Abstract
Hebrews 11, commonly called the faith chapter, includes numerous examples of human faith. But Hebrews shows us that the most faithful figure in the Bible is God, who created the world and called Abraham to bless “all the families of the earth” (Gen 12:1–3). Because God is faithful and holy (Deut 7:9; Lam 2:3; Lev 11:44; 20:26; 1 Cor 1:9), God calls us to a faithfulness realized in relationships with others. Jesus declares that God’s reign has come near (Mark 1:14–15).
But his faith challenged the status quo of society and led to his death. This faith of Jesus is explored by Paul, who wrote that God’s righteousness has been manifested through Christ’s faith for all who have faith (Rom 3:21–22) and urged his congregations to have the same faith of Jesus to bring about God’s righteousness on the earth.
After Paul, the early Christian concept of faith developed into a set of teachings, as seen in the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Letters. In these post-Pauline letters, faith is knowledge of what to believe about Jesus (e.g., Eph 2:8–9; Col 2:5–7; 1 Tim 1:3–5; 2 Tim 3:15). This aspect of faith as right belief is a response to the emergence of false teachers in the church. Probably because of this emphasis on faith as knowledge, some Christians emphasized faith over righteousness or good works. But the letter of James refutes them: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead” (Jas. 2:26).
In Hebrews 11, faith has more to do with assurance or confidence about things in the future. Hebrews is a treatise or sermon that deals with early Christian identity in the first century CE, when the earliest Christians were in tension with certain strands within Judaism and imperial powers (6:4–6; 10:26–35; 12:3–4). While we do not know who wrote Hebrews or who was the original audience, the biggest issue is how to maintain faith in times of turmoil characterized by an unstable social-religious environment, uncertain Christian identity, and migration. This was an era when many Christians felt like wanderers in a strange land. In this context, the author of Hebrews seems to believe that the community needs is assurance and conviction about the future. Therefore, this author famously states “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval” (Heb 11:1–2).
The language of Heb 11:8–16 interprets Abraham’s faith as an example of faithful living in the present with hope in God’s promises for the future. Abraham is the archetype of faith (Gen. 12:1–3) as interpreted by Paul (especially in Romans and Galatians). In Hebrews 11:8–16, Abraham’s faith is described as obedience and trust as well as hope in the future. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going”(Heb. 11:8). Abraham’s faith consisted of trusting God enough to take action toward an unknown future. Abraham did not lose his faith, even when he did not see its results; Abraham did not reach the promised land. Rather, he had to stay in a land where he did not belong. But still he “looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (11:10). One result of Abraham’s faith is the gift of numerous descendants. Even this promise was so long in coming that it seemed it would never happen. “By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old, and Sarah herself was barren, because he considered him faithful who had promised” (11:11–12).
The first generations of Abraham’s descendants did not realize the promises in their own lifetime; they remained strangers and foreigners on the earth. They “died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them” (11:13). They had faith that the promises would be fulfilled in the future.
Hebrews builds on the history of Israel in order to encourage Christians in the first century to maintain faith in God’s promise that they, too, will no longer be foreigners and wanderers. Hebrews 11:14–16 encourages Christians to seek a permanent home, “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (11:16). Here the idea of seeking “a better country” revises the story of the promised land. That is, one can realize “a better country” wherever they live because God is the source of hope and future.
There are a few insights or directions helpful for preaching this text. First of all, faith should be understood as having many levels of meaning. The New Testament and the Hebrew Bible enumerate many examples of faith, from obedience to a call from God and a covenant, to acceptance of certain beliefs, to hope for the future promised by God. Hebrews tells the present audience that faith has more to do with assurance or conviction about a God-given future. No matter what happens, people need assurance that God will take care of them. So faith is like the air that we depend on at all times. Faith is that which we can stand on; we have to believe that God is here with us. We believe that the earth and heavens were made for us, and we are here because of God (Genesis 1–2). Faith says nothing less than that life is worth living under any circumstances.
Second, what matters is that it is a God-given future, not one that we create. Abraham left for an unknown place because God told him to move on. That is, faith means to take sides with God, not merely to say that God is on our side. Faith is blind when one seeks his/her own benefits without discerning God’s purpose, which has to do with blessing “all the families of the earth” (Gen 12:3). A person of faith must become a beacon for others who wander in the wilderness and seek a homeland. The “journey” motif for faith (Heb 11:8–10, 13–16) resonates deeply in the experience of many individuals and congregations today. According to the United Nations 2016 Global Trends report, displaced persons, driven from their homes and homelands by natural, political, and economic events and conditions of dangerous and desperate proportions, reached a record high of over 65 million (http://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2016/). The call to faith for these millions is equally a call for communities of faith to stand in solidarity with and for them.
Third, faith accepts that there will be many movements in one’s journey, because nothing can be realized easily or fast. Abraham was constantly on the move toward a new promised land. He lived in a land foreign to him, probably feeling some uncertainty about his life and future. He had to persevere. He lived as an alien, hoping for a God-given future. He was a migrant and sojourner in unfamiliar lands, wandering and wondering about the future. He was uprooted from his home and culture to settle in a new homeland. His God-given dream was not realized during his lifetime. Even so, he did not give up on his faith, because he knew that it was God who promised such a future for his descendants, the people of God.
Fourth, the Abrahamic journey of faith must be a perspective that engages us differently in the world today. Abraham was called to be a beacon of hope for people after him (Gen 12:3). Accordingly, our journey must extend beyond self-fulfillment; we need to stand in solidarity with migrants and immigrants who seek a better home in the here and now that will be fully realized in the eschaton (11:16). Faith is based on hope in God’s promise for a better future for all of God’s people.