Hebrews 11:1-7

Key Verse: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Through Hebrews 11 we learn very much about faith: what it is, what it does, and how we can interact with God through it. Verse 1 says that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” In essence, faith is believing in invisible things—and in this case we are talking about God. Not only do we believe in invisible things but we can hope in them and experience them through our faith. In fact, we must have faith even to believe in the beginning of the world, for no one was there and the only account we have is through the Bible, which we then may or may not believe. Faith is not easy—it demands much of a person to put one’s trust in something unseen—and it is not passive but rather aggressive, requiring our action. Faith doesn’t just happen.

And thus, says verse 2, the ancients were commended for it. These ancients were people of faith, before Christ came to earth, who walked with God, hoped in God, and gave us a proper example of what it is to live by faith. This particular part of the passage singles out three: Abel, Enoch, and Noah. All three were righteous in the sight of the Lord, and the Bible describes them as men who “walked with God.” All three teach us about some aspect of what faith really means.

Through Abel, we learn that faith means to seek God. Abel brought God the best of his goods, “fat portions from the firstborn of his flock.” His brother, Cain, only brought some of the fruits of his field. God was pleased with Abel’s offering, but not with Cain’s. Why? Because Abel sought God and brought him his best. Cain, however, was rejected and became jealous, ultimately, he killed his brother. Still, even in his short life Abel’s example speaks to us: faith that is pleasing to God is coming to him with offering.

Then the passage moves to Enoch. Enoch was a prophet and walked with God. In fact, God was so pleased with him that instead of allowing him to die here on earth, God took him into heaven so he would not taste the bitterness of death. But what does it mean to walk with God? When we walk with someone, there is a relationship there—one of love. You cannot walk alongside someone you hate. You also keep pace, go in the same direction, and generally enjoy one another’s company. Faith means walking with God—it means having a relationship with him and staying by His side.

Noah, too, walked with God. In his day the world was corrupt and “the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time.” The world was violent and men did as they pleased, ignoring God. Yet Noah was faithful and taught his family the ways of the Lord. When God told Noah to build the ark, Noah did as he was told. He had a “holy fear” of God and respected Him and His authority. Faith is a response—it is obedience.

Now these men continue to speak to us through the Bible and the legacy of faith that they have left us to follow. God included these three in His plan and in the Bible for a reason—it was not happenstance, or the whim of the writer. who just happened to think it was a good idea. We are to learn of their examples and learn what faith is through them. “For without faith, it is impossible to please God;” therefore, having faith is pleasing to God. We must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him (v. 6). A dead person does not work, does not reward, does not move. God is a living being and he is real, and all our faith hinges on that.

This faith gives us purpose and direction, focus, and comfort. God is very much alive and wants to work in our lives. We must therefore come to Him, believe in Him, seek him earnestly. Through this faith we may be able to please God, and know that our work is not in vain, for He will reward us when we come to Him. Through such faith we can become a legacy for others to follow.

I want to be a legacy others can follow. I want God to be able to say that “by faith, Courtney was able to do these things and able to please God with her life.”

One Word: A legacy of faith.