Hebrews 11: Faith as Living in the Dark (I)

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible....8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’ 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them."

Introduction

Hebrews 11 ranks as one of my "top 10" Bible passages. I think it is the combination of rhetorical flourish, historical sense, and hopefulness in the midst of trial that makes it one of my favorites. The rhetorical elements of the passage make it most memorable, and many of the verses are worthy not only of memorizing but of calling to mind when we flag in zeal on other tasks in life. The OT lesson for today is about Abraham's "believing God;" this lesson from Hebrews interprets that act of faith in the context of a man who set out on a journey not really knowing where he was going. Today's essays explore both the concept of faith in Hebrews 11 and the way that Abraham lived according to this faith.

I. Faith According to Hebrews 11:1

The language of 11:1 is arresting in its word-choice. Faith is the "hypostasis" of things hoped for the "elenchon" of things not seen. Each of the two words in quotation marks has a deep and significant history in Greek philosophical discourse. An "hypostasis" is, according to a leading Greek dictionary, the "substantial nature" or "essence," or "actual being," or "reality" of a thing. In Platonic philosophy the One is invisible and impassible, but could be seen or understood by its "hypostases." In Christian theology, Christ is called (in the Nicene Creed) the "hypostasis" of God. The Trinity, in Christian theology, consists of three "hypostases" in one "ousia" (being). Thus, a "hypostasis" is something that expresses the reality of another thing precisely.

A verse in Heb. 1 helps us clarify the concept further. It speaks about Christ as the "an exact representation ("character") of his (i.e., God's) true being ("hypostasis"). The "hypostasis" is therefore not necessarily a physical or visual representation of something but it is a true expression of the nature of a thing. Thus, we have three terms in Greek, going from more to less abstract, from 'invisible' to 'visible.' The nature or being of something is its "ousia." A representation of this "ousia" is a "hypostasis." The visual appearance of the "hypostasis" is a "character." Thus, to use the language of Heb. 11, faith is the "real expression," or the "essence" of the hoped-for future things. Faith is the "now" expression of that more abstract thing. Faith may not be a "visible" thing (it would be a "character" if it were), but it is the true or essential expression of the thing hoped for.

Elenchos

But the author is helpful because he also gives us another word. Faith is the "conviction" ("elenchos") of things not seen. The word "elenchos" is familiar from Greek philosophy and it means a manner of proof. Socrates, for example, used an "elenchic" manner in questioning people in order to try to get to the truth of the thing he was discussing.

This second part of the definition of faith is actually helpful for us, for it suggests that faith is its own "proof" system. Pascal, the 17th century French physicist and theologian, said that "the heart has its reasons, which reason does not know." Likewise, the author of Hebrews would say that faith has its manner of reasoning which scientific proof does not know. In fact, we can look at the issue of "manner of proof" or "how we prove" things in life in different ways. We all know that the "proof" of love is not scientific proof; it is something unique to our own tastes, something that touches the heart; something that is inexplicable even to the most articulate of us. The proof of faith is likewise not scientific. It has its own proof, its own commitment to the unseen, its own set of rules and encouragements. In fact, scientific proof, which we seem to elevate to such a high position in our world today, is not as "air tight" as one might think. It operates, in my judgment, more by way of consensus or agreement than by any definition of "proof" we can come up with.

You are on good grounds if on this day you take some time to explore the different methods of "proof" of faith, love and science. Our author says unequivocally that faith has its own manner of proof. It doesn't actually relate to things seen ("character" would be the word for that), but it does relate to substantial realities ("hypostasis"). Faith knows the truth, the "proof" of something that has substantial reality but is not visible to the eye.

I need another essay to speak of the faith of Abraham.

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