By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (Heb 11:3)"Yeah, sure, I get it." But ... do we? The author of Hebrews explained in the previous chapter that faith is absolutely essential. We are to "draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb 10:22). What faith is that? That our hearts are "sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb 10:22). He warns, "Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward" (Heb 10:35) because "My righteous one shall live by faith" (Heb 10:38; Hab 2:3-4). To "shrink back" is "destruction," but faith preserves the soul (Heb 10:39) Faith is essential. So the author asks and answers, "What is faith?" We have the famous, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). That is, faith is not a whim, a mere belief. It is "assurance" -- literally, the substance -- of hope and the "conviction" -- literally, the proof or evidence -- of things not seen. Like ... Creation (Heb 11:3).
The text tells us that the belief that the worlds were prepared by the word of God and not "made out of things which are visible" is a matter of faith. It is one of those "things not seen." We might question it. "I mean, how can you suggest it was not made out of things that are visible if science says otherwise?" By faith. By believing God's Word. That's what we read at the beginning of our bibles, so that's what we believe. That's faith.
So why am I telling you this? I mean, isn't that obvious? Yes, it is faith. We didn't see it happen. We have arguments from the world that it did not happen that way. But we choose, based on what the Bible tells us, to believe it ... by faith. "So, Stan, what's your point?" Well, just 3 verses later we read, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb 11:6). Well, now, hang on a minute! Did the author of Hebrews just link "by faith we believe in Creation" to "if you don't believe that, you can't please God"? I'm not going that far ... out loud. I just think that it is pretty brave to say, "I have faith" and "I can please God" while openly denying that God made all that is seen from that which is not seen -- a fundamental matter of faith. I would not be comfortable standing there when the two -- Hebrews 11:3 and Hebrews 11:6 -- are so close together. I would personally be cautious about affirming the latter while denying the former. But that's just me.
11 comments:
It also seems by this that faith is something we do. It isn't some passive non-work, but something what activates us, the Erg that gets us moving into serving God.
I must respond to your final line with, “It’s not just you.” My personal conviction that God made the world through His Word in six days (and superintends it all) is the same faith that trusts Him for everything else every day of my life (and for all eternity)--a faith that I believe pleases God and is honored by Him. Although we did not witness Creation as it first happened, we see clear evidence of the event in retrospect now--and increasing so, as new scientific discoveries are made--and therefore my faith is not a “blind faith” at all; neither is my daily trust in Him. As the Genesis 1:1 advocates say, if you don’t believe God’s Word as given at the beginning of the Bible, how can you trust any of it? Personally, my faith is in the God as revealed in the whole Book.
As solid as my faith in God and His Word is, I will admit that I get a bit stuck on Heb. 11:3: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” My confusion arises because I know that much of what made up our world is indeed visible to us, i.e. the chemical elements that form the Periodic Table and comprise all physical matter (whether in solid, liquid, or gaseous forms). We have also discovered the composition of some of the minutest parts of our world (such as atoms, neutrons, cells, DNA, genes, etc.)--formerly unseen--and we even know of invisible forces such as gravity, friction, magnetism, electricity, etc. I realize that all we know and understand is only a “drop in the bucket,” and so much more is indeed unseen, but still, much does seem visible--to the extent that it confirms to reasonable people that belief in true science and in God and His Word are not inconsistencies at all. I can see irrefutable evidence of Creation all around me, so I am wondering: in what sense are these things not visible?
The Creation, biblically, was the act of God making all that is seen out of what is not. The phrase is ex nihilo -- from nothing. From nothing else that existed but Himself.
I understand the worlds were created from nothing, but I would say that that “nothing” became something that is now visible (not to contradict Scripture), i.e. the chemical elements of our world, etc. Even though I don’t exactly follow the language of Heb. 11:3, my thoughts might be bordering on metaphysics (and on Christian Science thought), which I don’t wish to be doing, so I’ll just agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson that, “All I have seen [understood] teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen [understood].”
The question you're asking (without actually seeking an answer) is how did God use "nothing" (that which is not seen) to become everything (that which is seen)? I suppose I'd stack that up with raising the dead, holding back the Red Sea, stopping the sun for a day, moving shadows backward, etc. You know, just about any miracle you'd care to mention. How? No idea. Which, I assume, is part of why they're classified as miracles.
Actually, I was seeking an answer but not about how God performs His miracles (that I understand is not something we mere mortals will ever know in this lifetime). I was focusing on the “is not visible” (i.e. cannot be seen now--which I was saying I didn’t think was true) vs. “was not visible” (i.e. did not exist until God created it--which I totally understand). Perhaps I am overthinking it. (I have always thought that the Book of Hebrews contains unusual phrasing and language in general, so that might be the issue for me.) In any event, I appreciate your trying to follow my query and respond.
As I have always understood it, God made all that exists out of Himself. Now, God is not corporeal -- you know, He's supernatural. Outside of nature. So He made all that we now see out of that which cannot be seen even today -- Himself.
I get that, but I was also thinking of Rom. 1:20a: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…,” which seems to me to contradict Heb. 11:3 (due no doubt to a faulty interpretation on my part). In any case, the gist of all my remarks above (and I apologize for being so long-winded about it!) is that God’s general revelation of Himself through Creation--His omniscience, omnipotence, sovereignty, creativity, etc.--should be obvious to all (Rom. 1:20b) and impossible to miss--i.e. highly visible. Indeed, the more I explore His handiwork, the more I see His power, and the more my faith grows.
I guess I'm confused at this point. In what sense are God's attributes "seen" as in "perceived through the eyes"? I never once thought that Paul meant that we actually get a visual input of God's attributes. I always understood him to mean "perceive, realize, discover." So, while the language is similar ("visible" vs "seen"), I don't think Paul's version means we visibly see God's attributes. As such, I see no contradiction between the two texts.
Perhaps “are seen” as in “are on display,” i.e. visible and obvious enough that even the ungodly men of Rom. 1:18 “are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20b). The “perceive, realize, discover” you mention are done with the eyes as well as the mind, I am certain--especially in regards to the world around us--as we take in evidence of God’s handiwork and attribute it to a Supreme Being. I believe we see manifestations of God’s attributes in Creation--absolutely! That’s why I travel around the country (and Canada) marveling at the beautiful scenery He provided us (speaking of which, I better get back to my packing!).
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