The 11th chapter of Hebrews begins with this definition of faith. “Faith is the reality of things we hope for and the evidence of things we cannot see.” What follows is a long list of old Testament heroes of faith, who by faith had good reputations.
I think one of the most interesting of them is Rahab the prostitute. How would you like to be labeled by your sin like that? I sure wouldn’t. She lived in Jericho and protected the Jewish spies because she had faith that God was with them. She and her family were saved when the Jews attacked that city, but that wasn’t the end of her story. She married a Jewish man and is listed in the genealogy of king David and, of course, Jesus. Her faith took her a long way from her sin.
I am Jim Anderson, a sinner saved by grace, who has lived my life by faith for 69 years and has been writing this blog for nearly 7 years by faith. I don’t belong in the company of the people listed in that chapter of Hebrews, because my faith is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His words recorded in the Gospels. Their faith was in God’s promise of what was to come.