Hebrews 11:1-7
1 “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old gained approval.3 By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for before he was taken up, he was attested to have been pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
Proof of things not seen: The Gospel is invisible to believers. The majority of Christians were not living during the times of Jesus and yet we believe that He was crucified for our sins and rose again on the third day. Similarly, Christians say that Christ dwells within us and yet the Spirit is invisible. Likewise, our forgiveness of sins is invisible as is our new heart. Every person believes in something that is invisible. But Christians are invited into something that truly transforms us even if it is not visible.
People of old: The Old Testament saints were saved by faith just we are saved today. The law never saved anyone, even those who were under the law. But what God always wanted was belief. People were always saved by grace through faith. We see this with Abraham. Abraham was made right with God through faith. Therefore, being right with God has never had anything to do with obeying rules.
What is seen: Hebrews affirms that what we see is made from what is unseen, namely, God. This is contradictory to scientific naturalism which suggests that everything that is made came out of other visible made things.
By faith: Faith has always been the most important thing to God. All of the Old Testament figures listed here were justified by faith outside of the law. This is why the texts says that we cannot please God without faith. God is not looking for our righteous works as if they create some better standing with God. Instead, God looks for faith in His Son. So, the Gospel in Hebrews is not faith centered per se. It is object based. We have faith in Jesus, our salvation. We are to take what faith we have and invest it in Jesus. We believe that God exists and then we believe that He is our Savior. This is the opposite of rules and law-based religion.
