Our Future Hope
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see. This is what the ancients were commended for Hebrews 11:1,2
These opening two verses are a capsule summary of the chapter. Hebrews 11 brings together a description of faith (the key Hebrews’ readers will need to walk faithfully and victoriously with their God through their present persecution) and a brief history of some of the key figures in Israel’s early history who trusted God through seemingly impossible situations and earned His enormous commendation.
Faith is looking to God and trusting Him in the present “no matter what,” while hope’s emphasis is more on the future. Hope is looking to God and trusting Him “no matter what” the future brings. Hope is often defined as a confident expectation of good in all future things.
Biblical ‘hope’ doesn’t look much like the way we use the word in everyday English. “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” There’s no certainty in that, but there is certainty in biblical hope.
Hebrews’ author describes faith in two ways. First, ‘faith is being sure of what we hope for’ where ‘being sure of’ literally means ‘that which stands under, a foundation, something that provides the basis for something else.’ So faith (trusting God in the present), is the foundation for hope (trusting God for the future). Our future hope has a strong and sturdy foundation.
Secondly, faith is ‘being… certain of what we don’t see.’ Again, Hebrews’ author has chosen a very particular word for ‘being … certain of.’ There are two interlocking parts to its meaning. The first part is a ‘proof.’ This is objective. Something is proven to be true (whether I believe it or not). The second part is subjective and describes a conviction, something I’ve come to believe personally. So together ‘being … certain’ means something is objectively true in itself and I’ve come to believe that it’s true personally.
Because faith and sight are mutually exclusive (where we find one we don’t find the other), our walk with God is by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). One day we will see Him and be with Him. Faith won’t be needed then like it is now.
The writer of this letter wanted his readers to hold onto God in the midst of persecution. He wanted them to experience their future inheritance, but like the great heroes of the Old Testament, that inheritance was largely future (11:13-16). Just as they had to continue faithfully holding on to their God, so the readers had to continue holding on.
And so do we today. Is life hard right now? God has given us so much but what He has as our future inheritance is extraordinary. Keep walking faithfully with your God. You won’t be disappointed.
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