That's the thing. There's Hebrews 11:1 and it seems to say what faith is. Faith is the substance...So I wanted to know what exactly scripture meant by substance. So I looked it up in the concordance and it actually says it can be a person.
I like using a Concordance because many times a word will have several definitons in the original language of what the word means and a lot of times, subsituting a listed definition from the common usage that we use nowadays can be very different and shine light on the subject. I dont know Greek or Hebrew so the only thing I can do is to use differing definitions and try to get a feel for how it would change the common understanding of that passage and then ponder way above our heads into God's thoughts to see if it feels right and what are the ramifications of not using the common understanding and using a new different perspective.
Sometimes it makes more sense than the common understanding and sometimes it still leaves us scratching our heads! I think that if we all admit it this verse (Hebrews 11:1) even trying to use the common understanding of the verse...is a real head scratcher and always has been, lol.
I suppose the common understanding is that, Faith is the substance...ok we have faith in us somehow, perhaps in our DNA or our spirit, but it's there. Like someone said, a unseen power. But what if a different definition of substance was a more accurate translation of the passage? But should we look at it intelligently or wisely? Could Faith be an actual person?
Intelligence can be defined as the ability to think logically, to conceptualize and abstract from reality. Wisdom can be defined as the ability to grasp human nature, which is paradoxical, contradictory, and subject to continual change, I think, lol. But Soloman was the wisest man to have ever lived sans Jesus. And he spoke about wisdom quite a bit.
Someone said something about How could they have Faith if I already have, and on second thought, that's a valid point and a good question. Now our intelligence says, heck no! It's a thing or a power inside of us that God gave us all the measure of. We all know that right? But we cant forget that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so perhaps it might be fruitful to try to consider that, WHat if it is true and we just dont get it. We only got one scripture so far, Hebrews 11:1 that defines that word as "person" in some instances of the language. There has to be more. Something, even a clue and then we judge the thought if it agrees with that scripture or not. It cant disagree with any scripture to be truth.
So I think we better try appling wisdom to the thought and scripture instead of intelligence. So I tried that, and there is another scripture! But does it agree? Let's see. This scripture was from the wisest man to have ever lived, Solomon.
Proverbs 1:22-25
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:.../KJV
Hey, but we were discussing if Faith is a person! Solomon's just making the point that, We need to set aside our intelligence and lean not to our own understanding, and looks towards the Holy Spirit which will be poured out and He will lead us into all truth. God has stretched out His hand to us, so can we say, oh no it's just a power in us and not a person. There's our simplicity.
Oh, I'm sorry, I left a couple of Solomons verses out.
Proverbs 1:29-21
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,.../KJV
Is Wisdom another one of those things that we are used to taking the simplistic position towards? How do you define wisdom? Holy Spirit, help us! Ok so here's the point on that. If Faith cant be a person because it is a power or whatever and I (think) the common understanding of Wisdom is Knowledge of the heart? Something like that. So it's sorta similar to Faith in that it is an unseen thing within us that helps us, so how could it be a person?!
But Solomon in Proverbs states right out that, Wisdom cries out with a voice in the streets! Can a power have a voice and speak? It sure sounds like Solomon is saying that Wisdom is a she and a person!
And if Wisdom is a person, then it isnt really that far fetched that Faith could be also. I know we wasnt taught that in the early years, but perhaps it is time to grow? I think so. And solomon sort of lends credibility to the thought that, maybe Faith is a person after all?
Does that help it hold more water or sink the boat?
