What faith does...

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Many people try to make this verse a definition of faith. However, this verse does more to teach us what faith does than what it is. Faith, remember, is a deep rooted trust and conviction that God is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

The word substance here means essence. The word evidence means proof. Faith is the essence of what we hope for and the proof of what we can not see. What does faith do? It makes things real. Faith makes God real. It makes God's promises real. It allows us to place our lives in God's hands and let Him handle the outcome.

I did some reading last night on Cassie Bernall. Cassie was one of the victims of the Columbine school shooting. A witness told investigators that one of the killers asked her if she believed in God, to which she replied, "Yes." She was then shot.

Michael W. Smith wrote of Cassie:

This was her time
This was her dance
She lived every moment,
left nothing to chance.

She swam in the sea,
drank of the deed,
and embraced the mystery of all she could be.

(There has been a lot of investigation and effort expended to disprove her martyrdom... I'll post thoughts on that at another time). However, whether or not Cassie did indeed die for her faith, we know that throughout history people have died for theirs. We also know that Christians outside of the United States are dying for their faith as well. Why?

Because faith has made God real to them. They trust God enough to know that He will either deliver them, or call them home. There is no doubt.

When you have faith, the promises of God are not just things you hope might happen, they are things you know will happen. Your faith then becomes evidence of the existence of God.

Look at Stephen in Acts 7. What did he say as he was being stoned to death? "Behold I see the Son of Man... standing at the right hand of God." Do you think this convicted his persecutors? Did it offer proof of God? Would he have continued to proclaim God as he was dying if he did not really believe?

Faith makes the things of God real to us, proves God's existence and gives us a testimony... testimony... We'll discuss that next time.