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The Substance of Things Hoped For: Faith as Reality in Christ


The Substance of Things Hoped For: Faith as Reality in Christ

The Epistle to the Hebrews presents a systematic shift from shadows to light, to reveal the radiant substance of the New Covenant. By the time the text reaches Hebrews 11:1, the foundation has been laid: Jesus is superior to angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood. Faith is defined not merely as intellectual assent or optimistic thinking, but as substance and evidence.

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

The Greek word hypostasis implies a setting under, a concrete essence, or reality. Faith is the possession of the reality of God now, even if the physical manifestation is future.
From Shadow to Substance

To understand the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1, one must look at the preceding chapters. Hebrews 10:1 declares that the law has "a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things." The Old Testament saints operated under this shadow. They offered sacrifices that could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).

However, the believer now possesses the reality. Faith is the mechanism by which one lays hold of this reality, which is Christ Himself. While the Old Testament concept of "trust and obey" was based on adherence to a shadow—an external standard of law and repetition—New Covenant faith is resting in a finished work. It is shifting from the "shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1) to the substance of the Almighty revealed in the Son.

The Author and Perfecter: Faith’s Source

The definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 culminates in the directive of Hebrews 12:2: looking unto Jesus.

"...looking unto Jesus, the author (archēgon) and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2)

Here, Jesus is identified as the archēgon—the originator, captain, or prince—of faith. Faith is not a work generated by human will; it is a gift and a fruit of looking at Jesus. Believing that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) is now done through the specific lens of Christ's finished work.

This distinguishes New Covenant faith from Old Covenant obedience. In the Old Testament, the focus was often on the human agent's ability to maintain the covenant through works (trust and obey). In the New Testament, Jesus is the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption of the believer (1 Corinthians 1:30). As Paul writes, "that, as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the LORD'" (1 Corinthians 1:31). 

If a believer returns to the "weak and beggarly elements" (Galatians 4:9) of the law, they attempt to establish their own righteousness. This constitutes "falling from grace" and being "estranged from Christ" (Galatians 5:4).

The Hall of Faith: Witness to the Promise

Hebrews 11:1 through Hebrews 11:40 lists the "elders" who obtained a good testimony through faith.
  • Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice (Hebrews 11:4), pointing to the necessity of blood for atonement, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.
  • Abraham looked for a city "whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10), signifying that true faith always looks beyond the temporal to the eternal reality of God's kingdom.
  • Moses chose the reproach of Christ over the treasures of Egypt (Hebrews 11:26), seeing the invisible One.
These figures acted on the promise, yet "did not receive the promise" (Hebrews 11:39) in its fullness during their lifetimes. They saw the shadow; we possess the substance. Their lives serve as a "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) testifying that God is faithful, but their faith looked forward to what believers now possess in Jesus.

Approaching God: The Way, The Truth, The Life

Because Jesus is the substance of faith, He is the exclusive means of pleasing God.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him..." (Hebrews 11:6)

Since Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), and since grace and truth came through Him (John 1:17)—in contrast to the Law given through Moses—faith is the acceptance of Jesus as the total satisfaction of God's requirements.

This reality grants the believer an access that the Old Testament saints never knew. Under the Law, the people stood at a distance; under Grace, there is boldness.
  • Boldness: "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." (Ephesians 3:12)
  • Access: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
Conclusion: Rest in the Reality

The call of Hebrews is to "be diligent to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:11). This rest is not inactivity, but the cessation of works-based righteousness. It is the theological realization of "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10), interpreted through the finished work of the Cross.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). As the believer hears the Word—who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)—faith is authorized and perfected. To rely on the shadow of the Old Testament is to reject the evidence of the New. The believer is called to stand in the light of the Reality, Jesus Christ, who is the author of faith and the only means by which one pleases the Father.

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