"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (NASB), Hebrews 11:1, is the verse I'm memorizing this week. Read that again and think about it for a second. I think a lot of times we read things and don't take the time to really sit and figure it out what it means. When it comes to the Bible, we for sure don't want to miss out on the meaning! My college minister always encouraged us to refer back to the Bible's purest translation, the Hebrew and Greek language. Taking his advice, I decided to share with you the Greek translation of this verse. I've never taken a Greek class (I hope to one day), but www.blueletterbible.org helps me out a lot. So if you're ever intrested in finding the Greek translation, check out www.blueletterbible.org. This is what I use and it gives lots of good information.
Pistis is the greek word for faith which means "the conviction of truth of anything" or "belief".
Assurance, in the greek language, is hypostasis which means "that which has foundation, is firm" and "a substance, real being."
Finally, elegchos is the greek word for conviction which means "a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested."
So if I am translating it correctly, it means our belief is our firm foundation of what we hope for and the proof of things we can't see. Our beliefs should be our foundation for our lives even if we cannot physically see them. My belief in God (something not seen) is my firm foundation for my life which then becomes proof that it is true.
I love how The Message interprets Hebrews 11:1 as, "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see."
Here are a few things that I put my faith in...
I have faith that God has healed me. (Isaiah 53:5)
I have faith that God will never leave me. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
I have faith that God is strong, when I am weak. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I have faith that God created me for a purpose. (Jeremiah 29:11)
I have faith that God loves me with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
All this talk about faith leads me to ask...
what do you believe in? What do you put your faith in?
Also, if you are memorizing scripture with me, it's time to pick out a new verse!
I would love to hear what you put your faith in and the verse you are memorizing!
Check out this song...it's one of my favorites!
Such great thoughts on Faith :) I put my Faith in Him for all of the same reasons you listed above. But, I still feel lacking in Faith a lot and I find myself constantly asking Him to please give me more! I think that just must be the way it's supposed to go. Many Blessings!!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I'm so glad you put your faith in Him! I think because we are humans its natural for us to ask Him for more. I think we just have to constantly remind ourselves that it's not about what He gives us (materialistically), it's about what we can do to glorify Him. Thanks for your thoughts!! Prayers & blessings :)
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