Hebrews 11:3: Through Faith We Understand
2023-06-24
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. (Hebrews 11:3)
By the first four words alone, we can glean a lot. Any spiritual understanding comes from faith. In the Old Testament, we see that the fear of the Lord, wisdom, and refraining from evil are all tied to understanding: “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). And again, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” (Psalm 111:10).
We also know that the sinner apart from God has no understanding: “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:11). “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
When we come to this verse, we see that true understanding in any spiritual endeavor requires faith. We look at one chief endeavor, which is to understand that God created everything by speaking it into existence. God is the highest authority because He created everything else. “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” (Hebrews 6:13). And again, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). And again, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10).
The word for “worlds” is translated in a few ways throughout the scriptures. Here are some examples:
“For ever”: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13). Here in the Lord’s prayer, we see that God’s kingdom, power, and glory are His eternal attributes. The word has the connotation of perpetually in the future.
“Have been since the world began”: “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Luke 1:70). The word also has the connotation of being since the beginning of time. It depends on which preposition is paired with it.
This word is a time word: αιών. It is how we get the word “eon.” It seems to include the world and both space and time. Here it is in the plural. From beginning to end, God is the author and creator of everything. Every world and every age are from Him.
There are two big elements here: God created the world through speaking it into existence, and the created, material world came from something, namely God, who is uncreated and immaterial. His speaking the universe into existence demonstrates His power. The world’s creation from nothing demonstrates His wisdom. God had no previous example to follow; His own infinite intellect is demonstrated in the intricate order of the world.
We can know much from the general revelation of God. It says a lot about how the existence of our world demonstrates that there is a Creator. Scientists have observed the world and have concluded the following, just as the Bible has said:
The universe has expanded (Isaiah 42:5), the Earth is round (Isaiah 40:22), the human body is made up of the earth’s elements (Genesis 2:7), the earth is hung in space (Job 26:7), the universe is running down (Psalm 102:25-26), water returns to its source (Ecclesiastes 1:7), and the sea has paths (Psalm 8:8) and boundaries (Proverbs 8:29) (see Norm Geisler’s Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics).
However, these facts are only helpful if they come through faith. We cannot truly understand the implications of God being the Creator without faith in Him. He is a real transcendent being who demands our worship, for He created us for that reason. We owe Him allegiance and fear because He is above all authority and more powerful than all things. One day, this Creator will bring all things into judgment.
How did God create everything by His Word or by speaking? Were vocal cords used in uttering speech? “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Rather, this Word was a person, the Son of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
When we have faith in God as Creator, we must have faith in His Son, for the Father created all things by the Son.