The key to Christian living is faith which is defined here as having conviction about things we don’t see (v1) such as creation (v3).

The chapter than goes through the great heroes of faith in the Old Testament who were commended to God for their faith (v2). We have Abel who offered a better sacrifice (v4), Enoch who walked with God (v5), Noah who built the ark (v7), Abraham who obeyed God’s call (v8-10) and Sarah who had a child in her old age (v11). All of what these people did and achieved was ‘by faith’.

Without this faith it is impossible to please God (v6). It is faith that brings us to God and brings us into His wonderful blessings.

These people of faith though were still waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled when they died (v13-15). By faith they were not people of this world, they were strangers here and waiting for a better world.

As the writers goes on and speaks again of Abraham (v17-19), Isaac (v20), Jacob (v21), Joseph (v22), Moses (v23-30) and Rahab (v31), we see here a people who were trusting so much in the plan of God that they were willing to take risk and suffer in order to be faithful to God. Oh for such faith.