NOTES for Heb 11:1-12
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. |
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. |
3 Through 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. |
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. |
5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. |
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. |
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. |
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. |
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: |
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. |
11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. |
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. |
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Speaking about faithfulness to God ("faith"), the author of the letter calls it "the foundation of what we hope for and assurance of things unseen" (v. 1; in the Synodal translation, "the realization of what is hoped for and assurance of what is unseen"). This definition of faithfulness implies not only trust in God, but also a certain activity on the person's part within the context of the relationship that binds him to God. The author of the letter gives examples of this kind of relationship, which he finds in the Old Testament books (vv. 2-5, 7-12). All of them are united by that attitude toward God which he calls "faithfulness" (the corresponding Greek word means first of all "faithfulness," although it can also be translated as "faith") and without which one who comes to God cannot become worthy of Him (v. 6; in the Synodal translation, "please God").
Continuing his thought, the author of the letter rightly observes that, when coming to God, it is important not only to believe that He exists, but also to believe that He rewards those who seek God's will; and here what is needed is not only belief in God's existence, but also trust in Him, unthinkable without a personal relationship with Him. Only such a relationship can give the faithful both the firm foundation for hope of which the author of the letter reminds his fellow believers, and confidence in what has not yet come, but will certainly come because God has promised it.
Of course, no deeds or acts in themselves can make a person worthy of God in the sense in which a person can become worthy of a human reward. Speaking about rewards for those who seek God and about those who deserve them, the author of the letter has in mind first of all precisely the fact of trust in God, which gives meaning to everything done in fulfillment of God's will. All the examples he gives are vivid witnesses to this: neither Abel, nor Noah, nor Abraham, with all that they did, can be imagined without complete and unconditional trust in the God who revealed Himself to them and whom they knew. Like his teacher, the author of the letter understands that the righteous person becomes righteous only through a trusting relationship with God, while his deeds are only the outward expression of this relationship. Such was the path of the ancient righteous, and such is the path of those who seek the Kingdom now, when the One who opened it to every seeker ready to trust and follow Him has come into the world.
Readings for 13 October 2025
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