Hebrews 11 Chapter Summary (2024)

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Hebrews 11 Chapter Summary? ›

“Hebrews 11 tells us what it means to have faith and obtain life. Those with true faith accept God's word, focusing on assurance about what we do not see, looking beyond the situation as it can be perceived by natural vision. By exercising this kind of faith the ancients gained the warm commendation of God.

Hebrews 11 (NRSV) - Bible Society. 1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

The closest that the Bible comes to offering an exact definition is Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” From this particular passage we see that the central feature of faith is confidence or trust.

The premise of Hebrews 11 is that we are called to be like those who came before us. Not only in the way that they lived, but also in the way that they died. And Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob all died in faith, believing God, even though they never received fully what was promised to them.

Without faith, none of these heroes of Hebrews 11 would have lived for God in the ways they did. But by faith, they lived with a power the world knows nothing about and gained a salvation the world has ignored. Because of their faith, verse 16 says, "God is not ashamed to be called their God."

God takes what we cannot see, or cannot understand, and uses it to make good on His word. Since faith relies on what we've seen of God, and trusts Him for the future, it becomes the "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1–3).

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Dear Father, trustworthy God, You alone are worthy of faith, for you alone have the power to keep promises. Increase my faith, Lord. May I have the full assurance of what I hope for, the firm conviction of the reality of what I do not yet see.

It is not uncommon for preachers and Bible teachers to refer to Hebrews 11 as the Hall of Fame of Faith, since the chapter offers a long list of Old Testament saints whose trust in the Word and promises of God prompted them to act with extraordinary boldness and courage in some unexpected and often dire circ*mstances.

What is faithfulness in Hebrews 11? ›

The mentioned followers of the faith in Hebrews 11 could be better called the “Heroes of Faithfulness”, for their faith in God meant faithfulness, even to the point of death. This faithfulness produces fruit; an internal fruit of the heart which expresses itself as an external fruit of the hands.

We should not walk in fear and doubt, but we should walk in confidence in God, knowing that God is powerful and in control of everything. If God created the universe and He loves us, then we should believe and obey Him. If Noah did not believe in God, then he would not have saved his family.

Bible Gateway Hebrews 11 :: NIV. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

1Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

11 By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. 12 That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.

The Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 is a collection of famous heroes from the Old Testament, giving those examples of what it means to live by faith. Updated May 20, 2022. Faith is essential to salvation.

There are quite a few people who make it into this “Hall of Faith” and some of these include Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson and David. I'd like to look at the life of Noah. Noah is the third hero named in the Hall of Faith.