God's Approval By Faith Alone

March 16th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 10:39—11:2 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.

Having warned his audience about the eternal dangers of turning against Jesus Christ after having previously believed in Him (10:26-31), the author attempts to encourage his audience, saying, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction” (v. 39). To “shrink back” (Gr. hupostolē) is to apostatize—turning away from Jesus after being enlightened to Him. To do so entails “destruction” (Gr. apōleia)—eternal devastation (cf. 2 Thess. 1:9). True believers, however, “have faith to the preserving of the soul.” Their “preservation” (Gr. peripoiēsis) is the protection from loss that God awards for faith. And “soul” (Gr. psuchē) in this context concerns the eternal spirit of a person—the one that either enters eternal life with Christ after death or who enters eternal death after physical death. The point being is that those who “live by faith” (10:38; cf. Hab. 2:4) are God’s people, standing in stark contrast to those who shrink back from Christ.

Having just quoted Habakkuk’s famous prophecy of God, “My righteous one shall live by faith,” Hebrews 11 presents an entire chapter of examples of those who did that very thing—both living and dying by faith. This is the Hall of Faith! In 11:1, “faith” (Gr. pistis) is defined in two ways. First, faith is “the assurance of things hoped for.” The term “assurance” (Gr. hupostasis) refers to a supported substance, or steadiness; hence, assurance. A person with faith therefore believes strongly in something that they “hope” (Gr. elpizō) for—that which they anticipate or expect. In this case, “hope” is a far cry from “wish,” for hope has a foundation for expectation, not simply a desire for something that cannot be assured or counted on as a wish does.

Second, faith is defined as “the conviction of things not seen.” A “conviction” (Gr. elegchos) refers to evidence, or proof. Things “not seen” refer to that which cannot be proven empirically. Yet godly faith understands that some things that cannot be seen (e.g., God, air, love) can still be absolutely assured, carrying a “conviction” of trustworthiness. God, for instance, can be shown to exist not in a person but in creation itself and in the argument to the contrary, for there cannot not be a God. For without an eternal God, nothing that exists could exist. Yet here we are, existing! Likewise, air certainly exists, giving us life each and every day. We thus hope for air which we cannot see. And love, another intangible that is difficult to define but known by every human being who ever lived, cannot be seen. Yet love exists everywhere. In sum, faith is being certain that what is hoped either is or will come to be. Spiritually speaking, faith believes God, specifically what He has said (in Scripture). Those who have faith likewise act on the basis of their confident hope even when circumstances tempt them to waver.

Every true Christian believes by faith that God exists and will do as He has promised. They therefore have eternal life by faith, and they live daily by that same faith. For without faith it is impossible to please God (11:6). The author takes the next 39 verses in chapter 11 to highlight the people in Scripture who illustrate true, godly faith—a chapter often called the Hall of Faith. For it is “by it,” namely faith, that “the men of old gained approval” (v. 2). They were affirmed by God favorably and authenticated as His people by one trait: faith.

Food For Thought
Everyone has faith; even atheists believe (have faith) that there is no God or gods. So it’s not faith in faith that saves, for salvation comes to us in the object of our faith—Jesus Christ. We have overwhelming evidence from Scripture and history that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. We trust in Him, refuse to shrink back from our faith, and are thus assured that God approves of us.