Hebrews 10:38



“Now the just shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38a). Here, the writer of Hebrews is quoting from Habakkuk. God told Habakkuk, Your responsibility is to live in this age by faith, not by explanations. (See Habakkuk 1:1-5, 2:4.)


It is important to understand this:

Faith Is Not…

  • Faith is not blind superstition, nor is it closing your eyes to reality. 

  • Faith is not positive thinking or optimism. Faith may lead to these, but they are not the same thing. 

  • Faith is not a leap in the dark. It is stepping into the light.

  • Faith is not faith in faith. People will tell you, “Just believe!” as if believing will make it so. 

  • Faith is not altered by appearances. “Jesus said to him…‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (John 20:29).

  • Faith is not fettered by emotions. God does not do His deepest work in your shallowest part.

  • Faith is not limited by logic. Faith is not contrary to logic; it goes beyond logic.


God tells us that faith is three things. (See Hebrews 11:1-2.)

Faith Is…

  1. Faith is confidence that rests in hope. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (Hebrews 11:1a).  It is substance, something we stand on. And it rests in hope—rock-ribbed assurance based on divine revelation. 

  2. Faith is a conviction that sees the invisible. “…The evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1b). Faith leads to a conviction about something you have not yet seen. Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present, and the invisible as seen.

  3. Faith is a communication from Heaven. “For by it the elders obtained a good testimony” (Hebrews 11:2). This doesn’t talk about what they did, but what happened to them. They obtained. They were conscious of God speaking to them.


What Faith Makes Possible

Spiritual Wisdom

There are things you will never understand, apart from faith. In the Bible, God is not argued, but simply presented. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is” (Hebrews 11:6a). 


Spiritual Worship 

Faith is the heart’s response to the character of God. Worship is pleasing to God. Faith honors God, and God honors faith.


Spiritual Wealth

“He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6b). You seek God by faith. How spiritually wealthy are you? What kind of reserves do you have? It is all according to your faith.


Where Faith Leads


Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2a)


Be motivated by the saints.
You cannot see the “cloud of witnesses,” but the champions of faith who have gone before are now looking down and cheering us on. 

Be free from surplus.
Ask yourself, “Is this thing a weight, or a wing?” Some things are not bad in themselves, but you have to say, “That’s not for me, if I want to run this race.”

Be free from snares.
Where do you keep falling? The great enemy of faith is sin. If you are having trouble with faith, try repentance. 

Be ready for the race.
“…Run with endurance…” This means determination. God does business with those who do business. 

Be dedicated to the Savior.
Faith is the byproduct of looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Put your eyes on Jesus! You will find Him in the Word. 

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