Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
One of the first trials I covered as a reporter involved a young man accused of breaking into several homes in a community near Fredericton. During the trial, the prosecutor called to the witness stand a young woman whose home had been burglarized. She told her story of coming home to find the back window open and several items of value missing from the home. She also told of her encounter with a neighbour whose home had also been burglarized. As she began to relate their conversation, the defence lawyer stopped her. ‘No conversation,’ he declared, ‘that is not admissible’. It was my first encounter with the concept of hearsay evidence. Hearsay evidence, according to the Farlex dictionary, is the evidence of those who relate, not what they know themselves, but what they have heard from others. Very few courts allow hearsay evidence, although there are a few exceptions. As the defence lawyer told that witness, if the accused person was not present to hear the conversation, it is not admissible in court. Over the course of the many dozens of trials I have covered, I have seen many witnesses struggle with that rule. They heard people say things that they knew were important. But they weren’t allowed to pass them on. The only evidence they could give was what they actually saw with their own eyes. Otherwise it wasn’t legal evidence. Our text today tells about evidence that we have heard about but which has not been actually seen with our eyes. It’s just the opposite of our legal system, but it is better evidence than what the courts allow.
If we apply the test of our legal system, many of the things that our faith is based on could be seen as only hearsay. But we know better. As we look into the Scriptures, we place our absolute faith on what they say. We accept that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). We accept what the faithful teachers of the Word have told us, and appreciate the wonderful testimony of the Scriptures in their harmony and their power. This means, as our text declares, that things not seen are more important to us than things that we can actually see and feel. This is because of faith. A wise man once said that while the world tells us that seeing is believing, faith tells us that believing is seeing.
One of the most beautiful words in our text is the first word: now. Our faith, and the precious truths and promises that faith reveals to us, are not something to be hoped for or obtained in the future. No, faith is immediate. Faith is the present. Faith is now. That is why we can rejoice in our salvation. The things that we hope for are real, more real than the material things that we see around us. Let us thank God for them now. – Jim MacIntosh