object, that we may be justified In Him (Gal. 2:17)'.

(The Imperial

Bible Commentary).

It is impossible to deal with faith in the New Testament without

overlapping other allied doctrines as the above quotation does, but that is

all to the good, for faith cannot stand alone.  Without the finished Work of

Christ, and the faithfulness of God, faith is void.  One or two outstanding

passages of the New Testament, however, demand attention before concluding

this survey:

'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not Believed? and

How shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not Heard? and

How shall they hear without a Preacher? ...

So then Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word  of God' (Rom.

10:13 -17).

Comment is unnecessary.

The apostle's argument is clear and explicit.

Another aspect of faith is that set forth in Hebrews 11:

'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for' (Heb. 11:1).

In preparation for this study we covered a fairly wide circle in the

examination of this word 'substance', and its usage, but nothing revealed the

intention of the apostle so well as the way in which it is used in the LXX or

Greek version of the Old Testament.  Hupostasis, the word translated

'substance' is found in a number of passages in the Old Testament, we select

a few of them as illuminating Hebrews 11:1.  'And now, Lord, what wait I for,

my hope is in Thee' (Psa. 39:7).  Where the Hebrew has the simple word

'hope', the LXX has 'My hupostasis (or ground of hope) is in Thee'.  'I sink

in deep mire where there is no standing' (Psa. 69:2).  In the next reference

it is difficult to avoid a lengthy explanation if a literal rendering,

together with the LXX parallels, be demanded.  It so happens that in the A.V.

the two adjoining verses contain the word 'substance' as a rendering of other

words.  We think, however, that sufficient for our purpose will be provided

by ignoring the surrounding difficulties, and lifting out the word translated

by hupostasis.  Spurrell's translation avoids some of the pitfalls:

'My own person was not concealed from Thee when I was formed in a

secret manner; curiously wrought in the lower bowels of the earth.

Thine eyes beheld me in embryo; and my members, each one of them was

recorded in the book' (Psa. 139:15,16. -- Spurrell's Translation).

'My bones which Thou hast made in secret, were not hidden from Thee,

nor my Substance, in the lowest parts of the earth.  Thine eyes saw my

unwrought (substance)' (LXX translation).

There is much in this passage for meditation.  Faith is to the things

hoped for, as the unborn embryo is to the fully formed and living child.

There is much that is secret, dark and mysterious, but the whole presses

forward to fulness of life.  Such is the underlying thought of Hebrews 11:1.

The things hoped for were at the moment 'not seen', they were as yet

'unborn', yet very real to faith.  As we watch the expectant mother lovingly

and quietly preparing the little garments for the life that is not yet

manifest, we have God's own illustration of that faith which is the substance

of things hoped for.