The Epistle to the Hebrews Quotes
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Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:1-3, KJV)
Context
George Michael was right. You gotta have faith. But what is faith?
Well, we're glad you asked.
This verse is probably one of the most famous verses from the Epistle to the Hebrews. Basically, the author is just saying that if we have faith, then we can trust that everything we're hoping for and dreaming of will eventually come true. Even though we can't see the path ahead of us, faith tells us that the road will lead to something great.
In other words: if you believe it, you will achieve it.
Where you've heard it
This is one of those really pretty Bible quotes that you'll see on Pinterest or engraved on some nice jewelry.
Additional Notable References:
- In the Paradiso, St. Peter gives Dante a little quiz on faith and he quotes Hebrews 11:1. St. Peter is impressed, and so are we.
- The Evidence of Things Not Seen is a book by James Baldwin about a series of child murders in the late 70s. Nice.
- A gospel song opens with this quote, which was definitely meant to be sung.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
People love keeping the faith, so you're pretty safe dishing out this little definition.