Bible Commentary | Hebrews 11

Background Information on Hebrews:

• Author:  Unknown.  Possibly Apollos or Barnabas (NIV Study Bible).  
• Audience:  Primarily Jewish Christians (NIV Study Bible).
• Date:  About AD 63 (NIV Study Bible).  

Outlines:  

Hebrews 11 has been organized different ways by different people.  Here are some of the outlines that I have discovered:

R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews:  An Anchor for the Soul (Preaching the Word)

1. 1-3:  Faith Is 
2. 4:  Abel 
3. 5-6:  Enoch 
4. 7:  Noah 
5. 8-16:  Abraham 
6. 17-22:  Abraham 
7. 23-29:  Moses 
8. 30:  Joshua 
9. 31:  Rahab 
10. 32-40:  Triumphant Faith 

Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews (Pillar NT Commentary) 

1. 1-7:  Faith in the Unseen 
2. 8-22:  Abraham and His Descendants 
3. 23-31:  Moses 
4. 32-40:  Further Examples 

John Owen, Hebrews (Crossway Classic Commentaries)

1. 1-16 
2. 17-19 
3. 20-23 
4. 24-26 
5. 27-38 
6. 39-40 

William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews (The Daily Bible Study Series)

1. 1-3:  The Christian Hope
2. 4:  The Faith of an Acceptable Sacrifice
3. 5-6:  Walking With God
4. 7:  The Man Who Believed in God's Message
5. 8-10:  The Adventurer and Patience of Faith
6. 11-12:  Believing the Incredible
7. 13-16:  Sojourners and Strangers
8. 17-19:  The Supreme Sacrifice
9. 20-22:  The Faith Which Defeats
10. 23-29:  Faith and Its Secret
11. 30-31:  The Faith Which Defied the Facts
12. 32-34:  The Heroes of the Faith
13. 35-40:  The Defiance of Suffering

F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews (The New International Commentary on the NT)

1. 1-3:  Prologue:  The Nature of Faith
2. 4-7:  The Faith of the Antediluvians
3. 8-12:  The Faith of Abraham and Sarah
4. 13-16:  The City of God the Homeland of the Faithful
5. 17-22:  More About the Faith of the Patriarchs
6. 23-28:  The Faith of Moses
7. 29-31:  Faith at the Exodus and Settlement
8. 32-38:  Further Examples of Faith
9. 39-40:  Epilogue:  Faith's Vindication Comes With Christ

Andrew Murray, The Holiest of All:  An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews

1. 1-3:  Faith -- The Sense For The Unseen
2. 4:  Abel -- The Sacrifice of Faith
3. 5-6:  Enoch -- The Walk of Faith
4. 7:  Noah -- The Work of Faith
5. 8-10:  Abraham -- The Obedience of Faith
6. 11-12:  Sarah -- Faith in the Faithfulness of God
7. 13-16:  Faith -- And Its Pilgrim Spirit
8. 17-19:  Faith Counting on the Power of God
9. 20-23:  Faith Blessing The Children
10. 24-26:  Moses, And the Decision of Faith
11. 27-31:  Israel, and the Redemption of Faith
12. 32-35:  Faith, and its Power of Achievement
13. 35-38:  Faith, and its Power of Endurance
14. 39-40:  Some Better Things For Us

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the whole Bible

1. 1-2:  A Definition of Faith
2. 3:  What Are Its Immediate Objects
3. 4:  What Are Its Effects, Instanced in Abel
4. 5-6:  In Enoch
5. 7:  In Noah
6. 8-10:  In Abraham
7. 11:  In Sara
8. 12-16:  In Their Righteous Posterity
9. 17-19:  In Abraham's Offering of His Son Isaac
10. 20:  In Isaac
11. 21:  In Jacob
12. 22:  In Joseph
13. 23-28:  In Moses
14. 29:  In the Israelites in the Wilderness
15. 30:  In the Fall of Jericho
16. 31:  In Rahab
17. 32-34:  In several of the judges, and in David, Samuel, and the prophets
18. 35-40:  The Glorious Effects Produced by it in the Primitive Martyrs

The Pulpit Commentary

1. 1-3:  The Nature and Power of Faith
1. The nature of faith.  v. 1
2. The foundation-doctrine of faith.  v. 3
3. The power of faith to form character.  v. 2
2. 4-7:  Faith of the Antediluvian Saints
1. The example of Abel.  v. 4
2. The example of Enoch.  v. 5-6
3. The example of Noah.  v. 7
3. 8-19:  Faith of the Hebrew Pilgrim Fathers
1. Abraham's faith was shown in his emigration.  v. 8
2. Abraham's faith was shown in his lifelong pilgrimage.  vv. 9-10, 13-16
3. Abraham's faith was shown during his protracted childlessness.  v. 11-12
4. Abraham's faith was shown in the sacrifice of his son.  v. 17-19
4. 20-22:  Faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph
1. Isaac's blessing.  v. 20
2. Jacob's blessing.  v. 21
3. Joseph's blessing.  v. 22
5. 23-29:  The Faith of Moses
1. The faith of Moses' parents during his infancy.  v. 23
2. The faith of Moses, as seen in his life-choice.  vv. 24-26
3. The faith of Moses as seen in his life-work.  vv. 27-29
6. 30-38:  Exploits and Endurances of Faith
1. Summary of deeds done through faith.  vv. 32-34
2. Summary of sufferings borne through faith.  vv. 35-38
7. 39-40:  Perfection Through The Promise
1. The promise.  v. 39
2. The disadvantageous position of the OT saints in relation to it.  
3. The corresponding advantage enjoyed by NT believers.  v. 40
4. The perfection and unity of the church since the advent.  v. 40

The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible

1. 1-6:  The Description of Faith
1. The meaning of faith.  v. 1
2. The reward of faith:  God's approval.  v. 2
3. The basic understanding of faith: God made the world.  v. 3
4. The spiritual power of faith.  v. 4-5
5. The necessary beliefs of faith.  v. 6
2. 7:  Noah's Faith:  A Fearful, Reverent Faith
1. His faith:  a faith that promptly obeyed God -- in holy fear.
2. His reward.
3. 8-10:  Abraham's Faith (Part 1):  An Obedient, Hopeful Faith
1. His faith:  A faith that obeyed God
2. His reward:  The heavenly city that has an eternal foundation.
4. 11-12:  Sarah's Faith:  An impossible faith
1. Her faith: a faith that believed the impossible.  v. 11
2. Her reward:  the promised son and a nation of believing descendants.  v. 12
5. 13-16:  The Patriarchs' Faith:  A Pilgrim's Faith
1. Their faith:  a faith that endured -- that forever sought an unseen, heavenly country.  v. 13-15
2. Their reward.  v. 16
6. 17-19:  Abraham's Faith (Part 2):  A Sacrificial Faith
1. His faith:  a faith that obeyed God regardless of cost (v. 17–19).
2. His reward: deliverance (v. 19).
7. 20:  Isaac's Faith:  A Repentant Faith.  A faith that believed in the things to come despite sin.
8. 21:  Jacob's Faith:  A Worshiping Faith.  A faith that believed God's promises and worshipped God in the face of death.
9. 22:  Joseph's Faith:  An undying faith.
1. A faith that believed despite hard circumstances.  
2. A faith that acted despite the impossible.
10. 23:  Moses' parents faith:  A loving, fearless faith.
1. A faith that obeyed their hearts
2. A faith that was fearless despite opposition.
11. 24-28:  Moses' Faith:  A Self-Denying Faith
1. A sacrificial faith: He chose God & God’s people rather than this world & its pleasures.  v. 24-25
2. An expectant faith: He looked to the reward, vv. 26, 27, 28
3. An enduring faith: He courageously looked to God instead of looking to men. v. 27
4. A saving faith: He believed God’s message of salvation—symbolized in the Passover. v. 28
12. 29:  Israel's Faith (Part 1):  A Delivering Faith
1. A faith that obeyed God against insurmountable force.
2. A faith that delivered God’s people & brought protection
13. 30:  Israel's Faith (Part 2):  A Conquering Faith.  A faith that believed the unusual at Jericho.
14. 31:  Rahab's Faith:  A Saving Faith.
1. A faith that believed in the God of Israel.
2. A faith that saved.
15. 32-34:  The Great Believers' Faith (Part 1):  A Heroic Faith.
1. The heroic faith of outstanding leaders:  A faith that accepted incredible responsibility and called upon God for great courage.  v. 32
2. The reward of heroic faith.  v. 33-34
16. 35-40:  The Great Believers' Faith (Part 2):  An enduring faith.
1. There was the enduring faith of believers.  v. 35-38
2. There was the reward of enduring faith.  v. 39-40

Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, by Barker & Kohlenberger III

1. 1-3:  The meaning of faith
2. 4-7:  The faith of the people before the flood
3. 8-19:  The faith of Abraham and Sarah
4. 20-22:  The faith of the patriarchs
5. 23-28:  The faith of Moses
6. 29-31:  The faith of the Exodus Generation
7. 32-38:  The faith of other servants of God
8. 39-40:  The promise

Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews (New International Biblical Commentary)

1. 1-3:  The nature and importance of faith
2. 4-7:  The faith of Able, Enoch, and Noah
3. 8-12:  The faith of Abraham and Sarah
4. 13-16:  The transcendent nature of hope
5. 17-22:  Abraham's Offering of Isaac and the faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph
6. 23-29:  The faith of Moses and the Israelites
7. 30-40:  The faith of Rahab and countless others

Homer A. Kent, Jr., The Epistle to the Hebrews

1. 1-3:  Introduction
2. 4-7:  The faith of three pre-patriarchal men
3. 8-22:  The faith of the patriarchs
4. 23-29:  The faith of Moses
5. 30-40:  The faith of Israel since Moses

Louis H. Evans, Jr., Hebrews (The Communicator's Commentary)

1. The Character of Faith -- Basic Teaching for Perseverance
1. 1-2:  The substance of faith
2. 3:  Faith and epistemology
3. 4-6:  Examples in faith -- Abel and Enoch
4. 7-12:  Faith and obedience
5. 13-40:  Faith and future

John MacArthur, Hebrews

1. 1-3:  What faith is
2. 4:  Abel:  Worshiping in faith
3. 5-6:  Enoch:  Walking in faith
4. 7:  Noah:  Obeying in faith
5. 8-19:  Abraham:  The life of faith
6. 20-22:  Faith that defeats death
7. 23-29:  Moses:  The decisions of faith
8. 30-40:  The courage of faith

The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary

1. Illustrations of faith as a practical power in life
1. 1-3:  Faith and reason
2. 4-6:  The construction of religion
3. 7-12:  Expressions of faith
4. 13-16:  Living and dying in faith
5. 17-20:  faith under divine discipline
6. 21-22:  Faith in the hour of death
7. 23-29:  The faith of Moses
8. 30-31:  Faith seen in the Jericho associations
9. 32-40:  A summary of the triumphs of faith

Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary

Faith -- The Greatest Power in the World

1. 1-3:  The Description of Faith
2. 4:  Abel -- Faith worshiping
3. 5-6:  Enoch -- Faith walking
4. 7:  Noah -- faith working
5. 8-22:  The patriarchs -- faith waiting
6. 23-29:  Moses -- faith warring
7. 30-31:  Joshua and Rahab -- faith winning
8. 32-40:  Various heroes of faith

Hebrews 11 has been called...

• The Hall of Faith
• God's Great Hall of Fame
• The Saints' Hall of Fame
• The Heroes of Faith
• The Honor Roll of the Old Testament Satins
• The Westminster Abbey of Scripture
• The Faith Chapter

William Lane comments on the context of Hebrews 11.  "The men and women for whom Hebrews was prepared were facing an uncertain future.  The writer responsible for the sermon was a man with a pastor's heart who regarded these people as friends.  He wanted to encourage them to be faithful to Christ at a time when discipleship would be costly."  (Hebrews:  A Call to Commitment, 144.)

Foy Valentine wrote about Hebrews 11.  "It is not just a chapter about faith.  it is a chapter about faith in action.  it is about faith at work, faith that does not shrink from battle, faith that does not flee from confrontation, faith that does not bend under pressure, faith that does not wither under the heat of persecution."  (Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 52.)

Donald Hagner writes about the purpose of Hebrews 11.  "The author's purpose in this magnificent section of his letter is to encourage his readers to emulate these heroes and heroines of faith, who on the basis of what they knew about God and his promises had the courage to move out into the unknown, with their hearts set upon, and their lives controlled by, a great unseen reality... This list of heroes is meant to provide the readers with strength and encouragement in their own difficult circumstances."  (Hebrews, 179.)

Albert Barnes writes about the purpose of Hebrews, and then Hebrews 11.  "The object of the whole argument in this epistle was to keep those to whom it was addressed from apostatizing from the Christian religion, and especially from relapsing again into Judaism. They were in the midst of trials, and were evidently suffering some form of persecution, the tendency of which was to expose them to the danger of relapsing. The indispensable means of securing them from apostasy was faith, and with a view to show its efficacy in this respect, the apostle goes into an extended account of its nature and effects, occupying this entire chapter... The object is, to show that faith, or confidence in the divine promises, has been in all ages the means of perseverance in the true religion, and consequently of salvation... The object is to show that there is power in faith to keep the mind and heart in the midst of trials, and that having these examples before them, those whom he addressed should continue to adhere steadfastly to the profession of the true religion."  (Barne's Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

Albert Barnes writes, "The object of the apostle, in this chapter, is not to illustrate the nature of what is called saving faith, but to show the power of unwavering confidence in God in sustaining the soul, especially in times of trial; and particularly in leading us to act in view of promises and of things not seen, as if they were so. “Saving faith” is the same kind of confidence directed to the Messiah—the Lord Jesus—as the Saviour of the soul."  (Barne's Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

Warren Wiersbe puts Hebrews 11 in the context of the entire book of Hebrews.  Hebrews 1-6 presents Christ as the superior person.  Hebrews 7-10 presents Christ as a superior priesthood.  And Hebrews 11-13 presents faith as a superior principle.  "The readers of this epistle were being tempted to go back into Judaism and put their faith in Moses."  (Bible Exposition Commentary)

At the end of Hebrews 10, the author encourages his readers to endure to the end and not turn away from the faith in spite of persecution.  He says, "But my righteous one will live by faith; and if draws back, I have no pleasure in him (Heb 10:38)."  This a quote from Hab 2:3-4.  Then in Hebrews 11 he continues to encourage them to have enduring faith by pointing to the heroes of the Old Testament.

1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 

faith | See also Greek Word Study | 4102: faith (pistis)

The first three verses of Hebrews 11 give a definition of faith.

Verses 1-3 say three things about faith:

1. It is the assurance of what is hoped for, the conviction of what is not seen.
2. By faith our ancestors were approved.
3. By faith we understand the origin of the universe.  

The faith in this chapter can be described as "unwavering confidence in God."  (Barnes' Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

Donald Hagner writes that the meaning of this verse "hinges on the meaning of two key words in this verse.  Both words are capable of being interpreted subjectively or objectively.  NIV opts for the subjective meaning..., thus focusing on the assurance or inner certainty of faith with respect to things hope for and not yet seen.  Throughout this chapter, however, the emphasis concerning faith is not on the subjective confidence of the persons mentioned, but on the ways in which they acted out, or gave expression to their faith.  The author's argument is that faith results in conduct that points unmistakably to the reality of what is not yet seen."  (Hebrews, 179.)

John MacArthur says that verse one is a use of parallelism, where the same thought is presented twice but in different ways; the second thought sheds light on the first.

John MacArthur writes, "It is not a full theological definition [of faith], but an emphasizing of certain basic characteristics of faith that are important, in understanding the message the writer is trying to get across."  (Hebrews, 286.)

John MacArthur wrote, "Faith is not a wistful longing that something may come to pass in an uncertain tomorrow.  True faith is an absolute certainty, often of things that the world considers unreal and impossible."  (Hebrews, 287.)

John MacArthur wrote, "Man's natural response is to trust his physical senses, to put his faith in the things he can see, hear, taste, and feel.  But the man of God puts his trust in something more durable and dependable than anything he will ever experience with his senses."  (Hebrews, 287.)

John MacArthur writes, "Yet there is a sense in which all men live by faith.  As illustrated in an earlier chapter, society is built on a foundation of faith.  We drink water out of a faucet, with perfect confidence it is safe.  We eat food in a restaurant, confident that it is not contaminated.  We willingly receive our pay in the form of a check or paper money -- neither of which has any intrinsic value at all.  We accept them because of our faith in the person or the company or the government that issues them.  We put our faith in a surgeon, and in medical science in general, though we may not have the least training, competence, or experience in medicine ourselves.  We submit to the surgeon's knife entirely by faith.  The capacity for faith is created in us."  (Hebrews, 289.)

F.F. Bruce describes the authors big idea in Hebrews 11.  "In Old Testament times, he points out, there were many men and women who had nothing but the promises of God to rest upon, without any visible evidence that these promises would ever be fulfilled; yet so much did these promises mean to them that they regulated the whole course of their lives in their light.  The promises related to a state of affairs belonging to the future; but these people acted as if that state of affairs were already present, so convinced were they that God could and would fulfill what He had promised."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 277.)

F.F. Bruce gives a good definition of faith.  "Their faith consisted simply in taking God at His word and directing their lives accordingly...."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 277.)

Kent Hughes says something similar when talking about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  "The faith of the trio consisted simply in taking God at his word and living their lives accordingly."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 277.)

William Barclay wrote, "To the writer to the Hebrews faith is absolutely certain that what it believes is true and that what it expects will come true.  It is not the hope which looks forward with wistful longing; it is the hope which looks forward with utter conviction."  (The Letter to the Hebrews, 128.)

Kent Hughes organizes v. 1-3 into three headings:  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

1. Faith's character.  v. 1
1. Future certitude -- "what is hoped for"
2. Visual certitude -- "what is not seen."  Faith means being certain of what we do not see -- namely, the invisible spiritual kingdom around us.
2. Faith's activism.  v. 2
3. Faith's understanding.  v. 3

Kent Hughes writes, "Faith's character is, in a word, certitude -- a dynamic certainty about what God has promised.  It is not a feeling... It is not optimism or bootstrap positive thinking either.  It is not a hunch.  It is not sentimentality.  An old song says, 'You gotta have faith'—the sentiment being that if you somehow have faith in faith, you will be okay. And faith is not brainless. The cynical Ambrose Bierce wrongly described faith in his Devil’s Dictionary as 'belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge of things without parallel.'  True faith is neither brainless nor a sentimental feeling. It is a solid conviction resting on God’s words that makes the future present and the invisible seen. Faith has at its core a massive sense of certainty."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

Kent Hughes writes that this faith is a certainty about the future -- "what is hoped for."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

1. Christ's return.
2. The resurrection.
3. The glorification.
4. The future reign with Christ in the new heavens and earth.

Kent Hughes write, "Faith brings a dynamic dual certitude to everyday life.  First, there is future certitude as that which is to come becomes present to us.  Second, there is visual certitude as we see the invisible."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

William Lane writes, "Faith celebrates now the reality of the future blessings which make up the objective content of Christian hope. Faith gives to the objects of hope the force of present realities, and it enables the person of faith to enjoy the full certainty that in the future these realities will be experienced."  

William Lane writes, "The context gives to the concept of faith the sense of steadfast faithfulness to God and to his word of promise."  (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 147.)

William Lane writes, "In 11:1-40 faith is shown to be a quality of response to God which celebrates the reality of promised blessings and the objective certainty of events announced but as yet unseen." (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 147.)

William Lane writes, "The objects that faith celebrates is considered under two aspects: (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 149.)

1. The reality of the blessings for which we hope.
1. "faith celebrates now the reality of the future blessings which make up the objective, or actual, content of Christian hope.  Faith gives to the objects of hope the force of present realities, and it enables the person of faith to enjoy the full certainty that in the future these realities will be experienced."
2. The demonstration of events as yet unseen.
1. "faith demonstrates the existence of reality which cannot be grasped through our senses... faith is the demonstration of the substantial reality of events as yet unseen."

William Lane contrasts faith as presented by Paul in his letters, and the faith presented here in Hebrews.  "For Paul, faith is our subjective response to what God has done in the past.  Faith looks back at Christ's death on Calvary and affirms, 'That death was for me.'  Faith may be described as a backward glance that releases us to act responsibly as Christians in the present.  In Hebrews, however, faith is focused upon the future.  It has an objective character because it is tied to the promise of God.  Faith celebrates 'the objective reality' or 'demonstration' that what God has promised will be realized.  It is the proof that God's redeeming love surrounds us and sustains us."  (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 145.)

William Lane writes, "In short, we should think of faith in Hebrews in two ways: (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 150.)

1. Faith is an openness to the future which expresses itself now through obedient trust in the God who has spoken through a word of promise.
2. Faith is a present grasp on invisible truth expressed through the promise of God.

In short, William Lane writes, "Committed faith looks to the future, and it acts in the present in light of that future. The future is certain because it is guaranteed by the promise of the God who cannot lie. Committed faith finds expression as a persevering faithfulness to God." (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 150.)

William Lane uses several phrases to describe the faith in Hebrews 11. "Faithfulness to God in difficult and uncertain circumstances." "Firm reliability and steadfastness." "Unwavering trust in God and in his promises." (Hebrews: A Call to Commitment, 151.)

Leon Morris distinguishes between Paul's use of faith and the writer of Hebrews. "We should notice two important differences from the way Paul speaks of faith. This writer concentrates on faith in God, whereas Paul so often refers to faith in Christ. And where Paul frequently relates faith to the past, to what God has done in Christ to bring us to salvation, this writer relates it to the future: he thinks of the trustful attitude that sustains the believer as he presses on despite difficulties. We should perhaps notice also that Paul sometimes contrasts faith and works, but that this is not in our author's mind at this point. He is concerned rather with sustaining faith, the faith that sees the people of God through all their difficulties." (Hebrews: Bible Study Commentary, 104.)

Leon Morris writes, "The whole verse is then saying that it is faith that gives us certainty and assurance." (Hebrews: Bible Study Commentary, 105.)

Foy Valentine writes, "And what does faith do?  It is the evidence, proof, or conviction which enables us to perceive unseen things just as if they were seen, to sense spiritual realities just as truly as we sense things by seeing and smelling, hearing and touching.  Faith claims the future in the present.  it gives things that are not yet to come all the certainty of things that that already are.  Through faith, unseen things take on substance, and future things take on present reality.  Faith transcends the time-space framework in which this present life has to be lived.  it transports its holders to the high places where eternity can be seen beyond all present boundaries and barriers.  By faith we hold clear title to the property of salvation.  With faith in our possession, history becomes filled with meaning, life's present puzzle is not longer an insoluble mystery, and the unseen future comes into plain view in clear focus.  Faith is not the gift of seeing something that is not there but the gift of seeing through all the haze of doubt and the pollution of sin to the distant city of God set on the mountain of eternity.  Faith is not believe something in spite of the evidence.  it is living life for the Lord God in scorn of all earthly consequence."  (Hebrew, James 1 & 2 Peter, 52.)

Foy Valentine wrote, "Great beauty and majesty characterize the older translation of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, but the newer one is more accurate in communicating the true meaning of what the inspired writer of the to the Hebrews originally said. Faith is not actually the 'substance' of salvation but the 'assurance' that there is substance to the hope give us by the God of all grace. And faith is not actually to be understood so much as the 'evidence' itself of 'things not seen' as it is our 'conviction' that God is absolutely trustworthy and that his promises are completely truth." (Hebrew, James 1 & 2 Peter, 52.)

Donald Hagner paraphrases Heb 11:1 like this: "Faith through its active character gives substance to, that is, expresses the reality of, things hoped for; it demonstrates the truth of things not yet seen." (Hebrews, 181.)

Faith is the key to spiritual life. Gal 2:20

Faith is the key to spiritual victory. 1 Jn 5:4

Faith is the key to perseverance. 1 Pt 1:5

Faith is the key to salvation. Eph 2:8; 1 Pt 1:9; Mk 16:16

Faith is the one work required by God. Jn 6:29

John Owen translates Heb 11:1 as "being sure of what we hope for," and "certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews, Crossway Classic Commentaries, Logos Bible Software.)

Albert Barnes writes that the meaning of faith is to believe something is true and then act as if it were true.  "In one word, faith is feeling and acting as if there were a God, a Savior, a heaven, a hell; as if we were sinners and must die; as if we deserved eternal death and were in danger of it; and, in view of all, casting our eternal interests on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.  To do this is to be a Christian; not to do it is to be an infidel."  (Barnes' Notes, Mk 16:16, Logos Bible Software.)

The Pulpit Commentary gives reasons to have faith in God's existence:

1. the very phenomena of the visible universe
2. conscience, which implies a power above us to whom we are responsible
3. our strange yearnings after ideals not yet realized
4. our innate sense that righteousness out to triumph over iniquity

The Pulpit Commentary says that faith is the hand of the soul and the eye of the soul.  It is the hand of the soul (the confidence of things hoped for).  The things hoped for involve Christ's coming kingdom, the final triumph of truth over error, and of good over evil.  They also include whatever is necessary for the spiritual cleansing and culture and comfort individual believer -- forgiveness of sins, peace with God, victory over indwelling evil, growing likeness to Christ, the communion of saints, the prospect of blessed immortality.  It is also the eye of the soul (the conviction of things not seen).  

Faith acts as if what it believes is a present reality.  And faith sees as reality what the natural eye cannot see. 

The Pulpit Commentary says, "The “things not seen” and “hoped for” control the life of the believer. They engage his attention. They call forth his energies. They mould his habits. They direct his affections."

The Biblical Illustrator points out that faith can mean the object of faith.  For example, Acts speaks of a large number of priests who were obedient to the faith.  But in Hebrews 11 it is referring to the act of believing.  But the act of believing can also have different meanings. It can mean historical faith -- a bare assent to the truths revealed in Scripture.  This seems to be what James was talking about when he referred to faith without works.  There is also temporary faith -- faith that for a time seems to produce true fruit, and then comes to nothing.  Then there is the faith of miracles.  This is the belief in the power of Christ to heal miracles, but does not include a faith in Him as Lord and Savior.  Faith is also the substance of things hoped for.  It is that which gives a present being to these things.  It takes things out of the shadowy region of probability, and brings them into that of actual reality.  Faith is also evidence of things not seen.  These are things that cannot be experienced by our senses.  It serves as a glass by which we can see what we cannot see otherwise.  

Faith has been called the foundation of all other Christian graces. 

What does faith mean?  

1. The Biblical Illustrator says that sometimes it can refer to a creed (1 Tim 4:1; Jude 3.  
2. Sometimes it means mere belief in facts (Heb 11:3).  
3. Sometimes it means "that conviction of understanding which results from proofs laid before it, or arguments adduced."  For example, the woman at the well convinced her neighbors about Jesus when she told them about her conversation with him.  This is the faith that Thomas had after seeing Jesus with his own eyes.  
4. Sometimes it means the faith of miracles.  
5. Then there is saving faith, "the true belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, through which we are justified, and by which we live."  

According to the Biblical Illustrator, "The old writers used to say that faith was composed of three elements: a right apprehension, a cordial assent, and an unwavering trust."  

1. A right apprehension.  To conceive clearly any given object.  Not necessarily full comprehension.  "A drowning man may catch a rope that hangs near him, and be rescued by it, without knowing who threw it to him, or who will draw it in, or what vessel it trails from. He apprehends it, but he does not comprehend it."  The two things which we must apprehend are 1) our own need, and 2) Christ's fitness to supply it.  "There is the inward look, and there is the outward look.  I cannot help myself, and the Savior can help me...."  
2. Assent.  It is a cheerful submission to God's requirements, the moment we apprehend them.  
3. Trust.  "Reliance on the truth of what God said He would do; a quiet resting on His promises to accomplish all we need for salvation."  

Warren Wiersbe writes, "This is not a definition of faith but a description of what faith does and how it works.  True Bible faith is not blind optimism or a manufactured 'hope-so' feeling.  Neither is it an intellectual assent to a doctrine.  It is certainly not believing in spite of evidence!  That would be superstition.  True Bible faith is confident obedience to God's Word in spite of circumstances and consequences... This faith operates quite simply.  God speaks and we hear His word.  We trust His Word and act on it no matter what the circumstances are or what the consequences may be." (The Bible Exposition Commentary.)

The cynical editor H.L. Mencken defined faith as "illogical belief in the occurrence of the impossible."  

Warren Wiersbe says that Heb 11:1-3 summarizes what true Bible faith is in three words:

1. Substance.  Literally means "to stand under, to support."  "Faith is to a Christian what a foundation is to a house:  it gives confidence and assurance that he will stand.  So you might say, 'Faith is the confidence of things hoped for.'"
2. Evidence.  Conviction.  "This is the inward conviction from God that what He has promised, He will perform."
3. Witness.  "God gave witness to that person's faith.  This witness was His divine approval on their lives and ministries."

Warren Wiersbe wrote, "Faith enables us to understand what God does (Heb 11:3).  Faith enables us to see what others cannot see (Heb 11:7, 13, 27).  As a result, faith enables us to do what others cannot do!"  (The Bible Exposition Commentary.)

J. Oswald Sanders wrote, "Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen."

Homer A. Kent, Jr. says, "A fuller definition of Biblical faith would need to include the fact of divine revelation on which true faith is based.  Faith in the Biblical sense is the assurance and conviction that what God has said is true, and is to be acted upon by the believer."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews.)

Davis Carman, the president of Apologia Educational Ministries, writes about the four types of faith:

1. Dead faith.  James 2:17.  This is faith without works.  If your faith is real, you will produce fruit.  "I've observed that you don't have to motivate Christians to do what the Holy Spirit is already urging them to do."
2. Demonic faith.  James 2:19.  This is an intellectual faith.  The demons have no doubt who Jesus is, but they rebel against Him.  Knowing all the answers and possessing the right theology doesn't save you.
3. Vain faith.  Mt 7:21-23.  Religious words and works won't save you.  Just because you raised your hand, prayed a prayer, got baptized, attend consistently, or tithe doesn't mean you are saved.  
4. Saving faith.  Jn 3:16; Eph 2:8.  Belief in Jesus that results in good works.  

Precept Austin gives an interesting illustration about faith.  "The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3 foot wall. The animals will not jump it they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us."  

reality | 5287:  reality (hypostasis)

Robert Jeffress wrote, "The word for “assurance” in Greek is “hupostasis,” which referred to a foundation in which pillars would be set. In other words, faith is not some mystical hope that something might happen; it is the concrete assurance that something is going to happen. Specifically, it is the assurance that God will do what He has promised to do. What has God promised to do? He has never promised to spare you from illness, heartache, or death. But He has promised to redeem you when you die and take you to be with Him forever."  Jeffress gives an example from his church.  "I remember talking to a couple who were suffering the pain and heartbreak of infertility. They had prayed and prayed that God would give them a child. They had gone through expensive treatments. Nothing worked. They said to me, “Pastor, we believe that whether or not God gives us a child, God is going to use our experience to help and encourage others who are going through this problem.” They ended up leading an infertility support group in our church.  That couple exercised faith. Not faith that God would give them a child–in fact, He never gave them a child–but faith that God would use their pain for good. Faith that, as 2 Corinthians 1 says, “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (v. 4 NLT). That is what God has promised to do. He has not promised to take you out of your problems right now, but He has promised to use you to encourage others. That is what biblical faith is: an assurance that God will do what He has promised to do."

Different ways the word is translated in Heb 11:1

• ... is the assurance of, - Charles B. Williams, The New Testament:  A Translation in the Language of the People
• ... is a solidly grounded certainty about, - The Christian Counselor's New Testament
• ... is confidence in the realization of one's hopes, - The Twentieth Century New Testament

J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, "It is best to understand the word substance to mean 'assurance,' 'confidence,' or 'certainty.'  Faith, then, is that which gives assurance or confidence concerning the things hoped for."  (A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life.)

Homer A. Kent, Jr. says the best translation is "confident assurance."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews.)

Bp. Temple in the Biblical Illustrator says this word means "firm confidence."

The Pulpit Commentary (Heb 11:1) says there are three possible translations of this word:

1. substance.  This was generally the view of the Greek Fathers.  It is the idea that the things hoped for become real to us by faith.  Faith causes is to live today as if the things hoped for are a certainty.  
2. ground.  Faith is the foundation on which hope is built.  
3. confidence.  Most in favor with modern commentators.  

Donald Hagner writes that while the NIV translates this word in Heb 11:1 as "being sure," "It is equally possible, however, as well as more natural, to understand the word in a more objective sense, as expressing the basis or foundation of things hoped for."  (Hebrews, 180.)

The NIV Bible Commentary says the word in Heb 11:1 means "being sure."  "There are realities for which we have no material evidence, though they are not the less real for that.  Faith enables us to know that they exist and, while we have no certainty apart from faith, faith does give us genuine certainty."  (Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, 993.)

For "reality," the CSB has a footnote that says, "Or assurance."  For "proof," the CSB has a footnote that says, "Or conviction."  So, an alternate translation of this verse is, "Now faith is the assurance of what is hoped for, the conviction of what is not seen."  This is the translation of the New American Standard Bible 1995:  "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Hypostasis occurs two other times in Hebrews -- 1:3 and 3:14.

John MacArthur wrote, "The term refers to the essence, the real content, the reality, as opposed to mere appearance."   (Hebrews, 288.)

F.F. Bruce wrote, "This word hypostasis has appeared twice already in the epistle.  In Heb 1:3 the Son was stated to be the very image of God's hypostasis; in Heb 3:14 believers are said to be Christ's associates if they hold fast the beginning of their hypostasis firm to the end.  In the former place it has the objective sense of 'substance' or 'real essence' (as opposed to what merely seems to be so).  In the latter place it has the subjective sense of 'confidence' or 'assurance.'  Here is is natural to take it in the same subjective sense as it bears in Heb 3:14...  There is, however, something to be said for the objective meaning, represented by AV ('faith is the substance of things hoped for'), ARV margin ('the giving substance of things hoped for') and NEB ('Faith gives substance to our hopes').  That is to say, things which in themselves have no existence as yet become real and substantial by the exercise of faith.  But on the whole the subjective meaning 'assurance' is the more probably, especially as this meaning chimes in well with the companion word 'conviction.'"  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 278.)

Kent Hughes writes that this word literally means, "That which stands under" or "foundation" and hence "substance."  Objectively it means "being," and subjectively it means "confidence."  The objective meaning is "the idea that faith grabs hold of what is hoped for, as something real and substantial."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

Leon Morris writes that hypostasis "literally means 'a standing under':  it is used of that which underlies the surface appearance, that which makes a thing what it is.  Faith is that which 'stands under' our hopes.  What we hope for is not present with us now, but that does not mean that we may not be certain about it."  (Hebrews, 104.)

Albert Barnes' writes, "It [faith] is that which enables us to feel and act as if they they [those things which are not seen] were real, or which causes them to exert an influence over us as if we saw them." (Barnes' Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

hoped | 1679:  hoped (elpizo, elpis)

William Barclay wrote, "The Christian hope is such that it dictates all a man's conduct.  He lives in it and he dies in it; and it is the possession of it which makes him act as he does."  (The Letter to the Hebrews, 128.)

William Barclay says that Moffatt (Moffatt New Testament Commentary) distinguishes three directions in which the Christian hope operates: (The Letter to the Hebrews, 129.)

1. It is belief in God against the world.  "It is the conviction of the Christian that it is better to suffer with God than to prosper with the world."  As examples, he points to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego and the fiery furnace, and to John Bunyan.  "When Bunyan was due for trial he said:  'With God's comfort in my poor soul, before I went down to the justices I begged of God that if I might do more good by being at liberty than in prison, then I might be set at liberty.  But if not, his will be done.'"
2. The Christian hope is belief in the spirit against the senses.  "The senses say to a man, 'Take what you can touch and taste and handle and enjoy'... The senses tell us to grasp the thing of the moment; the spirit tells us that there is something far beyond that."
3. The Christian hope is belief in the future against the present.  "It is easy to argue, 'Why should I refuse the pleasure of the moment for an uncertain future?'  The Christian answer is that the future is not uncertain because it belongs to God...." 

1 Peter 1:3 

Kent Hughes wrote, "The degree of our experience of hope is proportionate to the degree of our faith. The more profound our faith, the more profound our hope. A deeply intense faith spawns a deeply intense hope. This was important to the writer of Hebrews because of the rising storm of persecution that was about to fall on the church. He knew that the key to survival was a solid faith and an attendant hope. That is why in Hebrews 10:38 he quoted Habakkuk 2:4, “But my righteous one will live by faith.” There is a spiritual axiom implicit here: faith produces hope, and hope produces perseverance. Without faith one will inevitably shrink back."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

John Owen writes that the things that are hoped for "are good things which are promised in the future and expected on certain grounds.  What we hope for here, therefore, is all the things that are divinely promised to those who believe, all things of present grace and future glory."  (Hebrews, Crossway Classic Commentaries, Logos Bible Software.)

John Owen translates Heb 11:1 as "being sure of what we hope for," and "certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews, Crossway Classic Commentaries, Logos Bible Software.)

J. Dwight Pentecost writes, "In Scripture, hope is never a wish, a dream, a fantasy.  Hope is that settled assurance that comes to the child of God who by faith lays hold of the promises of God and claims them for himself.  Hope must have a foundation, and in Scripture the foundation of hope is always that which God has promised."  (A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life.)

Dr. Jason Lisle writes, "The phrase “hoped for” does not imply a mere wishful thinking as in “I sure hope the weather is nice next week.” Rather, the Greek word (ελπιζω) indicates a confident expectation: the kind of confidence we have when we have a good reason to believe something."  (Dr. Jason Lisle, "Faith vs. Reason," AnswersInGenesis.org.)

John Piper distinguishes between hope and faith by saying that hope is future confidence, while faith is personal, treasuring trust.  Hope "is always a confidence concerning the future.  It's a confidence, not a finger-crossing wish... It is rock-solid, sure."  Faith on the other hand includes everything said about hope, but is more.  Hope is faith in the future sense.  "If you are focusing on faith as a faith that something will happen in the future, it is virtually the same as biblical hope."  Piper says that faith is a trusting relationship with a person.  "Faith says to Christ, 'I trust you, not just your promises.  You are a reliable person.  You are trustworthy person."  Faith may involve trusting what the person has said about the future, but also what they have said about the past.  Faith may have a "backward dimension as well as a forward dimension."  (https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/whats-the-difference-between-faith-and-hope) 

proof | Greek Word Study | 1650:  proof (elenchos)

Different ways the word is translated in Heb 11:1:

• ... It is being sure of what we cannot se, -The New Life Testament
• ... a conviction regarding things which are not yet visible, -The Twentieth Century New Testament

Robert Jeffress wrote, "Conviction means doing something as a result of your faith. It means believing God and acting accordingly. Taken together, faith is believing that God will do what He has promised to do and acting accordingly."  

The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary says this word in Heb 11:1 can be translated "certain."  (Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, 993.)

Homer A. Kent, Jr. says about this word in Heb 11:1, "Hence faith is the confident assurance which the believer has because God as provided conviction about unseen realities."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews.)

Friedrich Buschsel says this word in Heb 11:1  means "the divinely given conviction of things unseen."  (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, II, 476.)

Bp. Temple in the Biblical Illustrator says this word means "conviction."

For "proof," the CSB has a footnote that says, "Or conviction."

John MacArthur says this word "implies a response, an outward manifestation of the inward assurance.  The person of faith lives his belief.  His life is committed to what his mind and his spirit are convinced is true."  (Hebrews, 288.)

F.F. Bruce says this word "has the same twofold sense as the English word.  In 2 Tim 3:16 it occurs as a variant reading for the cognate elegmos to denote the 'conviction' or 'refutation' of error which Holy Scripture provides; here it means 'conviction' in much the same sense as 'assurance' in the preceding phrase.  Physical eyesight produces conviction or evidence of visible things; faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible order."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 278.)

John Owen translates Heb 11:1 as "being sure of what we hope for," and "certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews, Crossway Classic Commentaries, Logos Bible Software.)

J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, "The word 'evidence' includes the idea of conviction, a settled feeling of certainty."  (A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life.)

2 For by this our ancestors were approved. 

This verse provides an argument against Calvinism.  John Lennox wrote, “To commend someone for doing something that is not within their power to do is meaningless.”  (Determined to Believe?, 134.)

Foy Valentine wrote, "As they demonstrated their trust in God, he affirmed them and blessed them."  (Hebrew, James 1 & 2 Peter, 53.)

Albert Barnes' writes, "that is, an honorable testimony was borne to them in consequence of their faith." (Barne's Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

The Pulpit Commentary says, "The elders had witness borne to them, i.e. the approving testimony of God and his Word."  

The Complete Biblical Library says, "It [faith] is the means by which the elders (the OT heroes of faith discussed in this chapter) gained their favorable testimonies."

J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, "In verse 2 the author makes a summary statement that will be demonstrated through the remainder of this chapter...  OT history testifies that the readers' ancestors received a promise from God, by faith claimed that promise, and then patiently endured until the promise was fulfilled."  (A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life.)

J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, "He is not saying that their fathers bore witness to the life of faith, but rather that the life that they lived by faith was observed by others."  (A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life.)

The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible says, "What is the reward of faith?  God's approval.  God is pleased, very pleased when we believe Him and His promises... The approval of God means that God fulfills all His promises to us.  The promises of God become a living reality in our experiences, both daily and eternally."  (Logos Bible Software.)

ancestors

Literally means "the elders". It can refer to either age or dignity. (Zondervan NIV Commentary, 993.)

approved

Greek, 3140, martyreo.

The Pulpit Commentary says this word literally means "were witnessed of." "It was in respect of their faith, which inspired their deeds, that they were praised."

The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says the word means "spoke well of."

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 

Albert Barnes' writes, "The faith here exercised is confidence in the truth of the divine declarations in regard to the creation. The meaning is, that our knowledge on this subject is a mere matter of faith in the divine testimony."  (Barnes' Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

John MacArthur writes, "Even though science, by definition, is limited to the observable, measurable, and repeatable, some scientists persist in speculating about the origin of he earth and of the entire universe -- trying to reconstruct the process from what can be observed today... For some 100 years the nebula theory was dominant scientific explanation of the origin of the universe.  It was eventually replaced by the tidal theory, which was soon replaced by the steady-state theory, the super dense (big bang theory), and so on.  None of these theories gained universal acceptance among scientists.  Today, theories are still multiplying and none yet is universally accepted, much less proved."  (Hebrews, 293.)

Psalm 33:6-9

F.F. Bruce says that here the author is affirming the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo.  This idea contrasted with Greek thought at the time, which was that the world was formed out of formless matter.  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 281.)

Kent Hughes wrote, "As we have noted earlier in our studies of Hebrews, the universe is staggering in its size and glories. The nearest star in our very average galaxy, Alpha Centauri, is 25,000,000 miles away. Our glorious sun that fills our sky and lights our days is but a mere speck in our galaxy. The huge star Betelgeuse is 27,000,000 times larger than our sun. It would take fourteen 25,000,000-mile trips (the distance to Alpha Centauri) to travel the diameter of Betelgeuse. All that, and yet our galaxy is only one of a hundred thousand million other galaxies."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

Kent Hughes writes, "But not all praise God. Many, in fact, employing the same scientific method, manage to deny the Creator. They are like the piano mice who lived all their lives in a large piano. The music of the instrument came to them in their “piano world,” filling all the dark spaces with sound and harmony. At first the mice were impressed by it. They drew comfort and wonder from the thought that there was someone who made the music—though invisible to them—someone above, yet close to them. They loved to think of the Great Player whom they could not see.  Then one day a daring mouse climbed up part of the piano and returned very thoughtful. He had found out how the music was made. Wires were the secret—tightly stretched wires of graduated lengths that trembled and vibrated. They must revise all their old beliefs. None but the most conservative could any longer believe in the Unseen Player. Later another explorer carried the explanation further. Hammers were now the secret—great numbers of hammers dancing and leaping on the wires. This was a more complicated theory, but it all went to show that they lived in a purely mechanical and mathematical world. The Unseen Player came to be thought of as a myth, though the pianist continued to play."  (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

In his exposition of Hebrews 1:2-3, Kent Hughes wrote, "Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking, who has been called “the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein,” says in his best-selling A Brief History of Time that our galaxy is an average-sized spiral galaxy that looks to other galaxies like a swirl in a pastry roll and that it is over 100,000 light-years across —about six hundred trillion miles. He says, “We now know that our galaxy is only one of some hundred thousand million that can be seen using modern telescopes, each galaxy itself containing some hundred thousand million stars.” 7 It is commonly held that the average distance between these hundred thousand million galaxies (each six hundred trillion miles across and containing one hundred thousand million stars) is three million light-years! On top of that, the work of Edwin Hubble, based on the Doppler effect, has shown that all red-spectrumed galaxies are moving away from us—and that nearly all are red. Thus, the universe is constantly expanding. Some estimates say that the most distant galaxy is eight billion light-years away—and racing away at two hundred million miles an hour. Finally, the fact of the expanding universe demands a beginning, though Hawking now doubts that a Big Bang was its beginning."   (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

Kent Hughes wrote, "By faith in God’s Word we know for a certainty that every star was created by God—all  10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000! (i.e., ten octillion)."   (Hebrews, Logos Software.)

The Pulpit Commentary says, "The drift of both passages [Rm 1:20] is the same, viz. this, and no more -- that faith recognizes an unseen 'power and Godhead' behind, and accounting for, the seen universe." 

The Pulpit Commentary says that this is "the fundamental truth of all religion, as it is also the first utterance of revelation."  The verse asserts two things:  

1. "That all that exists in time and space was skillfully framed and finished by a simple fiat of the Almighty."
2. "That it follows that the universe was not formed out of any pre-existing materials whatsoever, but was created by God out of nothing."

The Pulpit Commentary says, "The doctrine of a personal Creator is the foundation-doctrine of faith. If this truth be accepted, it follows that miracles are possible, and that a supernatural revelation is not an unlikely blessing. If God has made us in his own image, then surely we are heirs of immortality; and, although we have gone astray from him, peradventure he may hear us when we call upon him, and may graciously receive us back into his favour."

The Complete Biblical Library says, "It [faith] is the means by which we are able to understand the world which is seen and to grasp its relationship to the unseen world."

Louis H. Evans asks, "How do we know how the world was made?  By scientific observation?  No...  By laboratory experiment?  Impossible...  By mathematical formulation?  No...  Only through faith, given by revelation of God, beyond the proof or disproof of any person."  (Hebrews, 197.)

Home A. Kent, Jr. says, "... faith is absolutely necessary if we are to understand even the first page of Scripture."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews.)

J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, "If faith suffices for things that are past, it certainly is sufficient for things that are future."  (A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life.)

Word-faith preachers misinterpret Heb 11:3 to mean that by faith God created the universe.  We too must exercise this same kind of faith.  

Matthew Henry says by faith we understand five things about the origin of the universe:

1. The universe is not eternal, nor did it produce itself, but it was made by another.
2. The maker of the universe is God.
3. God made the world with great exactness; it was a framed work, in everything duly adapted and disposed to answer its end.  
4. God made the world by His word.
5. God made the world out of nothing.

understand | 3539:  noeo

The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible (Heb 11:3) says, "It means to perceive with the mind, to understand, to know a true fact."  

universe | See also Greek Word Study | 165: universe (aion)

John MacArthur says this word "designates the physical universe itself and also its operation, its administration."  (Hebrews, 292.)

F.F. Bruce writes, "Here, as in Heb 1:2, the 'worlds' are the aiones (literally 'ages'); in both places the universe of space and time is meant.  There God is said to have made the universe by the agency of his Son; here He is said to have fashioned it by His word."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 280.)

created

Albert Barnes points out that the word here does not mean "make" or "create," but means "to put in order, to arrange, to complete, and may be applied to that which before had an existence, and which is to be put in order or, re-fitted.  The meaning here is, that they were set in order by the word of God.  This implies the act of creation, but the specific idea is that of arranging them in the beautiful order in which thy are now."  And again, "the thing which is particularly denoted is not the making, but the arrangement."

by the word of God

"Word" here is rehema (4487), not logos.  Albert Barnes writes that the word means "a word spoken, and in this place, command."  (Barnes' Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

The Pulpit Commentary says, "'By the word of God' has reference to 'and God said,' of Gen 1."  

what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 

Albert Barnes writes, "The point of the remark here is that the visible creation was not molded out of pre-existing materials but was made out of nothing... The doctrine taught is that matter was not eternal; that the materials of the universe, as well as the arrangements, were formed by God, and all this was done by a simple command."  (Barnes' Notes, Logos Bible Software.)

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

Some commentators deal with verse 4 separately, while others include it with verses 4-7.  Examples of those who treat it separately include William Barclay ("The Faith of an Acceptable Sacrifice”), Andrew Murray ("Abel -- The Sacrifice of Faith"), and John MacArthur ("Abel -- Worshiping in Faith").  Examples of those who include verses 4-7 as a unit include F.F. Bruce ("The Faith of the Antediluvians"), and Home A Kent, Jr. ("The faith of three pre-patriarchal Men").  

Who is Abel?  

This passage is about Abel, the son of Adam and Eve.  His story is found in Genesis 4.  

The NIV Study Bible (Gen 4:2) says that Abel's name means "breath" or "temporary" or "meaningless (the translation of the same basic Hebrew word that is in Eccl 1:2; 12:8) and hints at the shortness of Abel's life.

His older brother was Cain.  They were the first two people born on planet earth.  Abel was a shepherd of flocks, and Cain was a farmer.  Both Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord.  Cain "presented some of the land's produce as a offering to the Lord."  Abel gave "some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portion."  Genesis 4:4-5 says, "The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering."  As the story goes, this made Cain furious.  The Lord tried to help Cain by explaining what he needed to do to please God, and by warning him about the danger of sin, but Cain did not listen.  Instead, while the two of  them were out in the field, Cain attacked and killed Abel.  It was the first murder in history, the result of jealousy.  

The NIV Study Bible (Gen 4:8) notes that the first murder "was especially monstrous because it was committed with deliberate deceit ("Let's go out to the field"), against a brother and a against a good man."  

The Lord confronted and punished Caleb, making it so that the ground would never again yield a good harvest for him, and making Cain "a restless wanderer on the earth."  God also showed great restraint.  Not only did He not kill Cain, but He promised a seven-fold vengeance if someone killed Cain, and he placed a mark on him so that whoever found him would not kill him.

What made Abel's offering a better sacrifice?

The ESV says it was "a more acceptable sacrifice."  

Donald A. Hagner said the word "better" is a general term of comparison that can mean "more adequate" or "more acceptable."  (Hebrews, New International Biblical Commentary, 184.)

J. Dwight Pentecost says that the term can mean "more excellent" or "more abundant."  He notes that in the Levitical Law (Lev 1-3) it was permissible to offer to God an animal sacrifice, or a grain offering.  (A Faith That Endures, 187.)

It appears that Abel gave the best of his possessions to the Lord -- "some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions."  Cain merely gave some of his land's produce.  It doesn't say that they were commanded to give an offering, nor does the text tell us that God instructed them in the kind of offering they were to give.  Perhaps this was merely a free will offering.  Either way, Cain gave an easy offering that didn't cost him anything, while Abel gave his best.  Abel clearly had faith.  Perhaps he simply loved God more, and wanted to show his gratitude.  Or perhaps he had faith that God would see and reward such an offering.  

The NIV Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says, "It is implied that Cain’s sacrifice was rejected because he offered it without faith, as a mere formality." 

The NIV Study Bible (Gen 4:3-4) says, "The contrast is not between an offering of plant life and an offering of animal life, but between a careless, thoughtless offering and a choice, generous offering.  Motivation and heart attitude are all-important, and God looked with favor on Abel and his offering because of Abel’s faith."  

1 John 3:11-12 provides more insight into the story.   "11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous."  

John makes several comments about Cain and Abel:

• Cain did not practice love, which is what we should do.
• Cain was of the evil one.  
• Cain's deeds were evil.  
• Abel's deeds were righteous.  

1 John 3:12 says that there was something "evil" about Cain's sacrifice.  Obviously the murder was evil, but this says there was something evil about his sacrifice.  This, along with God's warning to Cain about doing what is not right, and sin crouching at the door might imply that Cain had acted disobediently.  Perhaps the Lord had given clear instructions about the offering, and Cain disobeyed Him.  Maybe Cain offered the sacrifice with the wrong motives.  For example, maybe he offered his sacrifice simply to save face, or out of habit, while not truly believing that it mattered.  

The Reformation Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says, "The principle that sacrifices were worthless without faith was true from the beginning (Heb 10:4)."  

John MacArthur says it was a matter of obedience.  The MacArthur Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says, "Both brothers knew what God required.  Abel obeyed and Cain did not."

Because the text doesn't say why God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's, the Jews developed legends to explain it.  William Barclay tells of two of these legends.  The earliest is that every time Eve had children, she would have twins, and these would be given in marriage to one another.  In the case of Abel and Cain, Adam changed things up and planned to give Cain's twin sister to Abel.  Cain was unhappy with this, so Adam said, "Each of you offer a sacrifice to the Lord; whoever's sacrifice is accepted will get the girl."  Abel took his best lamb to the place of sacrifice, while Cain took the poorest sheaf of corn he could find and laid it on the altar.  Fire descended from heaven and totally consumed Abel's offering, but Cain's was untouched.  Adam gave the girl to Abel, and Cain was very angry.  One day when Abel was asleep on a mountain, Cain took a stone and crushed his head, and killed him.  (The Daily Bible Study Series, 131.)  

Barclay tells of a second Jewish legend that developed around the story.  Cain and Abel could not agree as to what they should possess, so Abel came up with a plan to end the contention.  Cain took everything stationary, and Abel took everything moveable.  But Cain was still envious.  One day he told Abel to leave, because the plain belong to him.  So Abel went to hills, but Cain told him to leave because the hills belonged to him as well.  So Abel fled to the mountains, but Cain still pursued him and said the mountains were his.  Cain continued to hunt Abel until he killed him.  (The Daily Bible Study Series, 131.)  

F.F. Bruce described several theories as to why God accepted Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's: (The New International Commentary on the New Testament, 283.)

• Ritual.  Cain did not offer the sacrifice correctly.  This is taken from the Septuagint, Gen 4:7:  "Have you not sinned if you offer it rightly without dividing it rightly?"  
• Substance.  For example, Philo, the Jewish philosopher said that Abel's offering was living, while Cain's was dead.  Abel's was the best in age and quality, while Cain's was inferior.  Abel's was superior in strength and fatness, while Cain's was weaker.  Josephus said that God is more honored by Abel's sacrifice because it grew spontaneously and in accordance with nature, while Cain's offering was the product of the cultivation and effort and ingenuity of man.  Another theory of substance is that Abel's offering involved the shedding of blood, which is required for the forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22).  
• Character.  Bruce says the best interpretation is that God accepted Abel's sacrifice because of his righteous character, but rejected Cain's because he was sinful.  "... sacrifice is acceptable to God not for its material content, but in so far as it is the outward expression of a devoted and obedient heart.  Let Cain gain mastery over the sin that threatens to be his undoing, and his sacrifice will be accepted as readily as Abel's was."  "... since Cain was told that he would be accepted if he did well, it follows that Abel was accepted because he did well -- because, in other words, he was righteous.  And in fact the righteousness of Abel is emphasized elsewhere in the New Testament (Mt 23:35; 1 Jn 3:12)... To the same effect our author says that Abel 'had witness borne to him that he was righteous'.  How?  Because God bore this witness to him by accepting his gifts.  This echoes the Septuagint rendering of Gen 4:4, 'God looked [i.e. with pleasure] upon Able and upon his gifts.'  The abiding principle of Scripture in this regard is summed up in the words of Pr 15:8."  Bruce also points out the close connection between righteousness and faith in Heb 10:38, and the unbreakable link between pleasing God and righteousness in Heb 11:6.

Homer A. Kent adds, "The statement in Gen 4:4 that God had respect first 'unto Able' and then 'to his offering' may suggest that it was the character of Abel that was primarily in view.  With this Matthew, as well as Hebrews, concurs as it emphasizes that Abel was righteous.  Abel's heart was right in the sight of God, and his offering was a demonstration of his faith."  (Epistle to the Hebrews, 219.)

Louis Evans wrote, "It seems most probably, therefore, that the difference in the comparison was that of heart, not the sacrifice.  Evidently Abel surpassed his brother in that his attitude toward God was one of confidence in God's graciousness.  Cain's attitude, on the other hand, was one of competitiveness that thought this graciousness had to be bought by human effort or the sacrifice of a minimal offering after calculating God's price."  (The Communicator's Commentary, 199.)

One interpretation is that Abel put his faith in the blood sacrifice for the atonement of his sins.  The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible says, "The difference between the two offerings was this: Abel believed God and approached and worshipped God exactly as God said: through the sacrifice of another, the sacrifice of an animal. But Cain did not believe God. He did not accept God’s Word; he did not approach God through the sacrifice of another. He made a material sacrifice and offering to God: he approached God through money and earthly gifts, through the efforts and fruits of human works, the fruit borne of the earth, the fruit borne by his own human, frail, aging, and dying hands. Very simply, Abel believed God. He recognized just what Scripture says: that he was sinful and imperfect and that he could never be acceptable to God who is perfect and holy, not until his sins and their guilt had been paid for and removed. Abel knew that his sins had to be removed—that he had to be counted righteous before he could ever be accepted by God. Therefore, he believed God would count him righteous if he let another bear his sins for him."  (Logos Bible Software.)

Kent Hughes has an interesting take.  Observing that Abel offered a better sacrifice by faith, he notes that to do something by faith he must have heard an explicit word of God regarding the kind of sacrifice that God required.  God's will was evidently that He only accepted animal sacrifices.  This can be traced back to Adam and Eve's sin.  When they saw their nakedness, God killed an animal and gave them animal skins for clothing.  The implicit lesson is that God requires the blood of animals for the forgiveness of sins.  While Cain ignored God's word and tried to offer a different kind of sacrifice, Abel had faith and obeyed God's word.  Therefore, Abel's faith led to obedience, which resulted in God calling him righteous.  (Hebrews--An Anchor for the Soul, Logos Bible Software.)

Warren Wiersbe wrote, "God had revealed to Adam and his descendants the true way of worship, and Abel obeyed God by faith."  (The Bible Bible Exposition Commentary.)

What does it mean that Abel was approved?

The word "approved" (Greek, 3140, martyreo), is used twice in this verse.  It is also used in Heb 11:2, 5, and 39.  

The ESV says, "he was commended as righteous."  

Abel is the first person who was approved as righteous because of his faith.  

What does it mean that Abel was approved as a righteous man?

"Righteous" in Greek (3142) is dikaios.  

Abel is also called righteous in Mt 23:35 and 1 Jn 3:12. 

The MacArthur Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says Abel's righteousness was "evidenced in his obedience to God's requirement for sacrifice."

The MacArthur Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says, "Without faith, no one can receive imputed righteousness (Gen 15:6)."  

Heb 10:38 says, "But my righteous one will live by faith."  

What does it mean that "even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith"?  

Lk 11:50-51 calls Abel a prophet.  Perhaps he is a prophet because his example speaks to the importance of faith.  Or maybe he is a prophet in that his story tells of the truth that God will punish evildoers.  

The ESV Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says, "The story of Abel's faith... still speaks to generation after generation."  

The MacArthur Study Bible (Heb 11:4) says, "Through faith, Abel left testimony to all succeeding generations that a person comes to God by faith to receive righteousness."  

Donald Hagner wrote, "Having died for his faithfulness, Abel continues to speak the message of faith."  (Hebrews, New International Biblical Commentary, 184.)

F.F. Bruce points out two interpretations of this phrase:  (The New International Commentary on the New Testament, 283.)

1. "Abel is still appealing to God for vindication, until he obtains it in full in the judgment to come."
2. "Abel, by his faith, bears abiding witness to succeeding ages."  

Homer Kent wrote, "In Genesis Abel's blood cried out to God for vengeance.  Here it is Abel (not his blood) that speaks to us (not crying out to God) of the vital importance of faith in God's sight.  He may have died prematurely, but he still has something of great value to say to us by way of his life recorded in Scripture."  (Epistle to the Hebrews, 220.)

Barne's Notes says that this phrase can either mean that Abel still speaks, or that he is still spoken of (is praised or commended.)  "... if the reading 'is spoken of'' be adopted, the apostle means that in consequence of that offering thus made, Abel continues even to his time to receive an honorable mention...  A sentiment thus of great beauty and value may be derived from the passage -- that true piety is the occasion of transmitting a good report -- or an honorable reputation, even down to the last generation."  But Barnes seems to prefer the first option.  "But after all, it seems to me to be probable that the true sentiment in this passage is that which is expressed in the common version, 'he yet speaketh'... If this be the true meaning, then the sense is that there is an influence from the piety of Abel which continues to admonish all coming ages of the value of religion... Thus all who are pious continue to exert an influence in favor of religion long after the soul is removed to heaven, and the body consigned to the grave.  This is true in the following respects:

1. They speak by their example.
2. They continue to speak by their precepts. 
3. They continue to speak from the fact that the good are remembered with increasing respect and honor as long as they are remembered at all.  

Peter O'Brien wrote, "Our author affirms that although Abel died, his voice continues to speak o us through Scripture of the faith that is pleasing to God."  (The Letter to the Hebrews.)

The story of Abel presents many truths about God and man:

1. Jealousy is very dangerous.  It led to the first murder.  
2. Sin is dangerous.  Genesis 4:7 "... but if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."  
3. God does not play favorites.  He accepted Abel's offering simply because it was better.  
4. God hates murder.  
5. God sees everything.  Our good deeds, our bad deeds, and our hearts.  
6. God tells us how to please Him; it is not a mystery.  
7. God helps us to overcome sin.  
8. God is merciful.
9. God will hold us accountable for our sins.  
10. Sin has devastating consequences.  
11. Our instinct is to be irresponsible.  Instead of changing his ways, Cain became jealous and angry with his brother and committed murder.  Instead of admitting his sin, Cain lied and said, "I don't know... Am I my brother's guardian?"  
12. When it comes to giving to God, God is not pleased with the amount, but with what it cost you.
13. Sometimes the greatest sins are committed by those closest to us.  We usually hurt most the people closest to us.  
14. Our life will impact others.  Abel's life is a lesson on the importance of faith.  Cain introduced murder to the world.    

William Barclay points to two lessons that emerge from the story: (The Daily Bible Study Series, 131.)  

1. The evil of envy.  "Envy leads to bitterness; bitterness to hatred; and hatred to murder." 
2. Our lives will make an impact -- either good or bad.  Abel has inspired generations to greater faith, while Cain taught generations after him to commit murder.  "When a man leaves this world, he leaves something in it.  He may leave something which will grow and spread like a canker; or he may leave something fine which blossoms and flourishes without end.  He leaves an influence of good or ill; every one when he dies still speaks.  May God grant to us to leave behind not a germ of evil but a lovely thing in which the lives of those who come afterwards will find blessing."

5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.

Enoch

John MacArthur says that Heb 11:5-6 shows five features in Enoch's life that were pleasing to God.  (Hebrews, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 306.)

1. He believed that God is.
2. He sought God's reward.
3. He walked with God.
4. He preached for God.
5. He entered into God's presence.

The story of Enoch is in Genesis 5, where we find that he is a direct descendant of Adam's son, Seth (Gen 5:3).  Enoch's father was Jared, who was 162 when he fathered Enoch (Gen 5:18).  Enoch fathered Methuselah at the at of 65, and then went on to live 300 years longer; so he died at the age of 365 (Gen 5:21-23).  Enoch had multiple children (Gen 5:22).  Enoch's son, Methuselah, went on to be oldest man who ever lived (969 years; Gen 5:27), as well as Noah's grandfather.  This means that Enoch is Noah's great-grandfather.  It also means that all human beings are descendants of Enoch.  

Enoch was the seventh from Adam in the genealogy of Seth (Jude 14).  He pleased.  Lamech was the seventh from Adam in the genealogy of Cain (Gen 4:18-24).  Lamech was the first polygamist, taking two wives.  He was also a murder, killing a man who wounded him.  The NIV Study Bible (Gen 5:24) says Lamech "was evil personified."  

Enoch's name means "dedication."  (CSB Study Bible, Gen 5:6-31).  

Judge 14 says that Enoch was a prophet.  John MacArthur writes, "The Enoch preached for God we learn only from the book of Jude.  Judging from this account, his message on ungodliness was brief and perhaps repetitious, but it was inspired.  We have no hint as to how effective it was, but Enoch's purpose was to be faithful, not effective."  (Hebrews, 313.)

Cain had a son named Enoch (Gen 4:17).  

Enoch lived in the years preceding the flood, when the earth was growing so corrupt that it resulted in the judgment of the worldwide flood.  This makes Enoch's character even more impressive.  

Dwight Pentecost wrote, "Although he lived in a corrupt age that was headed for judgment by flood, Enoch did not conform to the standards of the age in which he lived, but walked in accordance with the standards of God's righteousness."  (A Faith That Endures, 188.)

Legends about Enoch

1. He was said to be the first man skilled in tailoring and in sewing and that he instructed men how to cut out skins in the proper shape to make garments.  (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 133.)
2. He was said to be the first to teach men to make shoes to protect their feet.  (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 134.)
3. He was said to be the first to put pen to paper and instruct men from books.  This is found in the ancient Jewish apocryphal book, The Book of Jubilees (4:17).  It was written in or before 100 BC.  (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 134.)
4. The Book of Jubilees (10:17) says that Enoch even surpassed the righteousness of Noah, and was perfect.  
5. He made friends with the Angel of Death, and he made three requests of him.  First, to die and come back again so that he might know what death was like.  Second, the see the abode of the wicked so that he might know what the punishment of the evil was like.  Both of these were granted.  Third, to be permitted to see into Paradise so that he might see what the blessed enjoyed.  This was also granted, but when he saw the beauty of Paradise, he never came back to earth again.  (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 134.)
6. The Book of Wisdom (or the Wisdom of Solomon; an apocryphal book written around 50 BC; included in the Catholic Bible) says that "God took Enoch to himself when he was still young to save him from the infection of this world (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 133.)"  It says, "He was taken away while he lived amidst sinners....  He was snatched away lest evil should change his understanding or guile deceive his soul."
7. Enoch was the recipient of special revelations about the spirit-world and the ages to come (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 287).  He wrote The Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch.  Wikipedia calls this "an ancient Hebrew apocalyptic religious text" that "contains unique material on the origins of demons and Nephilim, why some angels fell from heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and a prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah."  He is also said to have written 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch.  None of these books are considered to be canonical by the majority of Christian and Jewish groups.  The Book of Enoch was actually written well after his time.  1 Enoch was written from 300-100 BC.  1 Enoch is quoted in June 1:14-15, although that passage in 1 Enoch is actually a Jewish commentary on Dt 33:2.  The phrase in Jude 14, Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam," is taken from 1 Enoch (1 Enoch 60:8).  2 Enoch is said to have been written between the first and tenth centuries AD.  3 Enoch is believed to be pseudepigraphal, because it says it was written by Rabbi Ishmael, who is believed to have lived in first century AD.  It is believed that it was written in the fifth or sixth century AD.  
8. The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), an ancient Jewish book written between 196 and 175 BC, accepted as canonical by Catholics and Eastern Orthodox (Protestants consider it to be an Apocryphal book) but not accepted as canonical by the Jews, says, in Sirach 44:16,
1. CEB:  Enoch pleased the Lord and was transferred, an example of a changed heart and mind for generations.
2. DRA:  Henoch pleased God, and was translated into paradise, that he may give repentance to the nations.
3. GNT:  Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken up into heaven. He became an inspiration for repentance for all time to come.
4. NABRE:  [Enoch walked with the Lord and was taken, that succeeding generations might learn by his example.]
5. NCB:  Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken up as an example of repentance for future generations.
9. The Book of Wisdom (or Wisdom of Solomon), another apocryphal book in the Catholic Bible, has a lengthy passage about Enoch, in Wisdom 4:10-15 (New Catholic Bible).  

10 He has sought to please God, so God has loved him;

    while living among sinners, he has been taken up.

11 He has been snatched away so that evil would not pervert his understanding

    or guile deceive his soul.

12 For the spell of wickedness beclouds what is good,

    and the swirl of desire corrupts the simple heart.

13 Having achieved perfection in a short time,

    he attained a lengthy span of years.

14 Since his soul was pleasing to the Lord,

    he quickly removed him from the midst of wickedness.

People observed this yet failed to comprehend,

    nor did they reflect on this fact,

15 that grace and mercy are reserved for God’s holy ones

and he shows concern for his elect.

Genesis 5 only gives us a few details about Enoch's life.  Twice (Gen 5:22, 24) it says that Enoch "walked with God."  And then it says, "then he was not there because God took him (Gen 5:24)."

Walk | Hebrew Word Study | 1980: halak (Gen 5:22, 24)

• Halak is a very common word in the Old Testament, used 1,502 times.  It is translated in CSB "go, going," "went," "walked, walked, walking," "follow, followed, following," "come, comes, coming," "live, lived, lives," as well as in other ways.  
• Halak can be used in a non-spiritual way.  For example, it often simply means walking, as when the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground (Ex 14:29).  
• But it is often used in a spiritual and moral way, to one's relationship with God and moral lifestyle.    
• The ESV Study Bible (Gen 5:22-24) says that in this passage and in certain other contexts in Genesis (Gen 3:8; 6:9; 17:1; 24:40; 48:15), "the Hebrew word for 'walked' is a distinctive form that conveys the sense of an ongoing intimacy with God."
• The NIV translates halak in Gen 5:22, 24, "Enoch walked faithfully with God."
• The NLT translates halak in Gen 5:22-24, "Enoch lived in close fellowship with God."
• The Reformation Study Bible (Gen 5:22) says, "The expression... signifies intimate fellowship." 
• The CSB Study Bible (Gen 5:6-31) says, "The phrase 'walked with God' suggests living a life consistent with God's will as well as experiencing fellowship with him."   
• The NKJV Study Bible (Gen 5:21-24) says, "The phrase 'Enoch walked with God,' expresses a life of fellowship with God and obedience to the Lord... It also recalls the experience of Adam and Eve, who had lived in even closer proximity to the Lord before the Fall (Gen 3:8)."
• In the LXX Gen 5:24 is translated as "he pleased God," or "Enoch was well-pleasing to God."  
• The phrase "walked with God" is also used to describe Noah (Gen 6:9).  Abraham said that he walked before God (Gen 24:40).  Micah 6:8 commands all Christians to "walk humbly with your God."  Speaking through the prophet Malachi, God used it to describe the Jewish priesthood, who "walked with me in peace and integrity (Mal 2:6)."
• Halak is used in Gen 17:1, where it is translated "live."  God commanded Abraham, "Live (halak) in my presence and be blameless."
• In Deuteronomy God's people are repeatedly commanded to walk in God's ways (Dt 8:6; Dt 10:12; Dt 11:22; Dt 19:9; Dt 26:17; Dt 28:9; Dt 30:16).
• Psalms and Proverbs use the word halak to describe living with integrity (Ps 26:1; Ps 84:11; Ps 101:2; Pr 2:7; Pr 10:9; Pr 14:2; Pr 28:6; Pr 28:18), living by God's truth (Ps 26:3; Ps 86:11), living by God's law (Ps 78:10), and living by God's ordinances (Ps 89:30).  
• Isaiah uses halak to describe living righteously and uprightly (Is 33:15; 57:2).
• Jeremiah uses halak to describe living according to God's instruction (Jer 26:4; 32:23).  
• F.F. Bruce says that according to the teaching of the prophets, walking with God, together with the practice of justice and lovingkindness, is God's fundamental requirement of man.  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 289.)
• Homer Kent wrote, ""Well-pleasing to God is the Septuagint rendering of Gen 5:24, 'Enoch walked with God.'  The Greek translators merely interpreted the anthropomorphic Hebrew idiom into a more readily understood Greek expression.  'Walking with God' means pleasing God."  (Epistle to the Hebrews, 220.)
• John MacArthur says walking with God in Gen 5:24 refers to communing with and fellowshipping with God.  In the New Testament it is used to represent faithful living.  
• Halak is also used negatively of the Israelites when they disobeyed God and living (halak) according to the customs of the nations the Lord dispossessed before the Israelites (2 Ki 17:8).  In Psalm 1:1 it used used of those who walk in the advice of the wicked.  

Selected New Testament Verses on "Walk":  

• John 8:12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
• Rom 6:4 "Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life."
• Rm 8:4 "in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
• Rm 13:13 "Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy."
• 2 Cor 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
• Gal 5:16 "I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh."
• Eph 2:1-2 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient."
• Eph 4:1 "Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received"
• Eph 4:17-19 "Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts... giving themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more."
• Eph 5:2 "and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God."
• Eph 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light"
• Eph 5:15 "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise"
• Col 1:10 "so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,"
• Col 2:6-7 "So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude."
• Col 3:5-9 "5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices"
• 1 Thess 2:12 "we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory."
• 1 Jn 1:6-7 "6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
• 1 Jn 2:6 "The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked."
• 3 Jn 4 "I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth."

was taken away, and so he did not experience death.  He was not to be found because God took him away.

Donald Hagner says that the word "taken" in this verse literally means "translated," or conveyed from one realm to another. (Hebrews, 185.)

The KJV renders "taken away" as translated.  Homer Kent wrote, "Translated (metatithemi) means 'removed' or 'transferred'."  (Epistle to the Hebrews, 220.)

The NIV Study Bible (Gen 5:24) says of the phrase "then he was not there because God took him (Gen 5:24), "The phrase replaces 'and then he died' in the other paragraphs of the chapter.  Like Elijah, who was 'taken' (2 Ki 2:10) to heaven, Enoch was taken away to the presence of God without experiencing death."  For example, the text says of Enoch's father, Jared, and son, Methuselah, that they both "died."  But as for Enoch it says, "then he was not there because God took him."  

But Hebrews 11:5 tells us what really happened.  He never died.  Enoch and Elijah are the only two people in history to never taste death.  

Surprisingly, the commentator William Barclay believes that the writer of Hebrews got it wrong and that Enoch did in fact die.  He says that what Genesis 5:24 really means is that he went to heaven to be with God.      

The NLT translates (Gen 5:24) "then he was not there" with "Then one day he disappeared."  

Those Christians living when Christ returns will not experience death (1Co 15:51–55; 1Th 4:17). 

Donald Hagner says the phrase "He was not to be found because God took him away" is a quotation from the LXX of Gen 5:24.  (Hebrews, 185.)

William Barclay writes about the different ways that people view death.  (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 135.)

1. As mysterious and inexplicable.
1. William Morris "Death have we hated, knowing not what it meant."
2. Francis Bacon "Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark."
2. As the one inevitable thing in life.  
1. "Death is inevitable and there is nothing to be gained by struggling against it."
2. Shakespeare makes Caesar say in Julius Caesar, "It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come."  
3. As sheer extinction.  
1. "To die was to go out to nothingness and be lost in an eternal sleep."
4. As the supreme terror and the unmitigated evil.  
5. As a release.  
1. "Weary of the world and of life, they have seen it as escape... There are those for whom death is good because it is the end of life."
6. As a transition.  
1. "Not an end, but a stage on the way; not a door closing, but a door opening."
7. As an adventure.  
1. Peter Pan "To die will be awfully big adventure."  
8. As an entering into the nearer presence of him with whom that have lived for so long.

he was approved as one who pleased God.

6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 

William Barclay says this verse contains the two great foundation acts of faith of the Christian life.  (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, 138.)

1. We must believe in God.
2. We must believe that God is interested.  

This verse contradicts the false ideas of atheism and deism.

please | 2100: euaresteo

Euaresteo is only found three times in the New Testament, and all three are in Hebrews -- Heb 11:5, 6, 13:16.  

The Complete Word Study Dictionary says is means, "To gratify entirely, to please, to please well."  Antonyms would be apeithéō (544), to be disobedient; atimázō (818), to dishonor; kataischúnō (2617), to bring shame to; parakoúō (3878), to neglect to hear, disobey.  It comes from the word euarestos (2101).  

The word euarestos (2101) is used 9 times in the NT, where it is translated pleases, pleasing, acceptable, and well-pleasing.  See Rom 12:1, 2; 2 Cor 5:9; Eph 5:10; Phil 4:18; Col 3:20; Heb 13:21; Rm 14:18; Tt 2:9.  

The Complete Word Study Dictionary says eurarestos (2101) is a compound word from eu (well), and aresko (to please).  It means "well-pleasing."  

Websters 1828 Dictionary gives the following definitions for "please."

1. Verb, transitive.
1. To excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to gratify; as, to please the taste; to please the mind.
2. To satisfy; to content.
3. To prefer; to have satisfaction in; to like; to choose.
1. To be pleased in or with, to approve; to have complacency in.
2. To please God, is to love his character and law and perform his will, so as to become the object of his approbation.  

The Merriam-Webster dictionary says the verb "please" means to give pleasure to.  Wiktionary says it means to make happy or satisfy; to give pleasure to.  The American Heritage Dictionary says it means to give enjoyment, pleasure, or satisfaction to; make glad or contented.  Collins Dictionary says, "If someone or something pleases you, they make you feel happy and satisfied."  Worknik says it means to give enjoyment, pleasure, or satisfaction to; make glad or contented.

Selected verses with the word "please" (not all are the word euarasteo):  

• Ps 19:14 (NLT) "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
• Ps 51:16-17 "You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.  You will not despise a broken and humbled heart."
• Psalm 69:30-31 "I will praise God's name with song and exalt him with thanksgiving.  That will please the Lord more than a bull with horns and hooves."
• Pr 15:26 (AMP) "The thoughts of the wicked are shamefully vile and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasing words to Him."
• Pr 16:7 "When a person's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
• Pr 20:23 "The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales."
• Pr 21:3 (NLT) "The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices."
• Eccl 2:26 "For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight.  This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind."
• Eccl 7:26 "And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her."
• Mt 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
• Mt 17:5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”
• Mk 8:33 (AMP) But turning around [His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have a mind intent on promoting what God wills, but what pleases men [you are not on God’s side, but that of men]. 
• Jn 5:30 (AMP) "I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me."
• John 8:29 "The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 
• Romans 8:8 "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. "
• Rm 12:1 "Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship."
• Rm 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
• 2 Cor 5:9 "Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him."
• Gal 1:10 "For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."
• Eph 5:10 "testing what is pleasing to the Lord."
• Phil 2:13 (NLT) "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
• Col 1:10 "so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God"
• Col 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
• 1 Thess 2:4 "Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts."
• 1 Thess 4:1 "Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God—as you are doing—do this even more."
• 1 Tim 2:1-3 "First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior"
• 1 Tim 5:4 "But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn to practice godliness toward their own family first and to repay their parents, for this pleases God."
• 2 Tim 2:4 "No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer."
• Heb 11:5 "By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God."
• Heb 11:6 "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
• Heb 12:28 (NLT) "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe."
• Heb 13:16 "Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices."
• Heb 13:21 "equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever., Amen."
• 1 Pt 2:19 (NLT) For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment."
• 1 Jn 2:17 (NLT) "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."
• 1 Jn 3:22 "and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight."
• 1 Jn 5:14 (NLT) "And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him."

draws near | 4334:  proserchomai

In Heb 4:16 it is translated "approach."  "Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need."  

The ESV Study Bible (Heb 4:16) says this word means "approach, go to, draw near to," and "is used consistently in Hebrews to represent a person approaching God."  

Heb 7:25 translates it "come."  "Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them."

In Heb 10:1 it is translated "worshipers."  "Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year."

In Heb 10:22 it is translated "draw near."  "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water."

In Heb 12:18 it is translated "come."  "For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm."

The NKJV Study Bible (Heb 11:6) says, "The word 'comes' is used repeatedly in Hebrews to refer to the privilege of drawing near to God."  

rewards

F.F. Bruce says, "The reward desired by those who seek Him is the joy of finding Him; He Himself proves to be their exceeding joy (Ps 43:4)."  (The Epistle to the Hebrews, 290.)

John MacArthur writes, "In other words, every good thing that God has, including eternal life, constitutes the reward of belief.  For faith we receive forgiveness, a new heart, eternal life, joy, peace, love, heaven -- everything!"  (Hebrews, 310.)

Verses about rewards:

1. Ps 58:11

seek | 1567: ekzeteo

The Complete Word Study Dictionary says zeteo means, "To seek out, search diligently for anything lost."  

Jer 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."

Primary Sources:

• F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on the New Testament
• John MacArthur, Hebrews, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary
• William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Daily Study Bible Series
• William Lane, Hebrews:  A Call to Commitment
• Leon Morris, Hebrews, Bible Study Commentary
• Foy Valentine, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, Layman's Bible Book Commentary
• Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary
• Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, New International Biblical Commentary
• John Owen, Hebrews, Crossway Classic Commentaries
• Barnes' Notes, Logos Bible Software
• Pulpit Commentary, Logos Bible Software
• The Biblical Illustrator, Logos Bible Software
• Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary
• The Complete Biblical Library, New Testament Commentary
• Louis H. Evans, Jr., Hebrews, The Communicator's Commentary
• J. Dwight Pentecost, A Faith That Endures:  The Book of Hebrews Applied to the Real Issues of Life
• Homer A. Kent, Jr., The Epistle to the Hebrews:  A Commentary
• The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible, Logos Bible Software