The Legacy of Faith

“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 they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13, NIV)

“These were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God planned something better for them so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40, NIV)

It’s easy to believe in what you see. In fact, that isn’t faith at all. Hebrews 11:1 confirms this:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

It’s not necessarily a bad thing to want proof or to see evidence. After all, Jesus didn’t have a problem proving His resurrection to the disciples, alleviating their doubts. In fact, as much as we chide Thomas, even dubbing him “doubting Thomas,” Jesus never once called him that. Yet He commended those who did not see, yet believed (see John 20:29). I always took that to mean the generations after Jesus’ ascension. And while it does include those people (and us!), it encompasses far more than that.

Verse 26 of Hebrews 11 says Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt.” How? This was thousands of years before Jesus was born! Because Moses was “looking ahead to his reward.” Moses had close intimacy with the Lord. Exodus 33:11 tells us that God spoke to him “face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” I believe that with this intimacy came understanding. As Moses was receiving instructions for the tabernacle, he understood that it was a shadow. He understood the magnitude of the sacrificial system and saw what it represented, though he never saw its fulfillment in his lifetime.

My point is this – none of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 saw the fulfillment of the promise. Many of them saw some sort of promise fulfilled, but they were longing for Jesus, for the full redemption of their souls. They never saw it. And yet, I’m certain that without their faith, there wouldn’t have been a fulfillment of that promise. Yes, I know that God could’ve brought about redemption through other means, but He chose to use finite, fallible humans. He chose to make our faith matter.

We benefit greatly from the faith of those who have gone before us. There is an old hymn called “Faith of Our Fathers.” The first line says,

Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword

Faith lives on, long after a person dies (see the example of Abel in Hebrews 11:4). Faith is a legacy, a gift given to future generations. And while the ultimate promise has been fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection, there are many things we still pray for and seek after. How many have spent time praying for a lost loved one? How many have prayed for nationwide revival in America? Yet there are many who didn’t see those prayers answered in their lifetime, despite never losing faith. Yet their prayers and faith paved the way and opened doors in a way they never realized. They held unswervingly to their faith.

What legacy of faith are we passing on? Do we hold to faith with a hope that anchors our souls, because we believe that all of God’s promises are true? Or do we shrink back, because we haven’t seen any evidence that God is moving or hearing our prayers? If we’re relying on evidence, our belief isn’t faith. Evidence bolsters faith so that we may believe when we don’t see anything. But are we keeping that faith in the midst of times when we don’t see anything? Are we passing on a legacy of faith to the generations to come, believing God has something better planned, so that we may be made perfect together (Hebrews 11:40)?

Faith unites us throughout all generations. It is a thread that binds us together in unity – so that, together, the threads weave into a beautiful tapestry illustrating God’s faithfulness, love and grace. Our part, our thread, is so small. Sometimes we can’t see the whole picture; but the whole picture includes us all – those who came long before and those who will come long after – and it’s beautiful.