…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed ~John 20:29 (KJV)
An aspect of faith that we sometimes neglect to consider is the tendency to formulate our criterion for faith. We inherently decide why we believe and trust that a particular thing will occur in our lives. For instance, when we sit in a chair it is usually without question, without giving a second thought, and with the innate belief that the chair is sturdy enough to hold us up. Why do we feel so free to do this? What data told us that at least 99 out of 100 of us could do this 99.9 percent of the time each day without fail?
Some say they must see to believe. Even one of the Messiah’s disciples, Thomas, established touching and seeing as his criteria for believing the Messiah was indeed alive. He saw the Messiah as crucified and put to death but questioned His resurrection. (John 20:27-29)
While some have to physically see or know the results, others may believe based only on referenced data. An example is hearing a story about what is possible or what has been done in the past that triggers belief. There’s the centurion soldier who believed that his servant was destined to be healed as long as Jesus the Christ spoke unto the result. Prior data must have informed the soldier of this possibility with the risk of failure being nil. The Messiah saying the words necessary for healing served as the soldier’s substance and evidence, i.e., faith. (Luke 7:2-10; Matthew 8:5-13)
If you have faith for something, then express the result of your faith by speaking unto the substance and evidence.
Substance
Substance is defined as the most important part of what someone has said or written. It is the importance, seriousness, or relationship to real facts. (Ref. 1) Another definition is that substance consists of the real or essential part or element of anything; essence, reality, or basic matter. It is the tangible matter of which a thing consists. (Ref. 2)
Although the things you may hope for are yet to manifest in your presence, you can reference tangible matter or the real part of some data or element that acts as the mechanism for your belief. What is the substance you recognized and relied upon to affirm your trust in God regarding your life?
Evidence
Evidence definitions include grounds for belief or disbelief; data on which to base proof or to establish truth or falsehood. Evidence is anything that you see, experience, read, or are told that causes you to believe that something is true or has happened. (Ref. 3) Another definition is that it is a thing or set of things helpful in forming a conclusion or judgment; something indicative; an indication or set of indications. (Ref. 4)
Besides the above, www.dictionary.com says this about evidence: The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.
As you can tell the definitions for substance and evidence all coincide with what is being said about faith in Hebrews 11:1. Another feature that the definitions point out is that in which faith comes by hearing. How so, you may question? Well, the definitions mention “data” which can be acquired by hearing something being said. Hearing is one of those known factors that relates to how faith comes to you. For example, it is a matter of hearing the word of God that causes trust in God (Romans 10:17). Hearing testimonies of God’s acts can produce belief in Him to have the same actions today as He has done in the past.
What criteria or data is necessary for you to believe? What is the referenced data that you have seen, read, heard, touched, felt, tasted, or smelled that causes you to believe?
Faith is Substance and Evidence
With faith, you are referencing particular data that indicates to you whether a belief is truth or valid. What data are you using? What indications (truths or validity) is that data giving you such that you believe a certain thing?
From the scriptural perspective faith is used as the tangible means for the realization of our reliance, trust, and confidence in God for certain things. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) explains “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Thus, faith equals substance and evidence.
It is interesting to note that several dictionaries define evidence in a way that suggests it is more than what you can see physically. For example, courts of law rely on witness testimony as evidence. Testimony is data you rely on from a person telling you what he or she heard, saw, touched, smelled, or tasted.
~ Definitions are from www.dictionary.com, www.dictionary.cambridge.org, www.thefreedictionary.com, and ahdictionary.com. ~
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