Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Hebrews 11:6
Hope
Without hope, the Christian’s witness is extinguished and all joy is gone, but with hope, we can have assurance. The author of Hebrews tells us “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Heb 11:1a), so our hope is based upon our faith in God. We please God when we have the faith that what we hope for will come to pass. He is our hope even when all hope seems lost, so try to have the assurance that those things will come to pass (Rev 22). If you do, that will please God.
Conviction
The author of Hebrews continues in writing that faith “the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1b). This is the same word that the Greeks would use in a court of law when there was a conviction. Conviction means there’s enough evidence to render a verdict and in this case, our “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” but also, “the conviction of things not seen.”
Faith
The author of Hebrews tells us, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). Why? Because if we don’t have faith in God, we don’t believe God, and when we don’t believe God, we will not have faith in God, and ultimately, a lack of faith is a lack of trust. I know. I speak from experience. How about you? Even though the heroes and heroines in the Bible were “commended through their faith [they] did not receive what was promised” (Heb 11:39), they kept the faith, even when their eyes told them differently.
Conclusion
For believers, it is “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Heb 11:3), so ours is not a hope-so faith but a know-so faith. It’s the assurance of things we hope for, and a conviction of things not seen.
