A Faith Reputation

Hebrews 11: 1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

What we know is by faith. Faith in the Word of the Bible. Faith that there is a God who is working in our life. Faith is best seen and made stronger be the examples of faith we read about in the Bible. In Hebrews 11 we what some call "the honor roll of faith." The individual faith of each person mentioned is not to be discounted. I will be sharing some thoughts about each of these mentioned in Hebrews 11 and I hope it will encourage you like it has me.

Verse 1 says it all and speaks to the "reality" of faith and all that we hope for. This kind of faith is the evidence by which we live this born-again life. The faith of those who lived long ago has a "faith reputation" that challenges us in our faith. Our faith has a long-lasting effect on the world we live in and it can prompt others to grow in their faith as well. I enjoy being around people of faith because it grows my faith. When someone just blindly, but faithfully says "God's got this" it stirs my heart to believe the same thing, no matter the situation. We are all "people of faith" and we exist to serve God in "faith alone."

According to the above verses our very existence hinges on "faith." Verse 3 says 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Our universe formed by God is done by someone we cannot see. Faith brings this great truth into reality and we live in the truth of these words "by faith." Those who are not of the faith believe this attitude to be foolishness, but what is foolishness to unbelievers is reality to us. Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. Powerful words from a very strong faithful servant of God who impacted people with every step he took. Paul gave his life for the gospel and with no regrets continued to have faith that became his reputation. Paul lived out his faith and even though he failed at times those failures did not keep him from pursuing what God had called him to do.

Sometimes doing the right thing by faith can get you killed, but the example of true faith will last longer than our lives. In verse 4 we get an example of that kind of faith when it says 4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith. The righteous do not always get the spoils of their faith, but the example of their faith lasts for others to follow and learn from in their pursuit of faith.

Paul had a desire for the people he led to Jesus to have a growing faith that was rooted in Jesus. In Colossians 2:7 Paul writes 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. We must sink the roots of our faith in Jesus and walk the walk of faith built on Him, our foundation, our cornerstone. There we will find our faith and will continue to live our faith reputation every day.

The Pilgrimage Continues

David Warren