Hebrews 11:1-2
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
Truth: God commends people for their faith, not for their skill set.
In our society the worker, the athlete, and all forms of profession are evaluated by their performance and outcomes. Today, the educational industry is being rocked by a change in how they evaluate teachers. Teachers are now being evaluated by how well their students do (some thought that should always be how they were evaluated). Product is the key form of all evaluation. We are rewarded in our society if we produce. Not so in Christianity. According to the above verse, we receive commendation, from God, based upon our faith. We aren't exempt from work and production, but the production (bearing fruit) in the believers life is a direct result of their faith. Faith produces works. But, we are commended and rewarded by faith. That is what this chapter eleven of Hebrews is written to demonstrate to us. God is commending these people to us ... He is rewarding them with recognition based upon their faith. A few verses later we will read that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Christianity is the opposite of the world. We are rewarded for thrusting ourselves onto God's mercy and grace via faith. To have faith we have to come to the point that we realize we have no skill set or individual merit that would warrant God's commendation. Faith is the conduit for God's commendation. The word in Greek for commendation is "martus." As one person said it, "In a very similar sense our testimony for Jesus Christ is an extremely serious thing. Please note that the Greek word "martus"—the basis for "martureo", or "witness"—is where we get our English word "martyr." It is when, by faith in God, we express our testimony that we are known as martyr ... giving your life for Christ.
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