Hall-of-Fame Faith Focus on the Word


by Seth Gheen


Halls of fame are sprouting up everywhere. Almost everyone knows about the National Football League Hall of Fame. But have you visited the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame? Te Toy Hall of Fame? Te Kite Hall of Fame? Yes, even the Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame? (Refers to the size of the car, not the driver.) No matter which hall of fame you visit, the question on everyone’s mind as they walk through the doors is the same. What does it take to be inducted into this place? How many chil- dren must a toy entertain to earn a famous spot next to the likes of Barbie®, Candy Land® and Lincoln Logs®?


Te same question should be asked when reading Hebrews


11, affectionately referred to as the Faith Hall of Fame. Te au- thor of Hebrews commends the faith of people like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Rahab, Gideon, Samson and David. But why were they inducted into the Faith Hall of Fame, while others were leſt out? If Hebrews 11 were still adding inductees, would I be voted in? What distinguishes hall-of-fame faith from the faith of average Joe Christian?


If that last question was posed at the typical Wednesday


night Bible study, answers would no doubt vary. Some might say that strong faith means just believe. Don’t question. Ignore the naysayers. Hold on tight and just believe. Others might say that faith begins where evidence ends. In that bewildering moment when you find yourself with no reliable evidence, no arguments, no convincing reasons for believing what you believe, that’s where true faith kicks in.


But how does the author of Hebrews answer this question?


If we turn to Hebrews 11:1, we find that the author doesn’t give a definition of faith, but rather a description. And that description might surprise both Christians and non-Christians alike.


Hall-of-fame faith is visible. Verse 1 begins “Now faith is the


assurance of things hoped for ….” Your Bible might read slightly different. Te reason for the difference is the translators are doing their best to communicate the full brunt of “assurance” (Greek: hupostasis). Te term refers to the essential or basic structure, al- most like a foundation.1


To picture this, imagine we are admiring


a stunning building. We see the visible parts of the building—the 1


A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of 


symmetry of the rooflines, the stone and glass exterior, the massive height of its walls. Yet everyone knows there is more to the building than meets the eye. Underneath the structure lies an unseen foundation that not only upholds what is seen, but also helped determine its shape and size. Te seen portion of the building assures us of its unseen foundation. So it is with the faith of famous men and women in Hebrews 11. Teir visible lives — their decisions, reactions, obedience, prayers, repentance — proved the foundation of faith on which they anchored and built their lives. In a very real way, the manner in which they lived made their invisible faith visible.


Hall-of-fame faith seeks understanding. Somewhere along


the pitted trail that led us to postmodern culture, faith ditched reason. Sadly, even in some evangelical churches, we’ve inherited this postmodern-tinted perspective and seem to think that faith’s purpose is to fill the void where reason, evidence, and critical thinking cease. But that’s not how Saint Anslem understood faith when he uttered his famous phrase “Faith seeking under- standing.” Tat’s not how the writer of Hebrews understood faith either: “Now faith is … being convinced of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1 net). “Convinced” (Greek: elenchos) is a legal term meaning to present evidence for the truth of something.2


To


visualize this, pretend we are jurors in a court of law. As jurors, we become convinced of the guilt or innocence of the defendant. How are we convinced? Not by pure emotion. Hopefully not through personal bias. Rather, the reason, evidence and testimo- ny presented sways our decision. In the same way the author of Hebrews advocates a mentally rigorous, informed faith. A faith not averse to, but rather strengthened by investigation, evidence, sound arguments, and a thorough understanding of why we believe what we believe.


So what do you think? Do you have hall-of-fame-worthy


faith? To fully answer that requires a deeper dive into Scripture. Strong faith has more ingredients than those listed in Hebrews 11:1. Te role of the Holy Spirit, for example, must be includ- ed. But Hebrews gives a starting point. Is your faith visible to others? In faith, do you seek understanding, and thereby become convinced of the validity of your faith? If so, your name won’t be added to Hebrews 11. Te Faith Hall of Fame is closed to new inductees. But, like those listed in Hebrews 11, your life will be a powerful witness to the watching world.


Seth Gheen is the Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Community Bible Church in Omaha, Neb. He is originally fom Colorado Springs, but he and his family moved to Omaha in 2017. Besides shepherding and writing, Seth enjoys exercise, reading, and spend- ing time with his wife and three daughters.


2 Ibid, 315


6


Fellowship Focus, July/August 2019


“The author of Hebrews advocates a mentally rigorous, informed faith — a faith not adverse to, but rather strengthened by investigation, evidence, sound arguments, and a thorough understanding or why we believe what we believe."


Fe lowsh Forward org FelllowshipForward.org


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