Faith refuses to accept the inevitable but it learns to keep trusting in the unexplainable. That seems to be the clear teaching of the final section of Hebrews 11 where the writer talks about faith’s wonderful accomplishments then goes on to talk about people who by faith were sawn in two.
In yesterday morning’s sermon we looked at how some of faith’s stories have positive outcomes – natural outcomes, personal outcome and national outcomes are affected as people believe God. The challenge of that is what we do with our belief that God has not changed and that he is still sovereign over these arenas of life.
Then there are faith stories that have negative (for now) outcomes, notably as people are martyred. Here is where we see that while faith refuses the inevitable, it also learns to trust God through the inexplicable. Hebrews 11 makes no difference between the faith of the people who saw positive outcomes and those who saw negative outcomes. Nor does Acts make a distinction between the faith of James (martyred) and that of Peter (miraculously freed from prison). God does not leave Paul with his thorn because Paul’s faith is deficient or he goes about his prayer in the wrong way: he leaves it because he knows that in some way it is actually good for Paul. How much harm has been done pastorally by people who have not understood these things?
It’s important to note the not now aspect of all of this. There is a sense in which none of Hebrews 11’s stories comes to its complete conclusion. All the Old Testament heroes died without getting everything that is promised. They are waiting until “the work on earth is done” and we are all made perfect together in a kingdom that will never be shaken.
You can download a readable copy of the sermon here.
