Lesson for September 1, 2024

The Triumphs of Faith

Hebrews 11

Verses 1

“Now faith (Bible doctrine) is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith (believing doctrine) comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”

Chapter 11 is a continuation of the concept from Hebrews 10:39, in corrected translation, “But we are not the retreating type of believers designed for the purpose of destruction of our spiritual lives; but the doctrinal type for the purpose of doctrinal preservation of our souls for the execution of the Christian Way of Life.” Faith in this verse refers to both the body of doctrine we believe in, and in some cases, it is the act of believing. 

Assurance means reality, confidence, and substance. Assurance of anything spiritual comes only by means of Bible doctrine in your soul. Whether you seek assurance of your salvation or assurance of God’s provision for your spiritual life, the Word of God is the only source. Therefore, do not give yourself an excuse for not being consistent in learning Bible doctrine. The reality of spiritual things for us comes through spiritual growth. And the only way we will have full confidence in those things which we are anticipating (hoping for) in the future, is through the knowledge of Bible doctrine.

Evidence of things not seen means proof or persuasion. Bible doctrine (faith) is the proof or the persuasion of all that you cannot see regarding God and His plan, but know is true. It proves that the Father’s plan for us is perfect. It proves that all spiritual reality is bound up in Bible doctrine and nothing else. The unseen world of the Angelic Conflict and our reason for being here is known only through Bible doctrine. The unseen members of the Trinity are known through doctrine; the reality of Divine Viewpoint is known only through doctrine. The more doctrine we learn and apply, the more real the things of God become. Jesus Christ becomes very real to us as we advance spiritually.

 Verse 2

^“For by this [kind of] faith (believing the promises of God) the men of old gained [divine] approval.”

This verse explains how doctrine is related to people in the Old Testament. Doctrine was available to them through the teaching of the father in the home, priests, prophets, even angels at times. There never has been a generation for which doctrine was not available. Believers in the Old Testament gained the approval of God by means of Bible doctrine (faith). They received divine approval through application of that doctrine, and many reached spiritual maturity as a result. 

Until the time of Moses, there was no written doctrine at all, it was always communicated by other means. If believers in the Old Testament could reach spiritual maturity without having the amount of doctrine that we have in the royal family, then there is no excuse for us failing to reach it.

Believers in the Old Testament had Faith-Rest (knowing, believing and applying the promises, the principles and the doctrines of the Word of God). (Isaiah 33:6) There are over 7,000 promises in the Bible for believers, many of which are in the Old Testament. These promises do a believer no good unless they are mixed with faith and applied to a believer’s life. (Hebrews 4:2) Claiming these promises by faith eliminates mental attitude sins such as fear, worry and anxiety, which cut off Divine Viewpoint Thinking. Faith-Rest will restore Divine Viewpoint Thinking and stabilize us in times of pressure and adversity. Faith–Rest results in a relaxed mental attitude. This was the essence of the spiritual life of believers in the Old Testament.

Verse 3

^“By faith (Bible doctrine) we understand that the world (ages/dispensations) has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.”

This verse does not refer to the creation of the world. The Greek word for world is “aion,” meaning age. By faith means by Bible doctrine. Learning dispensational theology and other doctrines, we understand God’s plan is structured for the human race (for the ages). In other words, we understand dispensations.

So that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. We are all participating in the events of history, which are filled with uncertainty, and at the same time we are to be fulfilling our purpose for being here. This means that God continually provides for our advance to spiritual maturity in an unsure historical environment. Jesus Christ still controls history even while we are living in Satan’s world system. God is always “behind the scenes” (not made out of things which are visible) working all things together for our good.

This passage is saying the events of history are regulated by the positive volition of those who are members of the Royal Family of God because Jesus Christ controls history. As goes believers, so goes the events of history. Your attitude toward Bible doctrine has phenomenal effects upon history. God honors positive volition toward doctrine. The individual positive volition (faith) of any member of the Royal Family of God can change the course of history. We will see the truth of this statement as we examine the great heroes of faith in the Old Testament in Hebrews 11.

Verse 4

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

By faith is a reference to believing Bible doctrine, faith being the body of teaching that Abel believed as taught to him by his parents. Abel had a lot of doctrine in his soul, as demonstrated by his offering to God. Therefore, when it says, by faith Abel offered, it means by Bible doctrine in his soul Abel offered. It means that he had a maximum amount of doctrine, and it means that he had the privilege of expressing this doctrine through a ritual that was very meaningful and very important to him, and he understood it. Ritual was not a means of gaining the approval of God; it was an expression on the part of Abel that he had reached a level of spiritual maturity.

A better sacrifice indicates that Abel’s animal sacrifice was better than Cain’s sacrifice from his garden. The sacrifice of Abel was greater for two reasons. The first reason was Abel was a believer and understood the significance of the animal sacrifice as a representation of the coming Messiah’s payment for sin. The second reason was Abel was a growing believer who reached spiritual maturity. He had learned Bible doctrine as it was available to him in that particular time in history and understood the proper offering to bring before the Lord. Abel was positive and responded to the doctrine. The whole key to this verse is that Abel was not only a believer, but a believer with doctrine resident in his soul. Abel demonstrated the fact that he was justified (declared righteous) by God by bringing the proper offering to God.

Cain, who was not a believer, brought an offering from his own efforts representing human good works which were not acceptable to God. Cain’s sacrifice did not represent the coming Messiah’s payment for sin. A person’s attitude toward Christ determines acceptability of worship. It is impossible for anyone who is an unbeliever to enter into any ritual that truly worships God. The ritual is meaningless if the person does not have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. 

Testifying about his gifts means that Jehovah approved of Abel and his offering. He declared Abel righteous at the point of believing in Jehovah (Christ). Not only did He justify him, but He provided for him Bible doctrine for his soul by word-of-mouth from his parents. The offerings Abel presented pleased God because the reality of the ritual was in his soul, he had the doctrinal assets in his soul, he was a spiritually mature believer. Abel was murdered by his brother Cain but his testimony regarding doctrine in his soul keeps going long after his death. He is a permanent monument to the grace of God and the importance of reaching spiritual maturity.