The Substance of Things Hoped For

A Leap of Faith?

Have you ever heard of somebody making a “leap of faith?” People use that term all the time, but do they really understand what it means? It is a phrase that was born of a philosophy of religion—one that makes a bold assumption. It is assumed by some that there is not enough evidence to conclusively prove that God exists. Therefore, it is necessary to make a “leap of faith” from where the evidence ends to where God begins.

The problem with this view is that it is unbiblical.

In Hebrews 11:1, the Bible says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is not the case that faith is a substitute for evidence, but that it is composed of evidence. I have faith in God, because I have plenty of evidence, which proves that He exists. My faith is not an expression of my personal desire for God to be real, but rather my faith is the result of my being absolutely convinced that He is real.

Faith is an expression of absolute certainty.

One of the greatest examples of Biblical faith is that of Job. He suffered the loss of his property, his family and finally, his health. Wracked with excruciating physical pain, he was also troubled in his spirit, because he, like his three friends who came to comfort him, believed that God had done all of these terrible things to him. In the discussions he had with Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, Job tried to figure out why the Lord had afflicted him to such an extreme degree. Still, through it all, he did not give up his faith in God. In Job 19:25, he expressed his firm belief in the existence of God, when he said, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” Job did not say, “I think that my redeemer lives,” or “I hope that my redeemer lives.” He said, “I know that my redeemer lives!” That is the kind of confidence called for, in the Biblical definition of faith. Only when faith is an expression of absolute certainty can it truly be “unwavering” (James 1:6).

I believe in the North Pole…

I have never been to there. I have never seen it, or touched it, or smelled it, or tasted it – but I know it’s there. I know because I have heard the testimony of eyewitnesses who have experienced it firsthand, and because of all the other evidence there is of its existence. People might scoff at the idea of one having faith in the North Pole, but it is in just the same way that I have come to have faith in God.

“For I know that my redeemer liveth…” – Job 19:25