May 2024: Enter into the Hall of Faith

Published on 05/01/2024 by Dr-Shirley-Cheng.

If a complete stranger walks up to you with a crying baby in her arms and asks you, "Please care for my baby for the week while I go away awhile. You give me good vibes. I believe I can trust you," what would you think of her? Pretty foolish or naive, wouldn't she be to you?

But if she's your close friend and says, "I know I can trust you, as you cared for my kids before," that would make her a sensible woman who knows the reasons for her solid trust in you, wouldn't it?

When it comes to faith in God, which kind of faith would please Him--the first kind, blind faith, or the second, faith with reason? Which kind of faith is the faith that gives us salvation (forgiveness of our sins and eternal life)?

We'll learn answers to these questions in Hebrews 11, which is dubbed the "Hall of Faith." It's the climax of the theme of faith which the writer began developing since Hebrews 2. In it, he defined what faith entails, why it is not only important but necessary, and named dozens of saints who had exhibited genuine faith in order to motivate us to remain strong in our faith.

We may be surprised to find certain people in the hall of faith. To us, they might not have exhibited such a consistent faithful life. But the truth is that every saint is a flawed person. Even the most faithful among us will have their lapses of faith. The faith journey is characterized by ups and downs. Recall that old saints were not privileged to have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help them overpower their sin nature, so naturally, they would lapse into faithlessness from time to time when their sin nature got the better of them. Yes, even for us Christians who have the Spirit in us, we can't say that we've remained one hundred percent strong in faith ever since we became believers.

The writer was guided by the Spirit to highlight moments of great faith of the old saints--the high points in their faith walk with Yahweh. Despite and because of their sins, they were graciously justified through their faith, and thus, they are heirs to all of God's promises. Since they are members of the Abrahamic covenant in addition to the new covenant, they will receive all the promises that Yahweh made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, including the eternal possession of the Promised Land.

How could old saints who lived centuries before Christ be members of the new covenant? Though they did not know Christ, Christ's sacrifice made atonement for their sins so they will be resurrected unto eternal life. Since they were already justified by their faith in Yahweh, they needed not know Christ personally. But they will all know Christ someday when Jesus returns and resurrects them!

Hebrews 11 - Chapter Eleven of the Epistle to the Hebrew Christians

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, WEB)

Biblical faith is like a "title deed," a legal document you have that proves that you will certainly own what you don't see yet. It is actively trusting in God, Christ and their promises, and knowing for certain that the Father and the Son will keep their word. It is living in a way as though you're already in possession of what they promised.

This faith is not blind faith. "Blind faith" is having faith in something or someone without any good reason. Blind faith is not what God wants from us. Instead, He wants us to trust Him. This trust is "Biblical faith," trusting in God because we have very good reason to: God is entirely trustworthy and reliable. We should fully trust Yahweh because He has proven Himself entirely trustworthy based on His track record. He never broke any of His unconditional promises or calling. As Paul noted, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) Since Jesus is in the exact image of Yahweh, then he is entirely trustworthy also.

Thus, to not trust in Yahweh is unreasonable. Doubt goes against logic when it involves our attitude toward God or Christ. This is why faithlessness is disobedience. It is wickedness, and is rightly punishable and warrants divine wrath.

"For by this, the elders obtained testimony." (Hebrews 11:2)

By faith, the elders (perhaps the old saints whom the writer would later mention) obtained "testimony," which may mean that they obtained divine favor, where God testified in His Word that they are truly His people. Their faith delighted God and He's happy to be called their God. Divine testimony is the best testimony we can ever obtain, and it is so easy: just to put our faith in God, a most reasonable and natural thing to do.

"By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3)

By faith, we understand that Yahweh created the universe out of nothing by His word. He spoke, and things came into being from nothingness (e.g., Genesis 1:3). While we weren't witnesses to His creative activities, we know He created everything. We trust this is the truth based on the trustworthiness of the Scriptures and based on logic.

"By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks." (Hebrews 11:4)

Back in Genesis 4, we are told that Abel offered "firstborn of his flock and of its fat" to God (Genesis 4:4). This means that Abel offered the best to God. Firstborn of the flocks were considered most precious or valued in ancient times, and the fats of the animals were the choicest and richest parts. So Abel offered his heart; he took care to present God the best of what he had. On the other hand, we are not told that Cain offered the best from his crops. Instead, "Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground." (Genesis 4:3) There was nothing special about Cain's offering; he did not take care to select the best crops to give to God, unlike Abel who offered the best among his flocks. Cain simply offered any "ordinary" crop from his fields. Hence, Abel offered a more "excellent sacrifice."

Abel offered an animal sacrifice to God probably because it was required from God for the forgiveness of sins. Abel's sacrifice of the firstborn of his flock is the first recorded animal sacrifice to God. If Abel's sacrifice was a requirement, then it, of course, pleased God, and it would be the reason why God rejected Cain's offering of plants. But then, the Bible does not tell us if animal sacrifice was a requirement at this time, so this is purely speculation.

The fact that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain demonstrated his righteousness. Yahweh's acceptance of his sacrifice testified of his righteousness, in which God delighted. We are told that "Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, but he didn't respect Cain and his offering." (Genesis 4:4-5) So God approved Abel himself, not just his gift, which the writer of Hebrews verified. Hebrews 11:4 indicates that Abel a) had faith in God and b) that he was a righteous person. He offered his sacrifice "by faith."

Only when we approach God with faith like Abel will we be accepted by God, for it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). It is faith (trust) in God that makes a person righteous in God's sight. A person who does not trust God will not receive God's approval. So Abel was a man of deep faith, while it seems that Cain was the opposite. This demonstrates that "faith" is not just the passive belief that God exists. Faith is active trust in God. Genuine faith is proven by our actions, for faith without works is dead or meaningless (James 2:20). Thus, we know Abel's faith (trust) was genuine because he gave God the best he had. But Cain seemed to lack such a genuine faith. While he certainly had a passive faith (he obviously believed that God exists since he spoke with God), his faith was not the active trust that pleases God. We are told that even demons have faith in God (James 2:19), but their faith is the passive kind that simply believes that God exists, not the active kind that trusts in God at all times at all costs. Therefore, we must avoid the faith the demons have. We must live out our faith daily. One main way to do so is to study the Bible, apply its principles to our lives, and share its teachings with others. This is what we're doing.

Many people wrongly believe that Biblical faith is simply believing that God exists, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, died for us to give us eternal life. Therefore, they live a misguided life based on this erroneous belief in Biblical faith. With this erroneous belief, people live according to their sinful desires, not to the commandments of God. After all, only a simple belief without righteous works to support it is all that's required of us, they think.

If God only required that simple belief from us, then let us put Satan under the spotlight. Do you not agree with me that he is a believer of God? He was an angel living in heaven who regularly spoke with God! So he is not only a believer, as any of us are who have never seen or spoken with God, he is a spirit who witnessed God in person, face to face. So based on the popular belief that faith is passive belief, then we can call Satan a Christian who has received salvation!

So faith in Yahweh must mean much more than simply accepting of His existence and His works. How much more? Exactly, what should faith in God really entail?

When people tell me, "I believe in God," I often ask myself, "But do they love God?"

Yes, it all lies in love--loving God. This is why Satan has chosen to be evil even though he believes in God; Satan does not love God--he loves himself so much more, and that has driven him to do evil and to spread evil to others.

Truly having faith in God means we must love God. The most important commandment as put by Moses and confirmed by Jesus is: "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5) And that love should be our reason for actively trusting God.

How should we show Yahweh God we love Him? By obeying His commandments: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3) Thus, our obedience to Yahweh is an expression of our love for Him. We cannot claim to love Him without doing what He asks of us, just as we cannot say "I love you" to our parents while rebelling against them.

Without love, our faith in God is meaningless: "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

To those who claim that they have genuine faith but have no works to prove it, James pointed out that even the demons believed that "God is one," and they shudder at this thought: "You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?" (James 2:19).

In regard to "God is one," James was referring to the core principle in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 where Moses said to Israel, "Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one: and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."

"Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one" encompasses several principles or truths about Yahweh. Yahweh is the one and only God. He has no match; no one is like Him. Yahweh is one in essence; He does not have multiple identities, unlike some ancient false gods who were worshipped as more than one god with more than one identity. Yahweh is whole, having perfection in Himself. His wholeness is His holiness with all virtues in their most perfect and purest forms.

This is what the demons (the evil angels) believe. Essentially, they believe in Yahweh and His powers, and are afraid of Him. How could they not when they had lived with God in heaven before? In light of this, we can correctly say that the demons know God more than we do! But will their faith in God save them?

The point that James made is strong. If we claim to have faith in God but do not show any good works by obeying His Law and yet believe that our faith is acceptable to God, then we can say that the faith that the demons have is also acceptable to God. In fact, we can call them Christians.

If we have "workless faith," then our faith is the faith of demons: dead. When something is dead, it is as good as non-existent. If your flashlight went out and you found some dead batteries, what good would those batteries do you? They would be good only for the garbage. Thus, when you have dead faith, then you might as well not have any faith at all.

If we say we have faith in God, then we have to show it by obeying God's commandments and do things that please Him. Having active faith by loving God is how we can be true Christians. Being a Christian should be a lifestyle we live, not a title we carry around.

Since genuine faith in God and Jesus is required for salvation (eternal life and fellowship with Yahweh), then a dead faith will not save you. If a dead faith could save you, then all the demons could be saved, too.

Through his excellent sacrifice whose record God kept in His Word, Abel still speaks today even though he is dead. He is testifying and showing to us what faith looks like: it works to glorify God.

"By faith, Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn't see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God." (Hebrews 11:5)

In Genesis 5, God's Word testified that Enoch walked with Yahweh. He lived in fellowship with God, living a lifestyle that greatly pleased and glorified his Maker. He was so pleasing to Him that Yahweh took him away so he saw no spiritual death, and did not witness the countless of deaths in the great flood of Noah's time.

It's "by faith" that Enoch was translated. It's due to his trust in God that he's taken away at age 365, which was a young age to die compared to his contemporaries.

Elijah was another man who was translated by God; in Elijah's case, his translation meant "transference to a different location" (2 Kings 2:11). When Elijah was transferred to another location, we know that he did not die then or go to heaven because some years later, a king received a letter from him (2 Chronicles 21:12).

In Enoch's case, his translation appears to be physical death, as the phraseology "he was not" or "he was no more" in the Bible sometimes refers to physical death, implying that the person is no longer present on Earth as a living being(Genesis 42:32). For example, Psalm 37:36 uses the same wording to describe physical death: "But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found."

God took or translated Enoch by ending his life at age 365, so he was no more a living person on Earth. His translation may even refer to his burial, where God buried him in a secret location, just as God buried Moses in a secret grave that no one has ever found (Deuteronomy 34:6).

Enoch's life is a mystery to us; we know little of him, except that he had special fellowship with Yahweh and was even God's prophet where he prophesied God's future judgment upon the wicked (Jude 14-15). The Bible also tells us that Enoch, like all the people of faith in the Old Testament times, will receive God's promise of eternal life together with all Christians in the future (Hebrews 11:39-40). Right now, all the dead await resurrection (Daniel 12:2).

Since we know that Enoch died, as the Bible says he lived a total of "only" 365 years, what does it mean when the Bible says, "Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn't see death"? (Hebrews 11:5) While Enoch died physically like all people, he did not spiritually die. Remember, "spiritual death" is separation from God due to sin. Even though Enoch was a sinner who inherited a sinful nature, he nevertheless walked with God, so God didn't allow him to "see" or experience spiritual death. Additionally, Enoch would not see the "second death," which refers to eternal physical death. The wicked will physically die again after their judgment upon their resurrection; this second death will be eternal.

Jesus spoke about both spiritual and physical death. In John 8:51, Jesus said, "Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death." Here, Jesus spoke of spiritual death, which those who believe in him will never "see," just as Enoch never "saw" it. Then in John 11:25, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies." Here, Jesus said that those who die a physical death will live again in the resurrection. Like all God-fearers in the Old Testament times and all Christians in the New Testament time, Enoch will be resurrected even though he physically died like everyone else. The resurrection is the hope of all saints, past, present, and future.

"Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

The simple truth is that only when we have faith in Yahweh will we please Him. We cannot please God if we do not have any faith in Him.

To have faith in Yahweh is the most logical thing. It is also the right thing. Therefore, to not have faith in God is an unrighteous and unnatural thing. This is why God is not pleased with faithless people, and rightly so.

In our faith, we are to believe that Yahweh exists. This is the very least we should believe. We are also to believe that He is righteous and gracious. As a righteous God full of grace, He will reward those who seek after Him, and we are to trust in this fact. When we have faith in Him and seek after Him, then we are to be assured that He will bless us. We are not to doubt His goodness to us or His promises to us.

"By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (Hebrews 11:7)

To motivate us to walk in faith, the writer went on to enumerating other examples of people who demonstrated faith. They were ordinary people doing extraordinary things and defying the odds due to their faith.

By faith, Noah obeyed Yahweh to build a large ark for his family and animals. Despite merely receiving a warning of the impending global judgment on the Earth and not seeing any sign of what would happen, he did as he was told. He didn't wait to see what would happen before he acted, or else that would have been too late for him and his family. He wasn't like some people who claim, "Seeing is believing." He acted by faith and driven by godly fear.

Consequently, the ark Noah built condemned the wicked world. It condemned the world in the sense that it testified to the fact that they were wicked; when Noah and his family were saved by it while everyone else was shut out, it showed that he alone was righteous and all others refused to repent and thus deserved their penalty.

By his faith, which he demonstrated through his obedience, Noah became an heir of the righteousness (justification) that comes through faith. If he didn't act in faith, he would have been condemned like the rest of his generation.

"By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10)

By faith, Abraham left his family, except his wife and nephew, to go to the land of Canaan, a land he did not know, when Yahweh prompted him to. He didn't protest and say, "But I don't know that place. Why should I leave my land behind to go to a foreign land?" By faith, he lived as a sojourner in Canaan, not receiving an inch of the land, except for a burial ground he bought from the inhabitants of the land. He built no houses but lived in tents, as his son Isaac and grandson Jacob would also do. The trio lived as foreigners in a land promised to them as an eternal inheritance.

Abraham was looking forward to a heavenly city whose foundations are laid by God and not by man. By faith, he looked forward to the day of his resurrection where he will possess the Kingdom of God, not merely a piece of land.

"By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead." (Hebrews 11:11-12)

Though Sarah initially laughed in disbelief when Yahweh prophesied of her childbirth a year later, she apparently came to put faith in God of His extraordinary promise: that she would bear the promised son (Isaac) to Abraham at age ninety. In her state of faith, she received divine power to conceive, and she bore the son well past child-bearing age. Her conception and birth was a blessing to her for her faith, where she believed that Yahweh would be faithful to keep His promise. Thus, Abraham, though he was one hundred, became the father of Isaac, and now the forefather of a multitude of people. The couple was as good as dead, but through the deadness of Sarah's womb Yahweh brought forth numerous lives.

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16)

The faithful people mentioned up to this point, including Enoch, died in faith. They died without receiving divine promises of the eternal Sabbath rest and all the blessings that come with it. They saw the promises from afar without tasting them. They are heirs to the promises and they still have yet to receive them. None of them has entered into the Sabbath of God. Hence, none of them has gone to heaven or is enjoying a conscious immortal life right now, contrary to the popular erroneous teaching that all the saints are now immortal in heaven having a blast.

The faithful people rightly saw themselves as pilgrims in this world. Though they lived in the world, they did not belong to this world, and were simply passing through as sojourners. They were looking forward to a heavenly country or home, a home that's prepared by God for them. They were unattached to this world. If they desired this world or their old homes, they (as Abraham and Sarah) could have returned to their homes. But they didn't. Instead, they held on to God's promises. They looked onward and upward to Yahweh in faith. So by their faith, they will taste God's promises upon their resurrection. God has prepared their eternal heavenly home, and He's pleased to be called their God.

"By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son; even he to whom it was said, 'In Isaac will your seed be called'; concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead." (Hebrews 11:17-19)

By faith, Abraham obeyed Yahweh when He commanded him to sacrifice his "one and only son" (in the sight of God) on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah. He obeyed because he whole-heartedly believed in God that He would fulfill His promise through Isaac. Abraham reasoned that if he killed Isaac, God would raise him up from the dead in order to fulfill His promise. What mighty faith! Because of his unwavering faith in God's promises despite the circumstances, Abraham was privileged to be called a friend of God (Isaiah 41:8).

Before Abraham arrived at their destination where he was to sacrifice Isaac, he had told the two men who accompanied them, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you." (Genesis 22:5) Abraham believed that both he and Isaac would return even though he was about to sacrifice Isaac. So we can see that Abraham truly believed that Isaac would return to life after he was killed because God would raise him from the dead.

Back in Genesis 17, God had promised Abraham that the Abrahamic covenant would be passed down to Isaac, and in Genesis 21:12, God said, "From Isaac will your seed be called." So if Isaac died and would remain dead, God's promise would be unfulfilled. But Abraham believed that God would keep His promise. Therefore, he believed that after he sacrificed Isaac, God would raise Isaac from the dead in order to fulfill His promise. Hence, Abraham was certain that he would return to the two men, with Isaac alive, after he had sacrificed Isaac as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:5).

In a sense, Abraham received Isaac back from the dead. As he was just about to kill his son, Yahweh stopped him. In Isaac's place, God provided a ram, which served as his substitutionary sacrifice.

"By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come." (Hebrews 11:20)

By faith, Isaac blessed both of his sons, Jacob and Esau, and his prophetic blessings came true. Even though he had secretly attempted to give Jacob's blessing to Esau and so he incurred sin for this, he nevertheless pronounced all his blessings in faith, believing that God would fulfill his blessings. He was relying on God to activate the blessings.

"By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff." (Hebrews 11:21)

Just as Isaac, when Jacob blessed his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh the sons of Joseph, he did so in faith. He was entrusting the future of his adoptive sons into the hands of God, whom he worshipped, leaning on his staff due to his physical weakness (Genesis 47:31).

"By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave instructions concerning his bones." (Hebrews 11:22)

By faith, before his passing, Joseph told his brethren, "I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:24) To the very end, Joseph's strong faith in God never wavered. He trusted in God's words when He promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his seed. He never doubted God. He knew that God was faithful. This was how he could remain so faithful to God. Joseph then said to the children (descendants) of Israel: "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." (Genesis 50:25) Hence, he made them promise him that when God brought them back to Canaan out of Egypt, that they would bring his bones with them and bury them in Canaan.

"By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment." (Hebrews 11:23)

At the time that Moses was born, Pharaoh had commanded all people to cast male Hebrew babies into the Nile river. But Moses' parents did not obey the king. Instead, by faith, they hid him for three months in their house until they could hide him no more. So his mother put him in a waterproof basket along the riverbank, entrusting her son into God's hands.

"By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with God’s people, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them." (Hebrews 11:24-28)

Despite being brought up in the palace by Pharaoh's daughter, Moses, by faith, chose to suffer alongside the ill-treated people of God than to enjoy the temporal pleasures of a sinful world. Though he personally did not know Christ, Moses accepted the reproach that Christ endured. He suffered for the sake of righteousness, as he was looking for the reward: eternal rest with God. This is greater than all the wealth that Egypt could offer. Because he was willing to suffer reproach for the sake of eternal treasures, he brought Israel out of Egypt by faith, not fearing the wrath of Pharaoh, whom he knew was no match for the invisible God behind Israel. He set his eyes on God, not on his mortal foes, and his focus gave him endurance to persevere onward.

By faith, Moses observed the Passover and spread the blood of the Passover sacrifice on the door frames so that the Destroyer of all the firstborn (Yahweh Himself) would pass over the house and spare its residents of death. He wholly trusted in this divine provision.

"By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days." (Hebrews 11:29-30)

By faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, with walls of water towering over their heads on either side. Doing so would have required faith indeed! When the Egyptians pursued after them, the Egyptians were swallowed up by the sea that fell over them.

By the faith of Israel, the walls of Jericho went crashing down after they faithfully obeyed Yahweh's instruction to encircle the city once for six days and seven times on the seventh day. Their faith enabled them to take down the entire city without building bulwarks or ramparts.

"By faith, Rahab the prostitute, didn't perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace." (Hebrews 11:31)

By faith, Rahab saved her life and the lives of her family because she hid the two Israelite spies, siding with God's people against her own king. She did not perish together with the disobedient Canaanites. Despite being a prostitute from among the cursed people, she was preserved, accepted by God and became an ancestor of our Lord Jesus. She is the only gentile enlisted in this hall of faith.

"What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets; who, through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth." (Hebrews 11:32-38)

After briefly highlighting the faith accounts of certain old saints, the writer went on to listing several more people who had expressed genuine faith by which they were justified.

By faith, Gideon defeated hundreds of thousands by only three hundred men. By faith, Barak and his army defeated the Canaanites who had oppressed Israel for twenty years. By faith, Samson killed thousands of Philistines at his death. By faith, Jephthah defeated a great army of Ammon who had been assaulting Israel. By faith, David as a shepherd boy killed a bear and a lion and then Goliath; and by faith, he ruled over his kingdom with righteousness, defeating all his foes. By faith, Samuel carried out his responsibilities loyally since childhood. By faith, the prophets delivered hard truths, rebukes, warning and condemnation to Israel despite being severely persecuted.

By their faith, the people "subdued kingdoms [such as David], worked out righteousness [such as all the righteous Davidic kings], obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions [such as David and Daniel], quenched the power of fire [the three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego], escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong [such as Gideon and Samson], grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee. Women received their dead by resurrection [such as the widow whose son was resurrected by Elijah]. Others [such as God's prophets] were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection [they refused to deny God to gain deliverance from their earthly suffering, so they will be resurrected unto eternal life, a better resurrection than the resurrection unto condemnation of apostates]. Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn apart [Jewish traditions say that Manasseh sawed Isaiah in half as the prophet hid inside a hollowed tree]. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth."

The faithful people of God were outcasts of society. They were treated as scum of the world by the world that did not deserve them. They endured various trials and temptations and yet never renounced their faith in Yahweh. Though there were temporary lapses of faith, all in all they remained in faith. Because of this, they were justified by their faith and they will be resurrected to receive the divine promise of eternal rest with Yahweh. This "better resurrection" (than a resurrection unto condemnation) was their goal.

We have no Scriptural evidence that people by large knew about the resurrection prior to David's time. To those who knew, they strove for a better resurrection. For those who didn't know, well, they still strove to please God, regardless of their future. All in all, the faithful had one ultimate aim in life: to honor God.

All the people whom the writer mentioned proved that their faith in Yahweh was genuine through their obedience and loyalty to God despite seemingly insurmountable challenges and temptations. They actively obeyed God, rejected worldly pleasures, and overcame persecution. Prophets, for example, chose to suffer in this world than to disobey God's will for them to preach. All their works demonstrated that their faith in God was true and sincere. Their works justified their faith. If they had no works of obedience, then their faith would have been worthless. Faith without works is dead.

"These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn't receive the promise, God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:39-40)

Concluding his faith section, the writer reiterated the fact that none of the old saints, including David and all the prophets such as Moses and Elijah, has received the fulfillment of the divine promises. Though God's Word testifies of their faith, the blessing they are to receive still remains in the future. God did not grant to them His promises because He wants to perfect all His people--both His old saints and Christians of today--together. Yes, He plans for every one of His people to enter into His eternal Sabbath together. No one is to precede any other person. All will be blessed and glorified at the same time. Hence, the old saints like Moses and Abraham are not enjoying eternal life ahead of us while we ourselves are still waiting for Jesus' return. It's at Jesus' second coming will all of God's people, past, present and future, receive the Sabbath blessing forever.

Highlights of Hebrews 11

Biblical faith is trust in the trustworthy, namely in God and His Messiah. It is faith with reason, rather than blind faith that believes in something for the sake of believing. It is an active trust that pleases God and saves us. No one can please God without faith, since it is only logical and reasonable to trust in the One who's always trustworthy.

By faith, the old saints were justified, received divine favor and accomplished extraordinary feats. By faith, Noah built the ark that saved his family, Sarah gave birth to her son at age ninety, and Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. By faith, Moses defied the wicked Egyptian king, choosing to suffer the reproach of Christ to inherit divine blessings. Prophets of old faithfully served God amidst severe persecutions. They looked forward to the heavenly country whose foundation is built by God not man.

Despite their faith, no saint has received the Sabbath rest that God promised to His people. God wants to bless all His people at the same time--at Christ's return. So it'll be at Christ's return that you and I will receive salvation together with Abraham, David and Elijah.

But if you haven't put faith in Christ yet, don't put it off. Trust in him today! Don't miss the eternal Sabbath of God! Enter into the hall of faith to enter into God's heavenly country!


~*~ Q&A with Dr. Shirley ~*~

Question: What does holiness or being holy mean? How about righteousness? Does Jesus' sacrifice make us holy or righteous?

Answer: Holiness is the state of being set apart. It is being wholly different from the rest, reserved for something special. When it refers to God, it means He's wholly set apart from His creation. He is exclusively unique, different, special and matchless.

What makes God holy is all His unique attributes: His perfect righteousness, justice, goodness, omnipotence, immortality, being immutable, etc. There's no one like Him, so He's holy.

So righteousness is part of holiness.

There are two kinds of righteousness that the Bible speaks about:
1. A judicial right standing before God
2. A right living before God

The first kind of righteousness is where someone has a right standing with God. When people put faith in Christ, they are declared to be right with God. This is justification through faith. Abraham is the first person in the Bible who's said to be declared righteous (justified) by faith (Genesis 15:6). This right standing with God is the righteousness that Jesus' sacrifice afforded us. Once a person trusts Christ as their Lord and Savior, they're declared righteous.

This judicial righteousness should then lead to the second kind of righteousness: right living before God. This is done by obeying the Bible and doing God's will in the strength that God provides.

When the Bible exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, it is speaking of this second kind of righteousness.

While it is by faith we receive justification, our faith should be proven genuine by our obedience to God. Faith without works is dead. So judicial righteousness should always produce righteous living, otherwise that faith is not saving faith.

Once we're made right before God judicially, we're set apart; we're made holy. Hence, Jesus' sacrifice both justifies us and makes us holy (sanctifies us) when we trust in him. As set-apart people, we no longer belong to the world. Even though we live in the world, we should not behave like the world. We're to be holy, living righteously, as God our Father is holy.

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Then you may subscribe to Dr. Shirley's newsletter by filling out the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Then you may subscribe to Dr. Shirley's newsletter by filling out the subscription form at the bottom of this page.