What Faith Does!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. -Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

The above verse is a majestic translation as only the King James Version can deliver, but the wording to the modern reader can be somewhat misleading. The verse is not trying to reveal what faith is, but rather what it does. There are two aspects of faith revealed in this verse, one for the here and now and the other for the future.

In the here and now, faith provides us with the evidence, or more accurately put, a conviction of things not seen. Noone has seen Christ since the apostles, but by faith we can know through their testimony the reality of Him and His work. Christ himself said we are blessed because of this faith. Jesus speaking to Thomas says:

"Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." -John 20:29 (NASB)

For the future, faith provides us with the substance, or better stated an assurance of a future hope to be with Him. Jesus speaking:

"I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." -John 14:2b-3 (NASB)

Put another way, Paul says the following to the Church at Rome:

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. -Romans 8:22-25

Faith provides the believer with a conviction of the unseen present reality of our salvation through Christ's work and an assurance of a future hope to be with Him!