The Hall of Faith

I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This leads us directly to the final clause of verse 6: “the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Faith is that which unites us to the blessings of God. It trusts the promises of God and recognizes that he is not a greedy miser; God is a gracious giver, a “rewarder” of those who trust in his goodness.

This clause makes two primary affirmations: first, we accept the existence of God by faith, and second, we accept the promises of God by faith. Of course, to say that we accept the existence of God by faith is not to claim that we accept the reality of God’s existence against reason. As the history of theology and philosophy has shown, there are many good reasons to believe in the existence of God and even more reasons not to be an atheist. Some of the best and most time-tested arguments for theism are what we call the “classical proofs” for God’s existence (the teleological argument, the moral argument, the cosmological argument, and so on). Yet the author of Hebrews reminds us that the ultimate reason we accept the existence of God is because we believe that he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ and that he has spoken in Scripture (1:1-2).

This should not scare Christians. All convictions on ultimate authority are based on faith commitments. Norman Geisler and Frank Turek hint at this in the title of their book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. In other words, it is not that Christians are people of faith and atheists are people of reason. Everyone has an ultimate intellectual starting place, a system of beliefs that are basic to their worldview. Atheists operate from a worldview that is based on a set of assumptions and presuppositions that they have received by faith: secular naturalism and materialism. The Christian, however, accepts the biblical worldview as his ultimate intellectual starting point—again, not against evidence and reason but in concert with them.

The second assertion, “that he rewards those who seek him,” reminds us of the grace of the gospel. God is a “rewarder” because he gives grace and mercy to those who trust in his promises. In the gospel, God makes promises of salvation and declarations about the goodness of his character. When we trust those promises and believe those declarations, he fulfills his word and rewards us with his kindness. What a glorious truth! How does one enjoy the blessings of God? By believing that God will make good on his word to shower us with grace if we come to him with the empty hands of faith.

Hebrews 11:7

Noah exemplifies the theological assertion in the final clause of verse 6. How did Noah survive the judgment of God? The answer is not simply that he built a big boat. What motivated the construction of the ark? Noah believed the word of God. His actions flowed from the fountain of faith.

For some reason, many evangelicals underestimate the importance of the story of Noah in redemptive history. Perhaps the reason is because we have often only encountered this story as it is trivially retold in literature designed for little children. Or it might be the case that we simply lose the importance of the flood because it stands between the two theological mountains of the creation and fall narrative (Gen 1–3) and the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12; 15; 17).

In light of this reality, it is important that we pause to make a few theological observations about the Noah story. First, the Bible is absolutely clear that this was a universal flood. The biblical text clearly indicates that the flood was a global judgment on all of humanity. Further, the geological features of the earth testify to this reality—from remnants of marine life in the middle of Colorado to the formation of the Grand Canyon.

Second, the flood’s origin is divine, not natural. In other words, this was not just a natural disaster like any other. Noah’s flood was a divinely orchestrated, supernatural judgment on humanity.

Third, the story of the flood is an essential element of biblical theology. The flood is the archetypal example of God’s judgment and the catastrophe of human sin. In fact, throughout Scripture we see that the flood typologically points to God’s final eschatological judgment.

With this in mind, let’s consider what the author of Hebrews tells us about Noah. First, Noah believed God’s warning of a coming flood—an event “not yet seen.” This highlights once again the nature of true faith by reminding us of verse 1 (emphasis added): “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” In other words, Noah believed divine revelation even in matters of predictive prophecy.

This passage also tells us that Noah constructed the ark “motivated by godly fear.” Noah recognized the holiness of God. He knew, as Hebrews states, that “God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). Reverent fear is the only appropriate response to the justice of God. He is wonderfully gracious, but that grace is only truly known against the dark backdrop of his justice and wrath against sin.

“By faith he condemned the world.” How did Noah condemn the world? It’s not that Noah sat in an official capacity as judge over the antediluvian people. Rather, whenever an individual lives in obedience to God against the immorality of the world, that individual condemns the rest of the world in its unrighteousness. Think of it this way: What happens when you put a light in a dark room? The light stands out from the darkness, and what had previously been unseen is revealed for what it truly is. Often we do not even recognize how dark our environment has become until someone shines a light in it. By the same token, the obedience of a righteous man both reveals and condemns the disobedience of the world.

The final phrase of verse 7 is quite remarkable: “By faith he . . . became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” We find then in the last phrase of 11:7 the glorious doctrine of justification by faith alone. This phrase shows us that the Old Testament saints were imputed the righteousness of Christ (retroactively) when they believed (see Gen 15:6), just as Christians receive that same righteousness by faith alone.

From a biblical-theological perspective, the ark and those in it stand as a picture of the church. Noah is the exemplar who exercises faith and is saved from God’s watery judgment. Even in the midst of the Old Testament’s most horrific display of God’s wrath, we find an extraordinary display of the grace of God. Noah and his family are saved, not because they are more righteous than others, but simply because “Noah . . . found favor [i.e., grace] with the Lord” (Gen 6:8).

Hebrews 11:8-10

The inclusion of Abraham in the hall of faith is expected but nonetheless significant. Abel, Enoch, and Noah are figures who come before the formation of the nation of Israel. In other words, they are just as much a part of the story of all humanity as they are a part of Israel’s story. But Abraham is the fountainhead of the nation. If Abraham lived by faith in the promises of God and in a coming Messiah, then the implication is that all Jews should do the same. If the readers of Hebrews think that to reject Christ is to embrace Abraham, they are mistaken. Embracing Christ is, in fact, to walk in accord with Abraham.

Verse 8 can seem fairly complex on first reading, but the point of the sentence is rather straightforward. Abraham’s faith is seen in the fact that he left his home country of Haran in Mesopotamia in obedience to God, even though at the time he had no idea exactly where he was going. Of course, this may not strike us as a remarkable act of faith, but that simply proves how unfamiliar we are with the culture of the ancient Near East. The Mesopotamian world could be quite dangerous. Physical protection was often the result of being closely knit to one’s kin and community. Travel was particularly hazardous since it separated a person from his place of protection and exposed him to marauders and thieves. In this light, the fact that Abraham left Haran and traveled to a land that he did not know is indeed a remarkable act of trust in God.

Verse 9 indicates that even though the Lord promised to make Abraham a great nation and that his descendants would possess the land, Abraham himself lived his entire life as a foreigner in the land of Canaan; he was not a resident. By faith he beheld something that was coming, but he never saw the fulfillment of those promises of fruitful land and vast descendants. This verse also indicates that the covenant promises were passed through Abraham to Isaac and Jacob. These three individuals form the patriarchal foundation of the nation of Israel. They too were “coheirs [with Abraham] of the same promise.”

Verse 10 explains the content of Abraham’s faith and the motivation for his obedience. “He was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” The imagery of a “city” in contrast to Abraham’s nomadic experiences is quite powerful. Abraham lived in tents. Tents do not rest on “foundations.” Foundations imply permanence.

There are two important points in this passage. First, the city that God builds is an eternal city. The city that God builds will not be like the cities of Mesopotamia, Egypt, or even ancient Rome, which once called itself “the eternal city.” These places have come and gone. They have been sacked, marauded, plundered, and pillaged. All that now remains of them are ruins. But the city that God is building is truly the eternal city. It is entirely secure, unshakable, and cannot be destroyed. By tracing the theme of “city” through Scripture, we find that this promised city is the “new Jerusalem” described in Revelation 21:9-27.

Second, Abraham walked in faith by setting his hope on the fact that God would act and bring about eschatological salvation. Abraham was not just looking forward to inheriting the land of Canaan; he was looking beyond Canaan to what it foreshadowed—the city of heaven coming to earth and God’s restoration of creation. Abraham framed his entire existence by living in anticipation of the fact that God would be faithful to his promises. In other words, Abraham was faithful in the present because of his confidence in what God would do in the future.

Let’s be candid. If you do not have any assurance of joy in the life to come, then it makes sense to pursue all the pleasure you can in this life. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:32, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” As Christians, however, we cannot place our ultimate satisfaction and hope in the promises and pleasures that this world has to offer. We must live by faith, recognizing that one day we will experience a joy that is greater than any joy we can know here in this life. The joys of this world are fleeting and passing. But the joys of heaven are eternal, abundant, and never-fading. If we live for those joys, we will set our affections on eternity, live meaningful lives for Christ, and endure suffering in his name as we look for the joy that awaits us in God’s heavenly city.

Our cities, our homes, and the comforts of this life are fleeting. This is not an eternal city, but Christians know that there is a city where Christ is King. Faith in Christ is what grants us citizenship in that city. Abraham saw that city even while he was a wandering tribesman in the middle of the desert; that is what faith looks like. We may not be wandering tribesman in the desert, but all Christians are pilgrims in land that is not our own. The sandcastles of this world must not distract us from the heavenly city that awaits. In that city we put our hope.