" 1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation."
Hebrews 11:1-2
We turn now to this glorious chapter in some detail. The statement in 1 is so well- known that we sometimes pass it by without understanding its meaning. J.B. Phillips translates it thus:"Faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see." We need to be clear in our minds that "things hoped for" must be understood specifically, and not in general terms. Future salvation - i.e. salvation in its fullest sense - is what the writer has in mind, as a recollection of what has gone before in the epistle makes plain. At the end of chapter 10, he has been assuring his readers that the promise of God will not fail - "He that shall come will come", and here he says that faith in the promise is assurance of, and confidence in, its ultimate fulfilment. In the same way, 'evidence' means 'proof' or 'certainty'. This is very wonderful, for it means that a man can be sure of salvation in the 'here and now' without having to wait in an agonising uncertainty until the 'there and then'. As the Westminster Confession teaches, "Such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus... may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace... This certainty is not a bare conjecture and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope: but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation." This is the glad heritage of the children of God. We may know, beyond any peradventure, that we are saved, that we are eternally accepted, in Christ. And true faith is the assurance and certainty of this unseen hope!