Faith is taking God at His Word - the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Les Feldick consistently defines faith as taking God at His Word - believing what God has said simply because God said it, even when it cannot be seen or touched. Faith deals with the invisible realm, and the worlds themselves were framed by the Word of God.
Hebrews 11:1 — This verse is the Bible's direct, explicit definition of faith - the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:3 — Explains how faith operates: by taking God at His Word that He spoke the worlds into existence from the unseen.
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith: 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' The very next verses show what faith produces: 'For by it the elders obtained a good report' (Hebrews 11:2), and 'Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear' (Hebrews 11:3). Romans 10:17 adds, 'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Romans 3:25 also connects faith to Christ's atoning work: 'Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.'
Les Feldick's one clear-cut definition of faith is 'taking God at His Word,' and he says he has never found a better definition. When a person reads something in Scripture and believes it even without fully understanding it, that is faith - because God is the One who said it. He insists his faith is not blind; it is documented in the Word of God. Les contrasts true faith with denominational labels like 'Methodist faith' or 'Catholic faith,' and with the church's drift into works and programs. He shows from Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, using Joseph as an example: Joseph believed Israel would leave Egypt only because God had said so. He also contrasts Cain and Abel - Cain's problem was that he did not believe what God said.
Les Feldick's constant definition of faith is 'taking God at His Word.' He says, 'When you can read something in here, and even though you can't understand it, we believe it. Why? Because it's God that said it.' Taking God at His Word means being settled on what God says - 'through faith, by taking God at His Word, what God says, we're settled on it.' It excludes denominational labels like 'Methodist faith' or 'Catholic faith,' and it excludes the drift into works and programs that Les sees in modern Christianity.
Hebrews 11:1 says faith is 'the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' Les explains that this concerns the realm of the spiritual - things that cannot be tangibly touched or tested. 'So when we enter into the realm of the spiritual, into these things that we cannot just tangibly touch, it has to be on the basis of faith.' Faith is the very core, the epitome, of what we hope for, and it provides the proof of what is unseen.
Hebrews 11:2 says, 'For by it the elders obtained a good report.' Les identifies 'the elders' as the Old Testament saints. Their good report came directly through faith - by taking God at His Word. This same principle runs through Hebrews 11: the Old Testament saints believed what God had said, and that faith was credited to them as a good report.
Hebrews 11:3 says, 'Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.' Since the entire visible universe was spoken into existence by the God who cannot be seen, the only way to comprehend it is by faith. Les emphasizes, 'We're dealing with the invisible, and the only way we can comprehend the invisible is how?' - by faith, taking God at His Word.
Romans 10:17 says, 'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Les builds on this: 'You cannot exercise faith until God speaks it.' He points to Joseph, who could not have believed that Israel would one day leave Egypt unless God had said they would. Because God had promised it, Joseph could say, 'You take my bones with you because you're going to leave. God said so.' Faith is always a response to something God has spoken.
Romans 3:25 says Christ is 'set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood.' Les joins the two together: 'Without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and without faith there is no salvation.' He defines faith as taking God at His Word, and says that unless we can do that, 'we can't get the first base with Him.' The difference between Cain and Abel illustrates the point: 'Cain might have been a nicer guy than Abel, but what was Cain's problem? He didn't believe what God said.'
The 3 Parts of the Law & Why They Don't Save You
And then you have the third part of the law, which, of course, was civil. How neighbor was to get along with his neighbor, and how they were to handle the very aspects of their society, how to transfer deed of land, and all the intrinsic problems of a society were covered in the civil law.
Faith as Substance and Evidence
Les explains Hebrews 11:1 - faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen - and says the spiritual realm can only be grasped on the basis of faith.
Faith, the Elders, and Creation
Les ties Hebrews 11:1-3 together: by faith the Old Testament elders obtained a good report, and by faith we understand the worlds were framed by God's Word, so the visible came from the invisible.
Faith Is Not Blind
Les responds to the charge of 'blind faith' by insisting his faith is documented in Scripture; faith is simply taking God at His Word.
Les's Definition of Faith
Les writes his definition on the board - faith is taking God at His Word - and explains that we believe Scripture even when we don't understand it because God said it.
Faith Versus Works
Les repeats his one clear-cut definition - taking God at His Word - and warns that Christianity has drifted into works and programs, losing the truth that the just shall live by faith.
Faith Comes by Hearing
Les shows that faith is not a denominational label and cannot be exercised until God speaks; Joseph's confidence that Israel would leave Egypt rested entirely on God's promise.
Faith and the Blood of Christ
Les links faith to Christ's blood - God set Him forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood - and contrasts Cain and Abel to show that faith means believing what God said.
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This is the Bible's core definition of faith - the anchor verse for the whole question.
Hebrews 11:2: For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Shows that the Old Testament saints were approved by God through faith.
Hebrews 11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Demonstrates that faith accepts the unseen God's Word as the explanation for the visible universe.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Explains that faith originates from God's spoken Word, not human opinion.
Romans 3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Connects faith to the atoning work of Christ - salvation comes through faith in His blood.
Genesis 50:25: And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
Les uses Joseph's command about his bones to show that faith rests on what God has promised.
Hebrews 11:1 says faith is 'the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' Les Feldick sums it up in one sentence: faith is taking God at His Word - believing what God has said simply because God said it.
Les describes faith as the very core, the epitome, of things hoped for. Since the things of the Spirit cannot be physically touched or tested, faith is what gives them substance and reality to the believer.
No. Les insists his faith is not blind - it is documented. 'There is so much in here to prove the validity of this Book, that I don't have to have any doubt.'
Romans 10:17 says, 'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Les adds that you cannot exercise faith until God speaks it - faith always rests on what God has actually said.
Cain may have been a nicer person than Abel, but his problem was that he did not believe what God said. Faith - taking God at His Word - is what made the difference between the two brothers.
Watch the Teaching: The 3 Parts of the Law & Why They Don't Save You