In this session of the Hebrews study, Merritt Anderson leads the group through Hebrews chapter 11—the well-known “hall of faith”—and shows how it serves as a response to everything the author has been building since the beginning of the letter.
After establishing that Jesus is better than anything that came before—better than angels, Moses, the priesthood, and the old covenant—Hebrews now calls for a response: faith.
Hebrews 11 defines faith as a confident trust in God—believing that He is who He says He is and that He will fulfill what He has promised, even when those promises are not yet seen.
Through the lives of Old Testament believers, this chapter demonstrates that faith has always been the way God’s people relate to Him. These men and women trusted God with limited understanding, holding fast to promises they would not see fulfilled in their lifetime.
In this discussion the group explores:
- What biblical faith really means in everyday language
- How faith calls for a response from both the committed, the wavering, and those drifting away
- Why the examples in Hebrews 11 point beyond themselves to something greater
- What it means that these believers lived and died trusting promises not yet fulfilled
- The danger of turning back to lesser things instead of holding fast to what is better in Christ
- How faith today means trusting fully in the finished work of Jesus
Hebrews 11 reminds us that even a small amount of faith in a great God is enough. The question is not the strength of our faith, but the object of it.
In light of everything Christ has accomplished, the call is clear: hold fast, trust fully, and do not turn back to what is lesser.
Led by: Merritt Anderson
Series: A Study Through Hebrews