Faith in Action

Today I'd like to write to you about faith in action, which is what the ancients were commended for. (Heb 11:2). The ancients lived by faith, demonstrating their faith by their deeds (James 2:18). Here are some examples in Hebrews 11 of how their faith and their actions were working together (James 2:22):

Brought a Better Offering

"By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead." (Heb 11:4)

Taken from this Life

"By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: "He could not be found, because God had taken him away." For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God." (Heb 11:5)

Built an Ark

"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." (Heb 11:7)

Obeyed and Went

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." (Heb 11:8)

Made His Home in the Promised Land, Lived in Tents

"By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." (Heb 11:9)

Looked forward to Heaven

"For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Heb 11:10)

Was Enabled to Bear a Child

"And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise." (Heb 11:11)

Offered Isaac

"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son." (Heb 11:17)

Reasoned That God Could Raise the Dead

"Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death." (Heb 11:19)

Blessed His Sons

"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future." (Heb 11:20)

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." (Heb 11:21)

Spoke About the Exodus

"By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones." (Heb 11:22) 

Hid Their Child

"By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict." (Heb 11:23) 

Refused Prestige

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter." (Heb 11:24) 

Chose to Be Mistreated

"He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin." (Heb 11:25) 

Regarded Disgrace for Christ of Greater Value

"He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Heb 11:26)

Left Egypt

"By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." (Heb 11:27)

Kept the Passover and Sprinkling of Blood

"By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel." (Heb 11:28)

Passed Through the Red Sea as on Dry Land

"By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned." (Heb 11:29) 

Marched Around Jericho

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days." (Heb 11:30) 

Welcomed the Spies and Was Not Killed

"By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." (Heb 11:31) 

Conquered Kingdoms, Gained the Promises, Shut Lions’ Mouths

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets..." (Heb 11:32)

"...who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions..." (Heb 11:33)

Quenched Flames, Escaped the Sword, Routed Armies

"...quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies." (Heb 11:34)

Received Back Their Dead, Were Tortured, Refused Release

"Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection." (Heb 11:35)

Faced Jeers, Flogging, Chains, and Imprisonment

"Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment." (Heb 11:36)

Stoned to Death, Sawed in Two, Killed by the Sword, Persecuted

"They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—" (Heb 11:37)

Wandered in Deserts and Mountains, Living in Caves and Holes

"the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground." (Heb 11:38)

The Faith of Christ

We must not forget the faith of Christ, as the apostle culminates this passage with the exhortation to focus on Him: “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2)

Even Christ lived by faith. The faith of Christ is the literal translation of the Greek expression pistis tou christou, which Paul used in Galatians 2:16 (twice); 2:20 (Son of God); and 3:22, as well as Romans 3:22, 26; and Philippians 3:9. The Greek word "pistis" means "faith, trust, or faithfulness", while "tou christou" means "of Christ". The word "tou" simply means "of". It does not mean "in". The Greek word for "in" is "en" or "eis", not tou.

Therefore, understanding pistis tou christou as a reference to Christ’s own faith or faithfulness is grammatically and theologically possible (Toews volume on Romans, 108-110). While this is mistranslated in the NIV as "faith in Christ", several other versions translate it as "the faith of Christ" or "the faithfulness of Christ" (eg., see above verses in King James Version, NET Bible, 1599 Geneva Bible, and the Tyndale Bible of the 1500's).

More on this here and here. 

Note: Examples of verses with the expressions "faith in God", "faith in Christ", and "believe in Christ Jesus" using "eis" include 1 Pet 1:21, Jn 14:1, Act 24:24, Col 2:5, and Gal 2:16. The expressions, "faith in Christ" in Col 1:4, as well as "faith in Christ Jesus" in 1 Tim 3:13 and 2 Tim 3:15 all use "en". Therefore, the expression "faith in Christ" is certainly found in Scripture, where "eis" and "en" are used interchangeably to mean "in". My main point above was simply to show that there is another biblical  expression, "the faith of Christ" or "the faithfulness of Christ", which uses "tou" (of), and connotes a different meaning.

The Faith of God

Finally, I would like to present to you a truth that some will find difficult to accept, but it is true nevertheless: even God has faith in Himself.

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 11:3)

Our understanding of how God created the entire universe at His command is by faith. That understanding of ours is not based on reason or scientific evidence, although both of those have been proven to fully support our understanding of the creation. He made all visible things that we see around us -- on earth, in the sky, and in space, and He made them out of what was invisible. He calls things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). He had confidence about what He hoped for and assurance about what He did not see. That is the very definition of faith (Heb 11:1). He believed in His own power and ability. He knew that He was capable of doing what He wanted to do, therefore He believed in Himself, which only He can do, because He alone is God. He is all-sufficient. All things are possible for Him (Matt 19:26), and absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him (Jer 32:17). He simply spoke the Word, and the universe  came into existence (Gen 1:3).

Someone may argue that God does not have faith. However, anyone who denies that God has faith in Himself would have to prove that. It would be quite silly to insist that God does not believe in Himself, wouldn't it? Why would He command us to believe in Him, if He did not even believe in Himself and His own ability to call things that are not as though they were.

The Scripture says, "I believed, therefore I have spoken." (2 Cor 4:13:14). Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak. God put His own faith in action and taught us by His example how to put into action our faith in Him. 

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mar 11:22-24)

For more on this, please see The Faith of God.

Closing Words

The ancients were all commended for living by faith and demonstrating their faith by their deeds (Heb 11:2; James 2:18,22). They brought a better offering. They were taken from this life without experiencing death. They built an ark. They obeyed and went. They made their home in the Promised Land, living in tents. They looked forward to heaven. They were enabled to bear children. They offered their children to God. They reasoned that God could raise the dead. They blessed their sons. They spoke about the exodus. They hid their child. They refused prestige. They chose to be mistreated. They regarded disgrace for Christ of greater value than worldly treasures. They left Egypt, persevered, and saw Him who is invisible. They kept the Passover and sprinkling of blood. They passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. They marched around Jericho. They were not killed. They conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained the promises, shut the lions’ mouths, quenched the fury of the flames, escaped the sword, became powerful in battle, routed foreign armies, received back their dead, were tortured, refused release, faced jeers, flogging, chains, and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, sawed in two, killed by the sword, went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes.

While all of these ancients were commended for their genuine faith that was demonstrated by actions, we don't focus on them; rather, they are the cloud of witnesses surrounding us, as we are now the ones running the race. Instead, our focus is on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who led by example with His own faith in action.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Run with Endurance, The Active Nature of Faith, Faith Works, The Faith of God, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.