FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE...

Now faith is the substance of things, hope for the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11.1.

The people of God are, after the new birth, known in the scriptures as believers. That is, as those who have faith, the spiritual faith which is God's gift. Of faith, Paul has been presenting some statements in what goes before by the use of the word. Now he passes over to this definition of the word faith and illustrates examples of it. His own experience told him that there was present in the minds of God's people, the inquiry what is faith? And inspiration gave him this answer. "Faith is the substance of things. Hope for the evidence of things not seen."

The definition consists of two parts:

1. Faith is a substance of things hoped for. 
2. Faith is the evidence of things not seen.

The second part appears to be supplement to the first. That is, it seems to be added in order to make the definition more full and complete.

Let us first endeavor to explain the two parts in their order, and afterward consider them together as a single hole.

First. Some explanation may be desirable in the first place of certain terms used in this part of the definition. These terms let us then consider. In the following order. 1. Hope for what is hope? 2. Things hope for what are these things? 3. the substance of things hoped for what is meant by the word substance, as here used.

1. Hope is desire coupled with expectation. The 12th verse of Proverbs 13, in connection with the 19th verse, asserts that desire is a part of hope. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes." Verse 12 is "the accomplished desire" (verse 19). In other words, the thing desired. Direct references thus in this scripture made to desire as a part of hope. Again in Romans 8.24, we find allusion made to expectation as being as well an element of hope. "Hope that is seen is not hope for what a man sees. Why does he yet hope for?" That is, a thing not seen may be expected, or looked for, but as soon as it is seen it is no longer looked for. We do not expect what we have. Hope, then, is the desire coupled with expectation. The hope we have spoken of forever is spiritual. It is the hope referred to in I Timothy 1.1.

What are the things hoped for? If the hope is spiritual, so also are the things hope for. They are the things of the Spirit of God. They are all treasured in Christ. They manifest themselves within the believer as spiritual graces or without the believer as providential circumstances, coming from the hand of the spiritual Father to bless him because he is of the elect in Christ. These things the believer, and none other hopes for.

What is meant by the word "substance" as used here? The substance of anything is its essence. It is that which marks it as having existence, as being real. The substance of a piece of wood is the wood itself. The substance of a discourse is its thought. The substance of spiritual things is the spiritual things themselves.

The word substance is the clearest word the translators could have used here to express the sense correctly. The words "ground," and "confidence," which they have inserted in the margin might be as strong and might not. These words would have here been as strong, though not as clear, as the word "substance," for either would have meant, by inference the same as the word "substance."

Now faith is called the substance of these spiritual things. The word "faith" stands contrasted in scripture with the word "sight." According to the passage, "we walk by faith, not by sight" II Corinthians 5.7. Faith is not the sight of things, hope for, and yet faith is the sight of something.

Let us describe faith as we think the Scriptures describe it. Faith is the sight of the promises as coming from God. Faith is the sight of the promises, not of the things promised. Faith is the spiritual sight of him, the Promiser, who is invisible to their natural sight Hebrews 11.27. That God is visible to the spiritual sight of the believer is shown in the 23rd verse and 33rd chapter of Exodus. Moses did see God. Not his face, indeed. That is, as we understand the law. Judges: he saw him not so far fully as to be overcome while in the body by too much glory. The manifestations of God within the believer, so that he feels that his fellowship is with God. This is seeing God. Sometimes there have been such manifestations of God as well nigh to overcome the believer with the glory thereof. Generally, the divine manifestation is dim. It is, however, always powerful. The believer, therefore, "endures" Hebrews 11.27.

Now, this manifestation, this sight is faith. When God manifests himself, he utters promises, and he does it thus; Scripture passages come upon the believer's mind, bringing with them their meaning addressed to him. For example, Abraham saw the promise of the day of Christ dwelling in the fleshly body upon the Earth and of his being offered up as a sacrifice for sin. Genesis 20.15-18.; Galatians 3.16, together with Genesis 20.13. He did not see the day, but he saw the promise of the day. John 7.66. And the sight of the promise -  faith was in respect of certainty, of fulfillments, that is the substance, the same as the possession of the thing promised. For God uttered the promise, and God "could not lie," and he was able to fulfill it. Thus Abraham's faith was to substance of the thing he hoped for, and this is every believer's faith.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. The things "hoped for" are the things not seen, the sight of the promiser promising these unseen things. Faith is the evidence that these things, though unseen, exist. Evidence is that sort of testimony, which makes a thing clear beyond refutation. Unbelief in the believer's nature dims to mind but does not refute the evidence. In the most unbelieving moments, faith is present. The believer is always a believer.

From the foregoing, if it is indeed scriptural, we see how faith is the gift of God Ephesians 2.8. It is God who, as he wills, manifests himself. It is not man exerting an ability to believe. Consider, then, how absurd it is to exhort men to have faith and be saved.

Thus faith is a substance of things. Hope for the evidence of things not seen. Faith characterizes the saint. It is faith that makes him what he is called in scripture, a believer. Moreover, it is stated that it belonged to the saints of the Old Testament, whose many names Paul cites in Hebrews 11.2ff. Am I then one? It's the inquiry that rises in the mind. Why do you make the inquiry? Because you haven't humbled and trembling desire to have in you this mark of the one whom God loves, but yet see in yourself such darkness and unbelief that you seem at times to disbelieve the very scriptures altogether and you are much cast down by it. Do you think you would have this desire if you did not desire God? I do desire God, you say, dark and death-like, and even disposed to turn away from God as I seem. I yet long after some loving token of God's dear presence. Then let me tell you. You desire the themes of which faith is the substance and the evidence. Do you not also expect the manifest presence of God as to Job when it was hidden from him? (Job. 32. 3, 10). You find yourself keeping on through darkness and dullness in looking out and waiting for God. This is expectation. Now, when then, if you desire and expect him, then you hope for him. His manifest presence and his gracious dealings are the things hope for. How is it that you ever hope for them? You feel that they are promised to you, and you see the promise in the scripture, the word of God, but this is faith. Then you have faith after all. But it is weak faith, you say? It cannot be that I have the faith of those elders, those ancients of Abraham, for example, who through faith was ready even to offer up his son. Let us look at that. How weak is that faith which still abides in you in spite of the most powerful attempts of unbelief to overthrow it? You magnify the strength of your unbelief. Should you not then magnify the strength of your faith which overcomes your strong unbelief? The strongest unbelief is always opposed by a stronger faith.

We walk by faith and not by sight. It is God's way, often to make the possession of a thing promised or a deliverance from difficulty, to appear utterly hopeless to nature before bestowing either. The natural vision is left without an object to look upon, no human arm has will or power to help. And unbelieving nature is saying there is no hope, and the thought of possession or deliverance seems like a wild dream. Faith, however, keeps on saying God will provide Genesis 22.8 Hebrews 11.17-19. And God does in all cases, as he did in Abraham, provide Genesis 22.11-13. But he tempts that is, he tries the faith of his people thus in order that by suffering experiences of past deliverances which shall abide in the memory and minister to the hope that makes not ashamed. God will have his people walk by faith and not by sight.

Much we leave unwritten, for time and space fail.

William W. Tufts

October 15, 1864

Sign of the Times