THE BARNABAS LINK
HEBREWS 11
` Now faith is being sure . . . '
At a time of change such as we are now experiencing, it is imperative that we turn back to the Word of God lest anxious thoughts lead us into fearful notions - which should play no part in the lives of those who know Him `who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will'. For such times the Letter to the Hebrews stands like a Rock in the turbulent waters of change, and within that Letter lies the lesson of the faithful witness of those who have gone before. The narrative of chapter 11 gives us the title of this Barnabas Link. `now faith is being sure . . '.

There is no fully-accepted dating of the Letter, and arguments move back and forth. Therefore, to dwell on such matters only muddies our thoughts as the waves of argument move through the theological seas. What is certain is that the Letter was written to Hebrew believers in the Lordship of Jesus to steady them at a time of unprecedented change which was causing them to question the `Word of Faith' - to the point of even turning back to the Law and Rabbinical Judaism! Our own understanding is that it was probably written at a time towards the end of the Acts of the Apostles, the whole of which - as we have set out previously - was a further Probation Period for the Jewish nation of fourty years, (This was from the time of Pentecost in AD 29 through to the rejection of the Messiahship of Jesus by the Jewish leaders, as recorded in Acts 28, and the resultant destruction of the Temple by the armies of Titus in AD 70.)

That being so, the Letter to the Hebrews is particularly relevant to the Church today as we also approach the end of a Probation Period and the turbuent waters of change are breaking out. In those earlier times during which this Letter was penned Jewish zealots were aware of the political and military power of Rome which was becoming increasingly impatient with the unruly Jews, and it would also have been threatening towards those who spoke of another Kingdom. Consequently, fearful believers were considering the cost of being disciples of Jesus, and in fear of their lives they were in danger of sinking beneath the waves of `national fervour'. `Not so', says the Writer, and in chapter eleven he sets out his great exhortation of encouragement and points them to the Strength that is available for them to be able to stand . . and when all else is done, to stand . . for `faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see'.

It is the word `Faith' which resonates throughout the whole chapter, and it is therefore a word we need to consider more thoroughly than is usual in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles where we usually hear exhortations to `increase your faith'! Of course this would be spoken with good intentions, but such words can lead to condemnatory feelings when nothing happens, leaving people with a loss of faith, which must, they feel, be a consequence of their unbelief. We cannot manufacture faith, and such thinking is dangerously close to `mind over matter' techniques which are not for the people of God! To fully understand the meaning of the word `faith' we need to digress into an English/Greek lesson.

The word translated in our English New Testaments as `faith' springs from the Greek word `Pistis', which as a noun tells us that it refers to `the name of a person or thing'. The Greek word `Pistis' is connected to `Peitho', which as a verb tells us that it is a `doing word', and bringing these two words together gives us the Scriptural understanding of the word `faith' - as recorded in chapter eleven of Hebrews - and therefore removes any effort on our part to `increase our faith'. Faith, for a believer in the Lord Jesus, becomes a Divinely implanted knowledge of God and of His character and fidelity, and He can be totally relied upon to outwork `Christ in you, the hope (certainty) of Glory'. This understanding of `Faith' rings out throughout the Letters and Epistles of Paul, such as: `The life I live in the body I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me'.

This is the Scriptural truth of `the baptism in/of the Holy Spirit' - a phrase which tears the Body of Christ apart. Paul says, in his Letter to the Romans (6:3-4):

" . . . . all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death. We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the Glory of the Father, we too may live a new life . "

Therefore our `Faith' is the Divinely implanted `Noun', - implanted through baptism in the Holy Spirit into Christ Jesus, whilst our `Verb' is the working of the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the character of God in Whom we can trust in all things! For sure, the Holy Spirit visits and refreshes and anoints the saints on their journey into the fulness of what they already possess, and His visitations are clearly demonstrated at the beginning of any Probation Period which may occur within the will and purpose of God. Men, however, then make this into a Doctrine of their understanding instead of seeking its purpose in and through the Scriptures, and once pronounced by `the leaders of the Church' it becomes set in stone instead of being revealed by Scripture.

With this lengthy but necessary introduction we can at last look at the great Faith chapter of Hebrews eleven. Verse 3 also gives us the understanding of periods . . ages . . or, using a well-known word, Dispensations . . all determined within the purposes of God:

" Through faith we understand that the worlds were formed by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. " KJV

Here the Writer is not referring to creation in general terms but with the sense of distinct ages (worlds) which are brought into being within the purposes of God. He is not writing of an evolving world, of progress and development, but of unique Ages into which every generation of believers would be born, and of the need for them to discern the purpose for which they have been born into it. The Writer then goes on to recall the saints of previous Ages, and he uses their examples to reveal how disciples of Jesus, born collectively into a Dispensation of Grace, should outwork their lives within the will and purpose of God:

" By faith Abel offered . . .": For all believers there is first and foremost a walk of worship to God.

" By faith Enoch was taken . . . ": There follows a walk of trust in God.

" By faith Noah, when warned . . built . . .": Revealing a walk of witness to the Righteousness of God in His dealings with His creation.

" By faith Abraham, when called to go . . .": Revealing a walk of obedience to the call of God.

" By faith Sarah herself received strength . . ." KJV: Revealing the enabling power of God to believe against all obstacles.

Faith - our `Noun' and `Verb' - is all of these things. It is Divinely implanted in us by the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, giving us, like Abraham, knowledge of the `Architect and Builder' who is God. It is no coincidence that the Lord Jesus is recorded as having been born into the family of a carpenter, and in His early days He worked as such. In these simple words describing a trade there is the knowledge of the character of God, for a carpenter is one who builds according to a precise plan calculated and determined by an architect long before the craftsman begins work. The walk of the Lord Jesus was as a carpenter, One who understood the plan and purpose of His Father, and those who have been baptised by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Jesus are now called to outwork their lives with the same understanding - a knowledge of the character of God and of His purpose as revealed through His Word.

The Faith chapter of Hebrews also reveals the testing that follows on for all who `live by the faith of the Son of God:

By faith Abraham was tested and offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
By faith Isaac was tested when he was called to bless Jacob and Esau.
By faith Jacob was tested when blessing Joseph's sons.
By faith Joseph was tested when he was about to die in Egypt and gave instructions for his bones.
By faith the parents of Moses were tested when they hid him for three months.
By faith Moses was tested when he grew up and refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
By faith the Hebrew people were tested when they passed through the Red Sea.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell . . . Rahab the prostitute did not die.


And what more shall I say . . .? These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. "

For sure there are many today who are enduring a testing of their faith, but the Divine implanting of the knowledge of God will enable them to endure until the end. Our individual testing will be unique and different to that of others, but each one of us will know - by the Divine Faith implanted by His Spirit in us - the One Whom we can safely trust as He reveals the charcter and fidelity of God Who is working out everything in conformity with His will and purpose!

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with persverance the race that is marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter (the Noun and the Verb) of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God. "

* * * * * * * *
Return