Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Faith is the substance . . .


For most people, the word faith is simply another term for "wishful thinking." But that's not the way the Bible describes it. According to Hebrews 11:1:

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen."

substance = L. substo; sub and sto, to stand. In a general sense, being; something existing by itself; that which really is or exists; something real, not imaginary; something solid, not empty. equally applicable to matter or spirit. Thus the soul of man is called an immaterial substance, a cogitative substance, a substance endued with thought.

Faith is substance, not a force we can manipulate. And, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10.17).

(Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of The English Language)

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