Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 7Sample

This first verse in Hebrews eleven is like a headline for the rest of the chapter. Indeed, it is the only definition of “faith” found in the Bible.

But what is faith? This verse does not seem easy to translate, and almost every translation chooses another wording. The Greek word “hypostasis” defines what faith is. It means something like “reality” or “substance”. So, faith is the underlying reality that supports all else. The NLT translates: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

Faith goes beyond our human senses and into the supernatural. It does not focus on how things seem to be, but it seeks the reality of the kingdom of God. It does not act according to what seems humanly possible but expects the impossible.

If we have faith, we know God and His character. We know His love and power. We also know His promises.

It is not only theoretical knowledge but a deep understanding of who He is and what He does. We trust in God’s faithfulness because we can stand firm on His word and act according to it.

The rest of this chapter shows faith in action, it introduces us to all the heroes of the Bible and to what they did by faith. It becomes clear that faith is not only an inner thing, something kept for oneself, but has to be lived out. At the same time, the people mentioned in this chapter were by no means perfect. This is not what faith depends on, it depends on God.

What step of faith could you take today? In what way would your perspective change if you saw your day and its challenges through the eyes of faith?