Rooted in Faith, Growing in God (Hebrews 11:1–6)

 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

- Hebrews 11:1-6

To help believers understand that faith is the essential foundation for spiritual growth and pleasing God.

Faith is not a religious accessory added to the Christian life after everything else is in place; faith is the very ground on which the Christian life stands. Hebrews 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him,” and that single statement exposes the deep logic of discipleship: no amount of activity, religious language, or outward success can replace trust in God. The believer grows not by moving beyond faith, but by moving deeper into it. Faith is the first response of the heart toward God, the first act of surrender, and the first step into a life where God is truly known. When faith is alive, it does not merely agree with God’s existence; it leans toward His character, listens for His voice, and builds its future on His promises. 

Hebrews 11 also shows that genuine faith has shape, direction, and fruit. It is not vague optimism or emotional intensity. It is the confidence that God is real, that His Word is true, and that life is safest when placed in His hands. The chapter begins by describing faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” which means that faith gives substance to hope before sight ever confirms it. This is why growing Christians are not simply those who know more facts, but those whose hearts become more anchored in the unseen God who frames the visible world. In that sense, faith is both the root and the reach of spiritual maturity. 

Three marks of genuine growing faith emerge from Hebrews 11: faith steps toward God, faith stands on God, and faith seeks after God. These are not three separate lives, but three movements of one living trust. Faith steps toward God in nearness; it stands on God in confidence; it seeks after God in perseverance. Together, they describe the believer who is not content with surface religion but longs for a real relationship with the living Lord. The question is not merely whether we believe in God, but whether our faith actually draws us nearer to Him and reshapes the way we live. 

What Can We Learn From Jesus’s Post-Resurrection Ministry?

“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” 

- Acts 1:3

To learn how to imitate the ministry of Jesus after His resurrection.

After the resurrection, two discouraged disciples were walking toward Emmaus, carrying grief, confusion, and broken hopes in their hearts. Luke says they were discussing everything that had happened when Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them, though they did not recognise Him at first. The risen Lord patiently opened their understanding, and later they exclaimed that their hearts had burned within them as He explained the Scriptures on the road (Luke 24:13–35). The story shows that Jesus did not leave His followers trapped in sorrow; He met them in their disappointment and turned their despair into faith. 

That same pattern appears throughout the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension. Acts 1:3 says Jesus “presented Himself alive,” not merely as a private comfort to a few frightened followers but as a public and repeated witness to the truth of His victory. The result was dramatic: His grief-stricken, hesitant disciples became joyful, confident, and courageous witnesses of His kingdom. In this article, we will learn from Jesus how to encourage others, reason from the Scriptures, and train people so that God’s work continues through faithful servants. 

The Cross — Love Written in Blood: A Meditation on the Death of Christ

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

- Isaiah 53:5

Today, we pause before the most sacred moment in human history: the death of Jesus Christ. Kings have died, prophets have died, martyrs have died, and reformers have died, but none has died like the Son of God. The apostle Paul said, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). That statement is not merely a slogan; it is the heartbeat of Christian faith. At the centre of the gospel stands the cross, and at the centre of the cross stands the love of God, written not in ink but in blood. Isaiah had already foretold it with piercing clarity: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5). The cross, therefore, is not an accident of history; it is the chosen way by which God would rescue sinners, reveal justice, and display mercy in the same act of redemption. 

Lessons from the Seven Last Words of Jesus on The Cross

The seven last words of Jesus were not spoken in a quiet room, but in the violence and shame of crucifixion, one of the cruellest forms of execution in the ancient world. Crucifixion was not merely a quick way to kill a condemned man; it normally involved scourging, public humiliation, and prolonged suffering, often with the victim stripped, bound, and nailed to a crossbeam. The Gospel of John records that Jesus was scourged before His death, and the historical setting helps us feel the weight of every word He spoke from the cross. These words matter because they were spoken at the point of extreme suffering, yet they reveal not despair, but holy purpose, divine love, and unbroken obedience. At the Transfiguration, the Father commanded the disciples, “Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5), and that same command still stands over the cross: listen carefully to Jesus, because His final words unveil the heart of God.

When Jesus spoke from the cross, He was not speaking as a weak victim trying to survive. He was speaking as the Son who knew exactly why He had come. The crucifixion scene shows mockery, rejection, physical agony, and spiritual burden, yet every sentence Jesus uttered carried eternal meaning. In these sayings, we see forgiveness, salvation, family care, anguish, thirst, victory, and surrender. Taken together, the seven last words are not just the final sounds of a dying man; they are a sermon from the Saviour, a window into His mission, and a call to respond with faith, repentance, and obedience. The cross, therefore, becomes the place where suffering and glory meet, and where the true identity of Jesus becomes impossible to ignore.