Hebrews 11:39-40 NIVUK
[39] These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, [40] since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Arriving at my parents-in-law’s place is often something of a relief, especially if we fly straight there from our home on Scotland. It takes two – sometimes three – flights to get there, with up go twenty-four hours spent on the road. We usually arrive too late for the last fast craft and spend the night in Cebu City, so we have enough energy to face the reunion the following day. Then we face a two and a half hour fast craft crossing, followed by at least a twenty-five minute drive through rural Philippines.
You can understand our relief when we arrive. And how, after doing this numerous times, we break up the journey on the way out.
We have covered a great deal of ground. This is my twentieth post on a single chapter of Scripture – the longest I have ever done on a remarkably small number of verses. It has been some journey, taking us thousands of years from the very creation of the world, to the period of the prophets which, although it began during the time of Samuel, is actually mostly concentrated around the period running up to the Exile of Israel and Judah many hundreds of years later.
We have explored the very nature of faith, in some posts that may have seemed like dry theory, but that underpinned our exploration of the great heroes of faith throughout Jewish history.
And of course, this great gallery of the Heroes of Faith, is, by its very nature, unfinished.
There are a great many heroes who have been added to it since, whose exploits have brought liberation, saved many lives, enriched nations and brought billions of people into the Kingdom of Heaven.
In a very real sense, we stand on their shoulders.
Having scaled the mighty and imposing heights of what means and does, we might think these last two verses are something of an anti-climax.
However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Because hidden in the humble, unassuming text of these two verses lie four fundamental truths that shape our faith and provide us with the possibility of having our names listed among the greats.
The first of these is that their faith was proven.
That is what is meant by the word ‘commended’. It is not just that God came up to them and patted them on the back, it is that the genuineness of their faith was proven through hardships, difficulties and struggle.
As Peter points out:
1 Peter 1:3-9 NIVUK
[3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, [5] who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, [9] for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. https://bible.com/bible/113/1pe.1.3-9.NIVUK
In this passage – which is a dream for those who like three point sermons – Peter talks about what faith does: it shields, it is proven to be genuine and it delivers an end result, all in the face of fierce and unrelenting persecution.
So what the writer to the Hebrews is saying is that each of these heroes in the Hall of Faith had a faith that was proven to be genuine.
Right away, that should cause questions to arise in us. After all, as I have said many times, the Bible is wonderfully open about the failings of its major characters – including many of
the people listed in Hebrews 11. How can their faith be said to be genuine when they struggled with doubt, or cheated other people, or committed adultery or murdered?
Where is the faith in that?
The writer to the Hebrews is not commending them for their clear and obvious moral failures. Of course not.
What he is saying is that despite their failings these people believed. And it was that faith, not their immoral connivance, that brought them through the hard times they faced.
The moral of the story here is that we should not expect faith to make us perfect. We are flawed human beings. Righteousness is faith expressed. Sin is faith denied. Sooner or later, we will sin and disbelieve God.
But faith will lead us to repent, because we know that God will reward those who earnestly seek Him, as we saw in Hebrews 11:6.
So no, faith does not make us perfect. To believe that it does is to expect to be disappointed.
But faith does make us better.
And it is this what is commended. It is through being better than we were yesterday, or the day before that proved our faith. It is through persisting and enduring despite our obvious weaknesses, shortcomings and failings that proves our faith.
Not our perfection.
The second thing we see after a proven faith is that faith is belief in what was promised.
I have two very old fashioned uncles. Their house is like a museum to a bygone era. They are in their seventies, so I can’t blame them, in a sense.
But one of them has a habit most of us left behind many years ago. For our birthdays and special occasions, he sends a cheque. A cheque with handwriting that often cannot be read by the automated tellers in our bank.
Which, I suppose, is the nearest he will ever get to cyber security.
A promise is like a cheque.
When I was young, they took five working days to clear. Which often created anxiety, especially if, like my family, money was often in short supply. You, or your parents, would write the cheque and then hope that it would be cashed at a time when there was money in
the bank account to pay for it, so that the acute embarrassment of the cheque bouncing would be avoided.
These great heroes of faith received God’s promises like a cheque, knowing that He has far more than enough resources to pay out.
So when God promised them salvation from disaster, or a child in their old age, or deliverance from slavery, they believed God. And this belief – this faith in God despite their situation – was credited to them as a righteous act (Genesis 15:6, quoted in New Testament verses on the importance of faith in Romans 4:3, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23).
But there is a huge twist to this – and twist we must understand. God often made short-range promises to these people – promises that would be fulfilled within a relatively short time, or at most within their lifetime. Many of them are the ones I described above.
However, God also made promises that were not fulfilled in their lifetime, such as the promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5), or to Jacob, that his descendants would take the Promised Land (Genesis 35:13), or to David, that one of his descendants would sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:13). Despite their evident greatness and high standing, neither Abraham nor Jacob nor David lived to see these promises fulfilled.
Hence what the writer to the Hebrews said:
Hebrews 11:13 NIVUK
[13] All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
Hebrews 11:39 NIVUK
[39] These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised
This is really important. We must be careful to understand this.
Let me give you a very good example. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is this one:
Romans 8:28 NIVUK
[28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Now, this is a very important, even foundational, verse for pretty much every Christian. We believe it. We know it.
But, and this a huge but, there are two things that this verse does not promise.
The first of these is that we will always perceive the good that God is working for us now. It’s a bit like seeing the Northern Lights (or the Southern Lights, for readers in Australia). They are there. You know they are there. And when you see them, it is glorious.
But will you always see them? No. Sometimes the skies are too cloudy.
It’s the same with our perception of God working all things to the good. When we realise how He is doing it right now, it’s a completely beautiful thing.
But we won’t always perceive it.
In fact, in some situations, we might not see it at all.
The second of these is that we will perceive it while we are still alive. The truth is, it might take Heaven for us to perceive it.
A good example of this is a mountain trail. These can be difficult and arduous and dangerous and thoroughly exhausting. But when we reach the top and see how far we have come, the view is glorious.
When we get to see this in our life, it ia a wonderful thing.
But not all of us will. Some of us will only gain this perspective after we die.
That is where faith comes in. Just as we know that the Northern Lights exist, even if we may not have seen them, and we know that mountain peaks exist, even if we haven’t been there, we know that God is working for our good even though we don’t perceive it.
But faith needs evidence. Faith does not believe in a vacuum.
Our evidence for this faith is the character of God Himself. We know that He is good, even if our circumstances are not. We know that He is love, even if we are surrounded by hate. We know that the sinful purposes of people can be used for the good purposes of God, because we know that He is sovereign and they are not.
And so, even if we do not see how or why yet, we believe and stand on the truth of Romans 8:28.
That is the type of thing that all the great heroes of faith did. They did not see what God was doing. They did not see His promises fulfilled. But they believed in Him because of what He had revealed to them of His character. And so they endured.
Having seen proven faith in God’s promises, we also see here proven faith in God’s plan:
Hebrews 11:39-40 NIVUK
[39] These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, [40] since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Now, this is pretty special.
Passengers on a budget Aer Lingus flight from London to Dublin in May 2024 were shocked to discover that they had rather special company. Hollywood A-lister Will Ferrell was on the flight with them, travelling like an ordinary Joe, not using a private plane and not travelling with a visible security guard.
That would have been quite the experience.
But what is outlined in this passage is even more special than that.
The Bible is quite clear about the final resurrection:
1 Corinthians 15:50-55 NIVUK
[50] I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. [51] Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – [52] in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [53] For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. [54] When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ [55] ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’
1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIVUK
[16] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. https://bible.com/bible/113/1th.4.16.NIVUK
There is a detail that is often skipped over in these verses. That detail is that if the dead are raised and receive their eternal rewards or punishments at the same time, then we will receive our reward at the same time as the heroes of faith.
In other words, when we stand before the Lord to receive our eternity, we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Rahab and many millions more who have endured much for the Gospel and have been victorious.
Forget Will Ferrell – that’s so much greater.
And there’s no Hangover involved.
The company we will keep at the Resurrection will far eclipse any famous personnel could ever meet on earth.
And the amazing thing is that this is God’s plan for us.
What makes it more extraordinary is not just the proved faith in God’s promises and His plan for us, but that also we will be perfected:
Hebrews 11:39-40 NIVUK
[39] These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, [40] since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
I see real blessing and encouragement in these words. If you look at all of the heroes of the Hall of Faith, you will see flaws – some more than others. For all that they achieved wonderful things and endured incredible things, they also did some really terrible things.
For every spiritual pioneer, there is a con-man. For every great leader, there is a murderer. Among them is even someone who tricked his blind father, another who was a prostitute, and a whole nation that doubted God and struggled with His will.
Nowadays, people can find themselves cancelled for the slightest little indiscretion, as soon as someone takes a dislike to their point of view.
But read through this gallery of heroes and ask yourself this: if they were ever judged by modern society’s highly hypocritical standards of moral perfection, how many would remain in this Hall of Faith?
My belief is that very few would remain.
And yet – and this is the absolutely glorious part – and yet God will make them perfect with us.
You see, the process of being made perfect begins here on earth:
Philippians 2:12-13 NIVUK
[12] Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.
But we have to face the brutal reality: it will never be finished here on earth. That is why we see verses like these:
1 John 1:8-10 NIVUK
[8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
However, it will be finished in Heaven. We will be made perfect then.
There is another aspect to this. The word ‘perfect’ also means ‘complete’, or, if you like, ‘fulfilled’.
There are aspects to modern life that will never satisfy us, that will always leave us hungry for more, that will always leave us feeling that little bit empty.
Paul wrote about that feeling:
2 Corinthians 5:1-4 NIVUK
[1] For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. [2] Meanwhile we groan, longing to
be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, [3] because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. [4] For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Romans 8:22-25 NIVUK
[22] We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. [23] Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. [24] For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? [25] But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
There was a huge hit song when I was a boy by Irish rockers U2: ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’. Some Christians have struggled with this. The writer Bono comes from a Catholic and Protestant upbringing. Many of his songs mention aspects of the Bible of which he is aware. But this song, from one perspective, seems to be saying that neither Catholicism or Protestantism – or even Christianity as a whole – is enough.
And yet, there is an aspect where our soul will always be longing for something it has not yet found, until it finds utter completeness and fulfilment in eternity.
And that is no bad thing.
Otherwise we could find ourselves comfortable in the fakery and silhouettes of a life without God.
So we see, then, four glorious aspects of the life of faith: that proven faith is in the promises of God and in His glorious plan, which leads to our perfection.
But still might ask: why did the writer to the Hebrews write this book?
It's good, then, that the next three verses tell us:
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIVUK
[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. https://bible.com/bible/113/heb.12.1-3.NIVUK
In summing up the entire message of this book, the writer builds on the foundations of the heroic history of faith and tells his fellow Hebrew believers to do four things:
· Put away anything that will prevent us from following Jesus, no matter what that is.
· Run with perseverance (and the Greek word uses includes the idea of running to save our lives) the race Jesus has set for us, with the express purpose of finishing it (2 Timothy 4:7) and winning the prize (Philippians 3:13-16; 1 Corinthians 9:23-25; 2 Timothy 2:5).
· Fix our eyes on Jesus, who wrote the book on our faith and will bring it to its conclusion.
· Consider Him. Meditate on Him: what He said, how He lived and how He died, before God raised Him from the dead. Make Him your example.
The whole point of this wonderful chapter of Hebrews 11 – and of these twenty posts – is so that we can see faith as it is. It is not, as some would have us believe, an exercise in wishful thinking. That is fanciful nonsense. After all, who would wish for a religion where their leader is assassinated in the most brutal way known to men? That would be insanity!
No, faith works because of two key aspects, as we have seen in these posts: firstly, its subject – the One we have faith in; secondly, its object – the evidence for this faith.
Put these two together, and you have the ability to make huge leaps of faith that trust in the character and ability of the One in whom you trust to take care of you.
Undermine them and you end up with the cynical, fearful, even paranoid culture that we have today, where nothing and no-one can be trusted.
This chapter was written to a people on the edge, beset by attacks from their own people as well as by the Romans. They were in a very difficult situation. The writer uses their own history to point out to them that, although they are not perfect, God will respond to their faith and will be able to unfold His plan through them.
While many ignorant people deride faith and make it out to be an irrelevance, the reality is that they themselves show faith in many, many things every day.
But those who are saved by the grace of God through faith have something much greater – or rather Someone.
So now that you know this, what will you do? Will you abandon the faith through which you cling to the God who can, and will, save you?
Or will you still believe, no matter what other people say or do, and be saved?
My hope and prayer is that you will believe.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the words in Hebrews chapter 11. They are an incredible encouragement to me. I know You can take an ordinary person who believes in You and do great things through them. Lord Jesus, I believe. Do what You will through me. Amen.
Questions
1. How is faith proven? How will your faith be proven?
2. Which of God’s promises is most precious to you?
3. Do you believe that God will keep it? Why? What makes God trustworthy?
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