Hebrews 11:1

Heb. 11:1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Blank Bible: "Vid. No. 66 - the word ?p?stas?? here used signifies confidence in 2 Corinthians 9:4; 2 Corinthians 11:17 and (?) concerning the meaning of the word substance or ?p?stas?? in this see Owen in Loc."

Bible Note 66 is not on Hebrews 11:1 but on John 16:16. Edwards probably meant this because the interpretation of this verse, as seen by Edwards, seems parallel to our text here.

[66] John 16:16. 'A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.' A little while, and ye shall not see me, i.e. when I ascend into heaven; and a little while, and ye shall see, that is, spiritually, when I ascend into heaven; and a little while, and ye shall see, that is, spiritually, when I shall send the Holy Ghost, who would not come, if I did not go to the Father. Seeing of Christ is so understood, chap. 14:19.

Bible Note 107 is on Hebrews 11:1.

[107] Hebrews 11:1. "Faith is the evidence of things not seen:" that is, it is their being evident. This verse is as much as if he had said, Faith is the being present of things that are to come, and the being clearly seen of things that are not seen. The substance of things hoped for, might have been translated the subsistence, that is, their now subsisting.

"Concerning Faith" deals more fully with the meaning.

I come now, in the second place, to show wherein saving faith differs essentially from common faith: and shall endeavor to prove what I lay down from the Scripture, which will give further evidence to the truth of the doctrine.

There is in the nature and essence of saving faith, a receiving of the object of faith, not only in the assent of the judgment, but with the heart, or with the inclination and will of the soul. There is in saving faith, a receiving of the truth, not only with the assent of the mind, but with the consent of the heart; as is evident by 2 Thessalonians 2:10: "Received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." And the apostle, describing the nature of saving faith, from the example of the ancient patriarchs, Hebrews 11, describes their faith thus, verse 13: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises; but, having seen them afar off, were persuaded of them, and embraced them." And so the Evangelist John calls faith a receiving of Christ: John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name." Here the apostle expressly declares, that he whom he means by a receiver, was the same with a believer on Christ, or one that has saving faith. And what else can be meant by receiving Christ, or accepting him, than an accepting him in heart? It is not a taking him with the hand, or any external taking or accepting him, but the acceptance of the mind. The acceptance of the mind is the act of the mind towards an object as acceptable, but that in a special manner, as the act of the inclination or will. And it is farther evident, that saving faith has its seat not only in the speculative understanding or judgment, but in the heart or will; because otherwise, it is not properly of the nature of a virtue, or any part of the moral goodness of the mind: for virtue has its special and immediate seat in the will; and that qualification, that is not at all seated there, though it be a cause of virtue, or an effect of it, yet is not properly any virtue of the mind, nor can properly be in itself a moral qualification, or any fulfillment of a moral qualification, or any fulfillment of a moral rule. But it is evident, that saving faith is one of the chief virtues of a saint, one of the greatest virtues prescribed in the moral law of God. Matthew 23:23, "Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." It is a principal duty that God required: John 6:28; John 6:29, "Then said they unto him, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom God hath sent." 1 John 3:23, "And this is his commandment, that ye believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." And therefore it is called most holy faith, Jude 1:20. But if it be not seated in the will, it is no more a holy faith, than the faith of devils. That it is most holy, implies, that it is one thing where Christian holiness does principally consist.

In Religious Affections we read:

The true martyrs of Jesus Christ, are not those who have only been strong in opinion that the gospel of Christ is true, but those that have seen the truth of it; as the very name of martyrs or witnesses (by which they are called in Scripture) implies. Those are very improperly called witnesses of the truth of any thing, who only declare they are very much of opinion that such a thing is true. Those only are proper witnesses, who can, and do testify that they have seen the truth of the thing they assert; "We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen" (John 3:11). "And I saw, and bare record, that this is the Son of God" (John 1:34). "And we have seen and do testify, that the Father sent the Son, to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14). "The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou should'st know his will, and see that just One, and should'st hear the voice of his mouth: for thou shalt be his witness unto all men, of what thou hast seen and heard" (Acts 22:14-15). But the true martyrs of Jesus Christ are called his witnesses: and all the saints, who by their holy practice under great trials, declare that faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, are called witnesses (Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 12:1); because by their profession and practice, they declare their assurance of the truth and divinity of the gospel, having had the eyes of their minds enlightened, to see divinity in the gospel, or to behold that unparalleled, ineffably excellent, and truly divine glory shining in it, which is altogether distinguishing, evidential, and convincing: so that they may truly be said to have seen God in it, and to have seen that it is indeed divine: and so can speak in the style of witnesses; and not only say, that they think the gospel is divine, but say, that it is divine, giving it in as their testimony, because they have seen it to be so. Doubtless Peter, James, and John, after they had seen that excellent glory of Christ in the mount, would have been ready, when they came down, to speak in the language of witnesses, and to say positively that Jesus is the Son of God; as Peter says, they were eye-witnesses (2 Peter 1:16). And so all nations will be ready positively to say this, when they shall behold his glory at the Day of Judgment; though what will be universally seen, will be only his natural glory, and not his moral and spiritual glory, which is much more distinguishing. But yet, it must be noted, that among those who have a spiritual sight of the divine glory of the gospel, there is a great variety of degrees of strength of faith, as there is a vast variety of the degrees of clearness of views of this glory: but there is no true and saving faith, or spiritual conviction of the judgment, of the truth of the gospel, that has nothing in it, of this manifestation of its internal evidence, in some degree. The gospel of the blessed God don't go abroad a begging for its evidence, so much as some think; it has its highest and most proper evidence in itself. Though great use may be made of external arguments, they are not to be neglected, but highly prized and valued; for they may be greatly serviceable to awaken unbelievers, and bring them to serious consideration, and to confirm the faith of true saints: yea they may be in some respect subservient to the begetting of a saving faith in men. Though what was said before remains true, that there is no spiritual conviction of the judgment, but what arises from an apprehension of the spiritual beauty and glory of divine things: for, as has been observed, this apprehension or view has a tendency to convince the mind of the truth of the gospel, two ways, either directly or indirectly.

Another comment on the passage got Edwards into trouble with John Owen via a contemporary Scottish interpreter. We will consider this debate between two greats in our Chapter s in sanctification.

And here I can't but observe, that there are certain doctrines often preached to the people, which need to be delivered with more caution and explanation than they frequently are; for as they are by many understood, they tend greatly to establish this delusion and false confidence of hypocrites. The doctrines I speak of are those of Christians living by faith, not by sight; their giving glory to God, by trusting him in the dark; living upon Christ, and not upon experiences; not making their good frames the foundation of their faith: which are excellent and important doctrines indeed, rightly understood, but corrupt and destructive, as many understand them. The Scripture speaks of living or walking by faith, and not by sight, in no other way than these, viz. a being governed by a respect to eternal things, that are the objects of faith, and are not seen, and not by a respect to temporal things, which are seen; and believing things revealed that we never saw with bodily eyes: and also living by faith in the promise of future things; without yet seeing or enjoying the things promised, or knowing the way how they can be fulfilled. This will be easily evident to any one who looks over the Scriptures, which speak of faith in opposition to sight; as 2 Corinthians 4:18; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 11:8; Hebrews 11:13; Hebrews 11:17; Hebrews 11:27; Hebrews 11:29; Romans 8:24; John 20:29. But this doctrine, as it is understood by many, is that Christians ought firmly to believe and trust in Christ, without spiritual sight or light, and although they are in a dark dead frame, and, for the present, have no spiritual experiences or discoveries. And it is truly the duty of those who are thus in darkness, to come out of darkness into light and believe. But that they should confidently believe and trust, while they yet remain without spiritual light or sight, is an antiscriptural and absurd doctrine. The Scripture is ignorant of any such faith in Christ of the operation of God, that is not founded in a spiritual sight of Christ. That believing on Christ, which accompanies a title to everlasting life, is a seeing the Son, and believing on him, John 6:40. True faith in Christ is never exercised, any further than persons behold "as in a glass, the glory of the Lord," and have "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6). They into whose minds "the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God," does not shine: they believe not (2 Corinthians 4:4). That faith, which is without spiritual light, is not the faith of the children of the light, and of the day; but the presumption of the children of darkness. And therefore to press and urge them to believe, without any spiritual light or sight, tends greatly to help forward the delusions of the prince of darkness. Men not only can't exercise faith without some spiritual light, but they can exercise faith only just in such proportion as they have spiritual light. Men will trust in God no further than they know him; and they can't be in the exercise of faith in him one ace further than they have a sight of his fulness and faithfulness in exercise. Nor can they have the exercise of trust in God, any further than they are in a gracious frame. They that are in a dead carnal frame, doubtless ought to trust in God; because that would be the same thing as coming out of their bad frame, and turning to God: but to exhort men confidently to trust in God, and so hold up their hope and peace, though they are not in a gracious frame, and continue to still to be so, is the same thing in effect, as to exhort them confidently to trust in God, but not with a gracious trust: and what is that but a wicked presumption? It is just so impossible for men to have a strong or lively trust in God, when they have no lively exercises of grace, or sensible Christian experiences, as it is for them to be in the lively exercises of grace, without the exercises of grace.