EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Jeff Carr | Tustin, California
Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” We are to have confidence or trust in things that we cannot see. For God to ask us to live by faith is really not a stretch at all from our daily routine. Every day I start my car, use a microwave oven, etc. and I “live by faith” in that I hope those things will work. I do not look under the hood nor break open the machine every time I use them. Sometimes these items let me down. God will never let us down!
Another definition of faith comes from a few verses later in Hebrews 11:6 which comes in two parts: faith is 1) understanding that God exists, and 2) God will reward those who seek after Him. If you want an example of what that looks like no further than the rest of Hebrews 11 where various godly individuals are named as they meet these definitions of Biblical faith.
For this publication and this particular article, I have been asked to write from Hebrews 11:33, “who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises.” No specific names are mentioned in this particular verse but the Hebrew writer is calling our attention to various stories that we can find in our Old Testament that meet these criteria of faith that is pleasing to God.
Conquering Kingdoms (11:33a)
Hebrews 11:32 reads,
“And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.” (NASB20)
I understand that verses were covered in earlier editions of this publication. I will summarize 11:32-33a this way: Barak overcame the forces of the Canaanite king Jabin (Judges 4:23-24; 5:19), Gideon defeated the Midianite kings (Judges 8:3, 12, 26), Jephthah defeated the king of the Ammonites (Judges 11:12-13), and David conquered the kings of the nations around Israel (2 Samuel 8:3, 11-12). Also, Samson fought the Philistines. All these individuals were successful because of their faith in God.
Specifically let us consider David and Joshua as they also lived by faith. Joshua conquered the kingdoms of Canaan, and David conquered kingdoms that were around the country such as Moab, Ammon, and Syria. Both David and Joshua were able to conquer through believing (Hebrews 11:1, 6).
Another kingdom that has conquered all other kingdoms is the kingdom of Christ (Matthew 6:33). Christ is the king and the territory He rules in our hearts, if we allow Him to! How is Christ’s reign still in effect today when countless empires have come and gone such as the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, etc.? It is because people like us, Christians, are living by Faith! The two principal kingdoms that we are called to conquer is the flesh and the world. We are to discipline our bodies and make it our slave (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul describes this battle in Romans 6:19,
“…For just as you presented the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.”
If enough Christians would follow these precepts, we can help to grow and expand the borders of Christ’s kingdom.
Performed Acts of Righteousness (11:33b)
In establishing justice, Israel’s leaders practiced righteousness rather than injustice. Samuel is mentioned in Hebrews 11:32. 1 Samuel 7:15-17 tells us about Samuel, who,
“…judged Israel all the days of his life. And he used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. Then he would make his return to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he also judged Isrrael; and there he build an altar to the LORD.”
What does it mean when one practices justice or performs acts of righteousness? It means they are doing the right thing according to God. Many good people in the Old Testament did the right thing, even standing for God and His principles when that was not popular to do so. Samuel ruled during the time of the Judges, a time that is highlighted by people being utterly selfish and where chaos reigned (Judges 21:25). There are over 40 kings listed in our Old Testament as ruling either the United or Divided Kingdoms. Only 8 kings listed are classified as “good.” That is not a good ratio. Only 8 out of over 40! It is tempting to be popular and rule by what seems to be right (Proverbs 14:12). Performing acts of righteousness and executing God’s justice is doing what is right all the time.
As we endeavor to perform acts of righteous-ness we must remember that we must first have the right motives. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount tells us that we can give to the poor, pray, and fast for the wrong reasons, that is if our motive is “to be seen by men” (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). There is nothing wrong with giving, praying, or fasting. But if our motive is for selfish reasons then these actions become wrong. Living by faith means to glorify God. The absence of faith leads to selfishness and sensuality, and opens the door to all sorts of injustice and unrighteous-ness. Evil must be hated before good can be loved (Amos 5:15), self must be denied before Christ can be followed (Matthew 16:24), the old man must be put off before the new man is put on (Ephesians 4:22-24).
Obtained Promises (11:33c)
When there is real trust in the living God great difficulties can be overcome. Gideon was given a heavy test when he was commanded to take 300 men to destroy a powerful army (Judges 7). Joshua conquered Canaan, Gideon conquered the Midianites, etc. These faithful individuals did what God said because they believed that God would reward them for their service (Hebrews 11:6).
Consider the promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. Even though Abrham did not live long enough to see the promises come to fruition, he is still highlighted for his faith. Genesis 15:6 tells us, “he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” That one verse is quoted five times in our New Testaments (Romans 4:3, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23). When the New Testament writers cite Abraham and quote one verse five times the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us something. If you want an example of a man who lived by faith (defined in Hebrews 11:1, 6) look no further than in the life of Abraham. Abraham is the one who had a wife who was barren but was told she would have a child, and she eventually did! That child would be a blessing to all the nations. When that child came, Isaac, Abraham was told to go sacrifice his only son (Genesis 22). What allowed Abraham to even go through with this test? Abraham believed that God could raise people from the dead (Hebrews 11:19) even though Abraham didn’t ever see God actually raising someone from the dead previously (Hebrews 11:1). When God told Abraham to move he would do so, and go exactly where God told him to, and he would always put God first at every stop (Genesis 15:6, 8; 13:3, 18, etc.). That leads up to Genesis 15:6 mentioned above.
Abraham is the epitome of believing God exists and acting out in a way that God will reward him for his actions (Hebrews 11:6). He acted on God’s promises. We sing a hymn in our assemblies called “Standing on the Promises.” Here is the first verse to that great hymn:
Standing on the promises of Christ, my king;
Through eternal ages let His praises ring!
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing –
Standing on the promises of God.
_____________________________
GROW magazine | July 2026 PDF
a work of the Limestone Church of Christ
Study Links: YouVersion | Bible Gateway | Blue Letter Bible