All about faith

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.  Hebrews 11:1-2 NASB

What is faith?  What is its purpose?  Hebrews 11:1-2 answers these questions for us.

What is faith?

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.  The Greek word for "assurance" here is ὑπόστασις (pronounced hypostasis).  It means "a setting or placing under", "foundation", and "that which has foundation, is firm".  One reading is that faith is our firm confidence, our foundation, that the things we hope for will occur.

Faith is also the conviction of things not seen.  The Greek word for "conviction" here is ἔλεγχος (pronounced elegchos).  It means "a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested".  The King James Version translates the word as "evidence".  So faith is proof.  It is evidence of something.

What is faith's purpose?

Verse 2 says it was by faith "the men of old gained approval."  The Greek word for "approval" is μαρτυρέω (pronounced martyreō).  If you notice the pronunciation looks a lot like the word "martyr".  In fact, the Greek word for "martyr" is its root.  The word translated as "approval" here means "to be a witness, to bear witness" and "to utter honorable testimony, give a good report".  The King James Version translates this verse to say "For by it the elders obtained a good report."  So the purpose of faith is to bear witness to something and in so doing provide a good report for us.

The rest of Hebrews 11 lists several instances where heroes did good works "by faith".  Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain, Noah prepared the ark, Abraham went out to obtain his God-given inheritance even though he didn't know where he was going.  The list is remarkable but the point is that their good deeds were evidence of the authenticity of their faith and their faith was the evidence (proof) that they were God's people.

Let's say I sit down to take a math final exam.  The teacher has been teaching me math for months and now has to determine how much I understand and whether I belong in the next-level class.  She passes out the test and says, "You may begin."  With several strokes of my pencil I try to solve equation after equation.  I finally get to the end and I give her my test to be graded.  The next day she gives it back and I see some red Xs on the questions I got wrong.  You see, the teacher needs me to submit evidence proving I belong and so I take an exam.  The pencil marks on my exam are the outward expression of my understanding and provide proof to the teacher I belong in the next class.

I want to be careful here because by using an academic reference I may unintentionally give the impression that faith is an achievement which deserves reward.  Our faith is not something meritorious we do that God rewards.  It is not the reason we are part of God's family.  We belong in God's family because God purchased us through his Son's death on the cross.  Our faith is the evidence (proof) that God purchased us (1 Corinthians 6:20).  Consider what the apostle John says,

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.  1 John 5:1

A few verses later, John says,

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.  1 John 5:13

So John wants us to know that our faith is proof that we are born of God and that proof gives us assurance that we have eternal life.  This takes us back to the first point, which is that faith is the assurance of things hoped for.  Our hope is that we belong in God's family and so will be benefactors of his promises.  Our faith is our assurance that this is so.