your weaknesses are isn’t the important thing. It’s the gift of faith in you, and that is your strength.”
Any other questions or comments? Well, if not let us conclude with prayer.
Our Father we give thanks unto Thee for the gift of Faith. We thank Thee that there is more in us and to us, than what we are. That thou art near. Thou hast given us Thy grace and faith, and the inner presence, the Holy Spirit. Teach us therefore to confront the world with a holy boldness, with a confidence in Thy power.
And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, Amen.