Hebrews 11- Faith In Addition to Resilience

The word resilience comes from the Latin verb resilire, meaning ‘to rebound, to bounce back.’ Though the word resilience is not explicitly used in the Bible, related concepts communicate a similar theme. Terms such as perseverance (James 1:12; Hebrews 12:1-3), endurance (Colossians 1:12, Romans 5:3-5), and steadfastness (James 1:2-4, 2 Thessalonians 3:5) provoke us toward fortitude and victory. Perseverance highlights the persistence observed in doing something difficult. Endurance reveals the power to sustain oneself through difficulty without giving in. Steadfastness reflects a quality that empowers someone to be resolutely firm and unwavering despite challenges. These concepts identify correlating aspects that intersect with resilience.

Regardless of the verbiage, stories about individuals who contend against challenging circumstances always seem to inspire, and the Bible is not short on providing a plethora from which to choose. Collectively, this reveals that God’s Word is a book of hope, meant to inspire its readers with the truths that offer help and hope in the midst of hardship. Amazingly, these Bible stories transcend the ancient era in which they were written to impact us who are living in a very modern timeframe. The good news they contain still manages to spill across the borders of the diverse geographical locations of the ancient world into the very different countries of today. These stories also speak to us today, despite how the unique cultural realities in which they lived contradict so much of the cultural morals and mores that dominate today’s multicultural world. Despite all of that, these stories transcend those limitations and still provoke the human spirit with God’s truths. They inspire us by telling us how those individuals faced adversity, how they stood up against the odds, and how they managed to emerge victorious on the other side of the trials.

Hebrews chapter 11 dedicates an entire chapter to commend 15 of these individuals by name, including the likes of Abel and Enoch, Noah and Abraham, Sarah and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Rahab (11:4-31). The writer states that there is simply not enough time to tell of all the stories, of Gideon and Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David and Samuel (11:32-34). Interestingly, the chapter also asserts that there are countless others, too many to be named, who endured such unimaginable trials of tortures, mockings and scourgings, chains and imprisonments. Some were stoned, others sawn in two, and still others slain with the sword (Hebrews 11:35-37). The stories included in this one chapter alone are enough to leave readers speechless over the enormity of the gruesome challenges listed. And yet, this chapter is not meant to discourage. Rather, chapter 11 of Hebrews has been named with an encouraging title, seemingly precisely because of its content. It is called ‘The Hall of Faith’ or ‘The Hall of Fame.’ That is a very positive spin on such dire stories. So why is that? How can such heavy trials be addressed with such positivity?

Bible stories do not suggest that these individuals were superheroes, or that they were superhuman in any way. They were ordinary humans. They had ordinary struggles. The context provided around the remarkable moments of each of these stories reveals the very human flaws and struggles with which each person wrestled. The Bible seeks to humanize these individuals lest we put them on an unattainable pedestal. But, even in the midst of their human weaknesses and foibles, they still did extraordinary things. Enduring challenges and facing seemingly impossible situations, they still demonstrated resilience through how they persevered through and then ‘bounced back’ on the other side of the struggle. That’s worthy of acknowledgement. However, the real focus of this chapter is not on their resilience. The focus is on their faith. This chapter is not named the “Hall of Resilience.” It is called “The Hall of Faith.” This chapter highlights the fact that each of these individuals had a commendable faith- not faith in themselves, but faith in God.

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Verse 3 explains what faith looks like when it says that it is by faith that “we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” This tells us that the key to faith is believing in God, who is not visible. It takes faith to believe in something or someone, that we have not seen. Not everyone mentioned in chapter 11 saw the fruition that their faith had hoped for. Verse 13 tells us that “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” They demonstrated faith to believe that this world is not all there is, and thereby cultivated the vision to see their promises afar off, such that they were assured of them. Ultimately, they were willing to die for them. By confessing they were strangers on this earth they were investing themselves not in their limited lifetime on earth, but in the promise of what God had prepared for them to come. “But now, they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (11:16). They allowed themselves to long for something better, and because their longings were set on heavenly fulfillment, they were empowered to endure terrible trials here without losing their faith in God. “Through faith, they subdued kingdoms, worked 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, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens… received their dead raised to life again… were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection” (11:33-35). And yet, none of this was done in vain. “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise” (11:39). God acknowledged all that they endured, naming them “those of whom the world was not worthy” because they remained steadfast in their faith in Him till the end (11:38).

Hebrews chapter 11 shifts our focus from who the individual is, which the idea of resilience focuses upon, to who God is, the One who sustains the strength to overcome through the power of faith. These Bible heroes are commended for their strong faith in God which empowered them to withstand the unthinkable and to do the unimaginable. Through their trials and tribulations they developed a capacity to endure, to persevere, to remain steadfast. But the real accolades go not to these attributes, but instead, to the faith that these individuals embraced, to the faith that fueled them to continue to choose God despite incredible suffering, to the faith that gave them heavenly eyesight to see their promises afar off, to the faith that enabled them to align their hearts to desire something better that was yet to come, His heavenly country, and thereby hold fast to Him through it all. Their faith is commendable precisely because He Whom they sought in their times of torture and turmoil is Himself faithful. Through their nearness to Him they were sustained, the gift of His presence, His strength, and His power equipping them for the specific callings He had for each one. The God of today is the same God of the Bible. He still has amazing stories that He unfolds through people, sustaining them to endure and overcome, bolstering their faith by His faithfulness to them. Don’t short-circuit what He can do in you and through you because He is not yet done with you. May He strengthen your resilience to endure your challenges, but even more so, may He multiply your faith so you get to know Him better along the way.