IDEA: Faith alone gains the approval of God.
TEXT: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand why faith matters to God.
When we say that the Bible is "literature," what do we mean? Is a recipe book literature? Do you think that the authors of the Bible were literary geniuses?
I. The authors of the books of the Bible demonstrated a remarkable skill as writers.
The theologians of the Old Testament crafted their accounts with skill. All the details have significance (Fokkelmann).
The poetry has remarkable beauty that has lasted through the centuries.
This is particularly notable for a people who were not necessarily literary people.
II. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews demonstrates a knowledge of literary skills in this book and especially in chapter 11.
The writer uses literary techniques to get the message into people's minds.
The author introduces each of the 18 examples in Hebrews 11 with the words "by faith" – to show how the heroes had endured trials on earth in light of future rewards.
This repetition is called anaphora. We heard it in Martin Luther King's speech from the steps of the Washington monument, "I have a dream!"
How does anaphora work? The repetition works like a hammer driving home what? It substantiates the point: God is pleased and rewards those who live by faith.
The list of examples used is another technique in ancient speaking or writing to prove a point.
In Hebrews 11, some achieved great victories, but others were persecuted and went down to death (11:33-37). Why the variety? Why not stick with the "winners"?
Which are the "heroes" of the faith? Why?
IIII. This list of characters who illustrate faith (pistis) is unique to the Bible.
"A catalogue of heroes of pistis, introduced as patterns of imitation, is unthinkable in any Greek tradition" (J. W. Thompson, Beginnings of Christian Philosophy, p 53). To the formally educated person, faith was regarded as a state of mind of the uneducated who believe something on hearsay without being able to give a precise reason for their belief.
The willingness of Jews and Christians to suffer for the undemonstrable astonished pagan observers. This is the conduct that is praised in Hebrews 11. How would you respond to unbelievers today who dismiss faith as equal to ignorance?