Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. (NASB). 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV) 11:1 And faith is of things hoped for a confidence, of matters not seen a conviction. (YOUNG’S YLT) 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Using the NASB, “certainty” in Greek is hupostasis: Substance, assurance, confidence, essence, reality. standing under a guaranteed agreement (“title-deed”); (figuratively) “title” to a promise or property, i.e. a legitimate claim (because it literally is, “under a legal-standing“) – entitling someone to what is guaranteed under the particular agreement. hypóstasis (“title of possession”) is the Lord’s guarantee to fulfill the faith. AI: “ὑπόστασις (hypostasis), denotes the underlying reality that gives something its concrete existence (thus “substance” KJV). In Scripture the term reaches beyond philosophical abstraction and speaks to what is solid, reliable, and enduring—whether the very being of God (used in Hebrews 1:3 of the Son being the same nature as the Father which led the fourth-century theologians to adopt hypostasis to speak of the three divine Persons) ,or the settled confidence of believers.” In other words, faith is not just your belief or wish or hope that God will give you the eternal life that He guaranteed by the death of Jesus to all believers: it is the very nature of God that makes that guarantee and thus the guarantee is “certain” or sure.

Using the NASB, “Hoped” in the Greek is elpizó: To hope, to expect, to trust. ἐλπίζω presents hope not as a tentative wish but as a confident, forward-looking trust grounded in the character and promises of God. It is not just “I hope I win the lottery” without any real expectation of winning. It is a confident expectation of receiving the eternal life that God has guaranteed.

Using the NASB, “proof” in the Greek elegchos: Reproof, conviction, evidence, proof. AI: “The word denotes a demonstrative proof that exposes error and brings something to the light so that its true character is unmistakable. It functions both negatively (showing a fault) and positively (establishing what is real and sure).” Thus the word can be a negative “reproof” (2 Timothy 3:16 where the term highlights Scripture’s capacity to confront false belief or behavior and establish what is right:early Christian teachers cherished the term because it protected the church from error), or it can be a positive proof that you will for sure receive what you don’t have right now (Hebrews 11:1).

That’s a lot of Greek words and AI comments (which all come from biblehub.com “Greek text analysis”), but I think it gives a much richer meaning to Hebrews 11:1 and what faith is. Faith is trusting and believing that the promise of eternal life that God has guaranteed us by the death of Jesus is a sure thing that has solid proof b/c it is based on the very nature of God. It is believing and trusting that God will do what He has promised.

The Hebrews writer starts out with a current (for them) example of faith that uses the definition and description of faith that he gave in 11:1. Hebrews 11:³ By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.” The Greek word for “world” is actually aión: Age, eternity, world, forever, everlasting (not cosmos, the physical world or earth). Young’s translates it more correctly: Hebrews 1:³ by faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing.” (YLT) The word might include the worldly things in each age, but really refers to the past ages themselves. Here it seems to refer to the age in which God created all things by simply speaking them into existence. He spoke and something became visible that was did not exist before that. You can see how this the description of faith in 11:1. You believe God will give you something that you can’t visibly see right now, but it will become a visible reality in the future.

Then begins the great “hall of faith”. We have the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York with 350 honorees such as Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige, “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Nellie Fox, Ted Williams and many, many more. The Ken Burns documentary Baseball is an 18.5 hours miniseries that is dear to baseball lovers like myself (that was my sport in my younger years). Of course there are hall of fames for football and every other sport. But the Hebrews writer gives us the greatest hall of fame ever in this hall of faith b/c faith is eternal while sports is not.
Hebrews 11:2  For by it (i.e faith) the people of old gained approval.” “BY FAITH”: (this is just a summary: go back and read the entire chapter).
Abel: Offered a more acceptable sacrifice to God.
Enoch: Was taken up so that he would not see death.
Noah: Built an ark to save his family.
Abraham: Obeyed when called to a new land and offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Sojourned in that land 75 years without ever possessing it but never considered going back to Ur.
Sarah: Was able to have a child in her old age.
Isaac: Blessed his sons, Jacob and Esau, with faith that God would bless them.
Jacob: Blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh while in his last days before death in Egypt.
Joseph: Made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and made plans for it. Moses’ parents: Hid him when he was born at the risk of death.
Moses: Refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, left Egypt, and kept the Passover.
Joshua: Led the Israelites into the promised land.
Rahab: Helped the Israelite spies escape.
Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah: These judges performed great acts of faith.
David: Slew Goliath.
Samuel: Led the people as a prophet and judge.  Other examples
The walls of Jericho: Fell down after the Israelites marched around them.
The people who passed through the Red Sea: Crossed the sea on dry land.
Kings, prophets, and martyrs: The chapter concludes by mentioning these groups as well, who lived by faith: 11:32 the prophets,³³ who through faith did subdue kingdoms (Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah), wrought righteousness (Samuel?), obtained promises, stopped mouths of lions (Daniel), ³⁴ quenched the power of fire (the 3 Hebrew children in Daniel), escaped the mouth of the sword, were made powerful out of infirmities, became strong in battle, caused to give way camps of the aliens. ³⁵ Women received by a rising again their dead (the widow of Zarephath who had her son raised by Elijah and the Shunammite woman whose son was raised by Elisha), and others were tortured (Jeremiah, Ezekiel), not accepting the redemption, that a better rising again they might receive,³⁶ and others of mockings and scourgings did receive trial, and yet of bonds and imprisonment;³⁷ they were stoned, they were sawn asunder (the apocryphal book  The Martyrdom of Isaiah elaborate on how Isaiah was martyred in this way by King Manasseh) , they were tried; in the killing of the sword they died; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins — being destitute, afflicted, injuriously treated,³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy; in deserts wandering, and [in] mountains, and [in] caves, and [in] the holes of the earth.”

The Hebrews writer concludes this hall of faith with a curious statement: 11:³⁹ And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” God promised eternal life before the ages began, but only officially defeated death and gave immortality to believers in 70 AD. So the OT hall of faith people were approved by God to be given eternal life and were waiting in hades but did not receive immortality until they were raised (Dan 12:1-2) at the endof the age in 70 AD. They would join the 1st century believers in receiving immortality (1 Cor 15:50-55) at 70 AD. So they would not get their immortality “apart from” or before the readers of the Hebrews letter would receive their immortality in 70 AD. They would not be made perfect or complete without the inclusion of New Testament believers. They would all get their immortality together in 70 AD whether they were dead or alive (1 Cor 15:50-55).

Having researched all this, now the question is “How solid and strong is my faith?” That faith might be accomplishing great things for God or just enduring suffering or just having an assurance off eternal life in an age of atheism and skepticism.

As Paul said, 2 Corinthians 13:⁵ Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” “The faith” here would be that body of doctrine that is essential to Christianity (the Deity of Jesus, salvation by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, etc.). But it would also include examining your personal faith. That is what I need to do!