What is faith the evidence or proof of?
According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence, or proof, of things not seen. It operates in the realm of the invisible and spiritual, where tangible proof is absent, requiring taking God at His Word as the basis for belief.
Les explains that faith and hope are in the same meaning, just as Paul writes in Romans 8 that we are saved by hope. When we enter the realm of the invisible, we have to depend on faith. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as taking God at His Word: it is the substance, the very meat, of things hoped for, and it is the evidence, the proof, of things not seen. Les notes he used this verse in a Muscogee class when giving the plan of salvation. In the spiritual realm, where things cannot be tangibly touched, everything must be on the basis of faith. He also says that if he did not know this was the Word of God, he could not believe it.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
More Questions
Why does faith have to be the basis for spiritual things we cannot touch?
When we enter the realm of the spiritual—things we cannot tangibly touch—it has to be on the basis of faith.
What is the biblical definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1?
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as taking God at His Word, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence or proof of things unseen, using 'hoped for' just as Romans 8 does.