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

What is faith? In our society, many use the words faith and believe interchangeably. If you believe in something then you have faith in it.

Although the word faith in Hebrews 11:1 can be translated as believe or belief, the way the word is used in that verse has more depth. In that verse, it tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) (emphasis added)).

So, faith has substance. It’s tangible. It’s something you can see. It’s not blind. And it’s not elusive.

I heard an illustration about faith that really made sense to me. And I want to share it with you.

In the 1800s, there was a man who decided to cross over Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Niagara Falls spans from New York to Canada. The tightrope he used was over 1,000 feet long, stretched between the two countries. And the man didn’t have a safety net underneath it.

Thousands of people gathered to watch the man. And on that first attempt, he successfully crossed over the waterfalls on the tightrope while holding a balancing pole.

Over the following years, the man returned to walk that tightrope multiple times. At different times, he crossed it with a sack over his body, depriving him of sight; carrying a table and chair, stopping in the middle to sit down and prop up his legs; somersaulting and doing backflips; walking backward to Canada and returning to the United States pushing a wheelbarrow; and carrying a man on his back.

Now, you could stand in the audience and say, “Yes, I believe that he can do it. I have faith that he’ll make it to the other side without falling.”

But the faith here in Hebrews 11:1 is if you volunteered to get in the wheelbarrow that he was pushing. Or if you agreed to let him carry you on his back as he crossed. By volunteering, your faith has substance. It’s evidence that you believe the man will safely push you in the wheelbarrow or carry you to the other side.

And our faith in God – to be true faith – should have substance too. As James told us,

I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is a God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:18–20 (NKJV))

James goes on to give us an example of someone whose faith had substance. He reminded us that Abraham lived out his faith when he was willing to offer his son, Isaac, on the altar when God asked him to (James 2:21–23).

And the Bible has many examples of people whose faith had substance:

• Noah’s faith had substance when he obeyed God and built an ark, even though it had never rained before (Genesis 6).
• Daniel’s faith had substance when he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” by eating the king’s delicacies and by drinking the king’s wine because he knew God didn’t want him to (Daniel 1:8 (NKJV)).
• Peter’s and John’s faith had substance when they refused to stop telling people about Jesus, even though they had been arrested and were told “not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18–20 (NKJV)).

So, can you point to the substance of your faith? As Paul exhorts us, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)).

Your faith has substance when you rely on God for everything, trusting that He will help you. People can see your faith when you obey God and quit doing something that He wants you to stop doing. Your faith is tangible when you step out in faith to do something that you know God is calling you to do.

Take a moment and make sure your faith has substance. It will be obvious as you purpose in your heart to walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Edward Koorey on Unsplash