Explore: Faith defined

• The Explore the Bible lesson for Nov. 9 focuses on Hebrews 11:1-7.

Except for an early crush on Leonardo DiCaprio from his role on Growing Pains, I always have been somewhat uninterested in famous people. I am embarrassingly ignorant of cultural icons, historical figures and professional athletes. But that is not to say I am devoid of heroes.

Hall of heroes

I perhaps never have been more star-struck than the day I had the privilege to meet Elizabeth Elliot for a personal visit in Boston. Her book Shadow of the Almighty, which told of her missionary work with her husband, Jim, among the Auca Indians, influenced my calling to missions more than any other book except the Bible.

Another hero of mine is Jimmy Dorrell, who has spent his adult life living and ministering with the poor in Waco and in India, Haiti and Mexico. I count it a blessing to have learned so much from him in the last 12 years, and I sometimes joke I want to be him when I grow up. I also admire the quiet confidence of Jenni Jessen, who has done such tremendous work in Thailand and around the world in preventing, rescuing and restoring victims of sex trafficking.

And I seek to watch and learn from faithful leaders like Suzii Paynter, who leads the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship with a rare combination of prophetic boldness and gracious compassion. These heroes and many others model for me what it means to live by faith.

Someone to emulate

Everyone needs a hero. We need a living, breathing example of what we aspire to be. We long for someone to look up to, to emulate. Sometimes we paint such a glorified picture of our heroes they seem completely out of reach. In fact, when these seemingly infallible heroes make a mistake, the glass pedestal shatters, and they come crashing back down to earth again. We suddenly remember they are human, like us.

One thing I love about the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11 is it commends ordinary people, everyday Joes who made some enormous blunders, committed horrendous sins, and yet God still worked in and through their lives in powerful ways.

Hebrews 11 begins with a simple definition of faith. Faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (v. 1). The virtue actually was introduced in Hebrews 10:36-39, where the focus is on the necessity of faith in order to persevere. This faith is grounded in an understanding of God as Creator, who spoke into being what is seen out of what is unseen (v. 3).

Faith and faithfulness

We know from the greater context of Scripture that this is not a complete definition. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology says the Greek word pistis used in Hebrews 11 originally referred to “the faithful relationship of partners in an agreement, and the trustworthiness of their promises.”

In the New Testament, this term indicates “the trusting acceptance and recognition of what God has done and promised in Christ.” We find elsewhere in Scripture that faith is a gift (1 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 5:22; James 2:17). We believe and trust a God who acted first on our behalf, who initiated the relationship, who made and is keeping promises.

But here in Hebrews 11, the emphasis is on faith in action. Repeatedly the writer invokes the pattern, “By faith …” this hero did this amazing thing. Faith requires faithfulness: “This is what the ancients were commended for” (v. 2).

Heroes of the faith

So the writer of Hebrews sets out to name some of the great heroes of the faith. He first highlights the stories of Abel, Enoch and Noah, with a little interpretation and extrapolation included. He parks for a little while on the story of Abraham, who receives the lengthiest commendation for his obedience and trust, even when he didn’t know the way ahead. He then moves on to the next few generations of Abraham’s descendants in quick succession.

He pauses on Moses, who has figured prominently throughout the book of Hebrews, and even here the language the writer uses to describe Moses points us to Christ. After rounding out the period of the conquest of the Holy Land, he decides to wrap it up quickly and moves staccato-style through his remaining faith heroes. He seems to ebb inconspicuously from Old Testament heroes into intertestamental persecution, perhaps relating to the difficulties his own congregation currently is facing.

Finally, the writer encourages the congregation with the rewards of faith. The epilogue in verses 39 and 40 bears a faint echo of the interlude in verses 13 to 16. Each of these heroes from the “hall of faith” received commendation for their faith. Just like in a sports hall of fame, the achievement and reward of those who have gone before is inspiring and motivating. God does not promise things will be easy. God does not promise earthly success.

Eternal promises

The total fulfillment of God’s promises has not yet come to fruition. Their faithful endurance looked ahead to an eternal reward promised to them and to us. In this shared promise, the writer knits the congregation’s fate together with the “hall of faith” heroes. Like these heroes, we can live out our faith courageously and boldly. By faith, we can come to God. By faith, we can believe God is real. By faith, we can trust in God’s eternal promises. By faith, we can please God. Just like these heroes of old, may we be found faithful.