Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE, or the confidence… of things not yet seen.” (emphasis mine)

I believe word studies are crucial for expanding our understanding, so I consulted a dictionary to gain a more precise definition of the word substance, and I found these clarifying thoughts: 

Substance is…the most important or essential part of something; the real or essential meaning; the quality of being important, valid, or significant, dependable or stable; having a solid basis in reality or fact.

These expanded thoughts on the word “substance” establish that there is something solid about faith. Faith is the most important or essential meaning of things hoped for. This substance of things hoped for has the quality of being important, valid or significant and has a solid basis in reality or fact. It is dependable or stable. These are interesting definitions in light of the fact that usually our faith regarding something is not actually tangible in the material world, but instead is more conceptual or inconspicuous. Yet according to Hebrews 11:1, it is considered the “substance” of things hoped for. It has a solid basis in reality or fact. 

A paradox…

It’s seems a bit of a paradox to call faith a “substance” rooted in reality or fact, yet the writer of Hebrews says this is truth.  And since there is no other book on this planet that can be counted as a trustworthy source of absolute truth (for me anyway), I believe this is an affirmation of the sure foundation of God’s word and His promises, even though it may not be a tangible thing, easily seen, heard, smelled, or touched in this physical world. 

Take for instance the fact most Christians believe that we are saved “by faith.” How do we KNOW we are saved? If you have faith that you are saved, how is that proven or made tangible, or real in your life? What is the evidence that you are saved? Is there evidence? What is the basis for your belief that you are saved? Well, it should be based on what the word of God says, right? Feelings come and go, so it can’t be based on that, even though there are feelings of joy and excitement when one first comes to Jesus. 

So what does the word of God say? In Romans 10:9-10, it says “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  So, isn’t this why one believes they are saved? Have they met the conditions outlined here? It’s what the book says. It is God’s promise spoken through the Apostle Paul. There are other scriptures that affirm these same thoughts.

The substance of hope is based on the words of God

I believe this “substance” that Hebrews 1 speaks of is based on the sure word of God and the promises of God. This is hard for some people to come to agreement with. But may I also suggest that if you are going to believe you are saved by faith, based on what the Bible says, then you can surely trust the whole sum of the scriptures.

I then looked up the word “evidence” in the dictionary. Here is what I found:

Evidence is defined as the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid; information given personally, drawn from a document, or in the form of material objects, tending or used to establish facts in a legal investigation or admissible as testimony in court; signs or indications of something. The available body of facts or information and document is the Bible, which is full of signs or indications and information given personally by the many witnesses which are recorded there. Other records exist that also confirm the Bible’s record.

Hebrews 11:3 says “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

This scripture declares that the things we see in this world were formed out of things that are invisible, because they were formed by words from God’s mouth. Words are invisible unless they are written down. See Genesis Chapter 1. You can hear spoken words, but you can’t see them. According to the scriptures, God made everything by speaking it into existence with words.

Faith based on the Scriptures is based in solid reality

So essentially, faith, or the essential and important part of hope, which, having a solid basis in reality or fact and being dependable and stable, then comes from the words that God speaks, as defined in the Bible. The Bible and what it says is the source of our faith. Our faith then becomes the evidence of things hoped for, because there is an available and valid body of facts or information drawn from a document, the Bible, which is able to affirm itself repeatedly in the scriptures as recorded by many men throughout the history of mankind.

In order to experientially know God, His character, and His power, we must study the Bible, which is His words to mankind. As you study His words as well as hear them through teaching and preaching, your faith, which is the most important part of hope, will grow. As you hear His words and pray, He demonstrates the truth of His word in tangible ways. Things that you pray for will “show up.”

In His word, you will find His will, His desires for all of us living on earth. You cannot have faith for anything if you do not know the will or desires of God. So study up, friends! We have a kingdom to welcome into the earth…the Kingdom of God. Right now, it exists in our hearts and in our faith. At some point in the future, it will become tangible in the earth. Jesus is coming back.