“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony” (Hebrews 11:1-2).
By definition, faith is “a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah—the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 511). It is neither irrational nor a “leap in the dark” because its conviction is based upon the trustworthy testimony of reliable eyewitnesses as recorded in the inerrant word of God (John 20:31-31; Romans 10:17).
By function, faith is, first of all, the foundation or substructure upon which your hope rests. It is the title deed of things hoped for. There is a direct connection between the health of your faith and the vitality of your hope. When faith is overwhelmed by fear, hope perishes as well.
A second function of faith is it provides certain knowledge about things your physical eyes cannot see. In Moses’ life, for example, he forsook Egypt because by faith he saw Him who is invisible and His vast superiority to the king of Egypt (Hebrews 11:27). Because of faith, a Christian knows there is a heaven to be pursued and a hell to be avoided, even though he has not laid eyes on either reality.
Faith is of inestimable value because it nourishes your hope and provides certain knowledge about spiritual matters which are hidden to your physical eyes. This kind of faith has been blessed by God since the beginning of time (Hebrews 11:4).
