Believing is seeing...
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Encouraging Words...
Faith...it is that core part of Christianity that sets it apart from other forms of religion. It is not about works, yet Christians perform great works as an outcome of our faith. It is not about all of the miracles and great things that have happened in the history of the church, but without faith we cannot accept these miracles for what they are, God acting in the midst of humanity. Faith is a core part of our created being. Even atheists, agnostics, and every other anti-God person is putting their innate faith in something, just not the Holy God that created them. Faith encourages us to press on.
The notes from the Orthodox Study Bible articulate this well:
This is not so much a definition of faith as it is a description of how faith works, especially during hard times. It encourages Jewish Christians discouraged by persecution. Things hoped for and not seen, a vision of the future, have encouraged the people of God throughout history: the invisible is often more real than the visible. In the past, mighty works of faith were done by those whose faith was unfulfilled. How much more should those persevere who have inherited the promise, knowing God under the new covenant (vv. 39, 40).
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