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11 1-3 Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this kind of faith that won their reputation for the saints of old. And it is after all only by faith that our minds accept as fact that the whole scheme of time and space was created by God’s command—that the world which we can see has come into being through principles which are invisible.

Faith is the distinctive mark of the saints of the old agreement

ABEL

It was because of his faith that Abel made a better sacrifice to God than Cain, and he had evidence that God looked upon him as a righteous man, whose gifts he could accept. And though Cain killed him, yet by his faith he still speaks to us today.

ENOCH

5-6 It was because of his faith that Enoch was promoted to the eternal world without experiencing death. He disappeared from this world because God promoted him, and before that happened his reputation was that “he pleased God”. And without faith it is impossible to please him. The man who approaches God must have faith in two things, first that God exists and secondly that it is worth a man’s while to try to find God.

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By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,(A) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended(B) as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.(C) And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.(D)

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a](E) For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:5 Gen. 5:24