In Hebrews 10, the author exhorts his readers to hold onto their faith, to have the strength to face adversity. In chapter 11, that faith is defined and described by the lives of the ancients, the Old Testament heroes. A dictionary could not give a better definition for faith than what is found in Hebrews 11:1. Faith involves hope mixed with certainty. Faith is believing without seeing. Faith is accompanied by assurance and conviction. The lives of the ancients show that faith has always been vital for God's people (11:1-2).

The stories of the lives of the heroes of the faith found in Hebrews 11, show that those who seek God in faith will be rewarded. God is pleased by those who come to Him in faith and He rewards those who seek Him in faith (v.6). The rewards have been described throughout the Letter to the Hebrews. God's rewards to the faithful can be summed up as the promise of entering into the rest that His salvation provides (see Hebrews 4). The readers of Hebrews knew that if they remained faithful in following God, He would reward them by allowing them into His eternal presence.

The Hebrew Christians needed to be taught to hold onto their faith even when they faced the adversity of persecution. Noah was held up as an example of living by faith in spite of bad circumstances (11:7). The world around Noah rejected him because of God's message, just like the world around the Hebrew Christians had rejected them because of the Gospel. In spite of the external circumstances, they were to hold fast in their faith, even as Noah did.

Faith requires a belief in the face of the unknown. Abraham demonstrated faith by risking a venture into the unknown. He left all he knew behind and trusted in God's promises (vs. 8-10). God rewarded him because of his faith.

Abraham was similar to the other heroic people of faith listed in Hebrews 11. Most of them did not see their final hopes realized, but they continued to hope and they maintained their faith, acknowledging its ultimate fulfillment was in the life beyond their earthly existence (11:13-16).

Although the heroic ancients did not see the reward for their faith, they would eventually receive God's promise. Because of the work of Christ, they along with all believers would be made complete and they are to be commended for their faith, and held up as an example to the Hebrew Christians who also struggled because of their faith (39-40).

Pastor Eric