“What Shall I Say More?”
“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens” (Hebrews 11:32-34).
As we come to the end of this chapter Paul, rather than focusing on specific acts of faith (as he has done in the first 31 verses of the chapter), lumps together numerous people who believed God from the time of the Judges onward, and appears to have done so randomly, ignoring any chronological connection. He did this on purpose, by divine inspiration, to keep us from missing his purpose to teach us that faith is enough.
When
I say that faith is enough, I am not talking about faith in the idea of having
faith in something or someone. I am talking about true faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, as it is set forth in Holy Scripture. That faith is gospel faith, faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, faith that bows and surrenders to
Christ as Lord. This faith is the gift of God. This is the faith held before us
in Hebrews 11.
Faith
in Christ is not what most people in this age of spiritual darkness think it is
and does not bring the results in life that most expect it to bring. These days,
people tend to think that faith in Christ is manifest by tangible things. – “If
we have great faith, we have great success, great wealth, great health,” and so
on. “Health, wealth, prosperity” preachers have built religious empires by
teaching their heresy.
The
God of heaven has been reduced by these religious con artists to nothing more
than a dispenser of gifts that gratify the basest lusts of men, and a god that
can be manipulated by positive thinking. People are led to believe that faith
in Christ is synonymous with prosperity, and that our failures in business,
sicknesses, and earthly troubles are outside the purpose of God and beneath the
dignity of true faith. Faith is made to be the elusive secret for elitist
Christians to further a Hollywood lifestyle.
Contrary
To Scripture
Such teaching is totally contrary to
that which is revealed in Hebrews 11, totally contrary to the experience of all
believers (past and present), and totally contrary to the entire revelation of
God in Holy Scripture. In fact, the Scriptures teach and our experience
confirms just the opposite.
Faith in Christ is just as active, just
as real, and just as powerful when all our earthly circumstances and
experiences are distasteful, when we face deep personal loss, when our enemies
appear to conquer us, and when all hope of comfort and external peace are gone.
Faith takes us through the rivers of woe, through the fiery furnace of
adversity, over the hills of difficulty, and through many stormy seas.
Faith
is a conscious dependence upon the infinite character, power, grace, wisdom,
and goodness of God. Faith understands that we are depraved men and women,
plagued still with sin, full of personal weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and
inadequacies, and horrid unbelief.
Carries Us Through
Faith in Christ carries God’s elect
through every possible situation, because Christ himself is the Anchor of our
souls, because we are more than conquerors (not in ourselves, but) through him
that loved us, redeemed us, intercedes for us, holds us, and rules the universe
for us! The world may look upon us as pathetic, hopeless people, whose lives
are total losses and utter failures marked by tragedy. But faith mounts us up
on eagles’ wings, carrying us through great loss with peace, joy, and hope in
Christ (Isa. 40:31).
Short-sightedness
We tend to measure far too much by the level of creature comfort we attain in life. If we can achieve a certain level, (Always measured by the level others achieve or fail to achieve!), we deem ourselves successful. What shortsighted goals we set! Man, who was made to glorify God and enjoy him forever, thinks himself something if he has a bigger hut than his neighbor and enjoys the transient smiles of fallen mortals! Worms of the earth always feel best when they are buried in a pile of manure!
Faith in Christ
has absolutely no connection with those things commonly associated with it.
I do not mean to suggest that God’s people do not enjoy earthly comforts. Some
do, and some do not. Many of those described in Hebrews 11 were people of great
earthly wealth and comfort. But none of them lived for such things. Their lives
were not consumed with such base things.
Above Time And
Circumstances
Faith
in Christ enabled these men and women to do great things because faith in
Christ caused them to live above the world, above time, above circumstances,
and above their own mundane interests in this world. True faith teaches us,
causes us, and enables us to set our affection on things above while living in
the world (Matt. 6:31-33; Col 3:1-4; Tit. 2:11-14).
Faith in Christ will see us through.
Faith will carry us through every stage and demand of life, and ultimately
deliver us into the presence of Christ in heavenly glory.