Read Hebrews 11:29 – 2:2
The writer of Hebrews addresses the faith of many Biblical heroes in this passage. The people mentioned are more than the author has time to cover and though a short list was made, it still was not all-inclusive. The Bible is filled with the stories of many who showed enough faith to allow God to accomplish his will through them, but even their faith was insufficient to see the full revelation of God’s promise to them.
Many would see only partially the salvation story that God was laying out for the world, but the great faith of these heroes was never going to save them or their people. While they received a relatively great reward for their faithful actions, their faith was not enough. The author says they were waiting for the “perfecter” of their faith. Far after these individuals were dead and gone, Jesus made their faith perfect. Their faith in God was shown well-found and though they died ages before, Jesus made their faith perfect through his work on the cross.
Make It Personal
The smallest faith is nothing and everything. It is nothing in that it comes from us and, apart from the work of Jesus, has no power to save. And it is everything because Jesus’ sacrifice has acted to fulfill his promise to all who would believe. By faith these people followed God in big and small ways, so too will God honor our own faith, small though it may be.
~ written by Jeff Marner
