Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Many people have a wrong understanding of faith. They think of faith as something that is about as firm as a spider’s web and about as realistic as a fairytale. But God declares that the opposite is true. Let us accept God’s definition of faith.

A man was once lost in a cave for several days. People in this situation can easily become delusional. An experienced rescuer found this man but then had to leave him for a while in order to get more help. Knowing that the lost man could easily begin to doubt whether the rescuer had really been there, he left a physical object with the man to assure him that he really existed and that his promise to return was trustworthy. He gave the man something of substance which provided evidence that the encounter was real. This is an example of the true nature of faith.

Let’s take a look at some of the substance and evidence for faith in God:

The Bible

We have also a more sure of prophecy;

whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,

as unto a light that shineth in a dark place,

until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

II Peter 1:19

Peter compared the written of God to the s that he heard God speak to him from heaven and said that the written of God was “more sure”.

“The Bible was written by at least 40 different authors representing some 19 different occupations (shepherd, soldier, farmer, fisherman, tax collector, medical doctor, king, and others.) who lived during a period covering approximately1500 years. That is approximately 50 generations. The first 39 books of the Bible were written in the Hebrew language over a period of about 1,000 years. There was then a 400-year period when no scriptures were written. After that, the last 27 books of the Bible were written in the Greek language during a period covering roughly 50 years. The writers of the Old Testament could not have collaborated with one another and the writers of the New Testament could not have collaborated with those of the Old Testament. Yet the product is one book that fits together perfectly, has one all-encompassing message, and contains no contradictions or errors. There is nothing else remotely like this in all of man’s history.”

- An Unshakable Faith, by David Cloud,

Jesus Christ

“That which was from the beginning,

which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,

which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,

of the of life;

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness,

and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father,

and was manifested unto us;)

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,

that ye also may have fellowship with us:

and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

I John 1:1-3

“Let’s take the more than 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive after His death and burial, and place them in a courtroom. Do you realize that if each of those 500 people were to testify for only six minutes, including cross-examination, you would have an amazing 50 hours of firsthand testimony? Add to this the testimony of many other eyewitnesses and you would well have the largest and most lopsided trial in history.”

- Evidence for the Resurrection, by Josh McDowell

“These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”

- Encyclopedia Britannica, 1974

A lifetime is not long enough to review all of the substance and evidence for God’s and for Jesus Christ himself. In addition, the substance and evidence contained within archeological finds, God’s creation, the history of the nation of Israel, and more is absolutely overwhelming.

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast….”

Hebrews 6:19