Devotional 15 July 2025

July 15, 2025 • Steve Torres

Hebrews 11:2-3.jpg

"For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." (Hebrews 11:2-3, ESV)

Faith is not an add-on to the Christian life, it is the life. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that the people of God have always been marked by their faith. “By it,” that is, by faith, the people of old received their commendation. They were not honored for their strength, their brilliance, or their achievements, but because they believed God. Like Abraham in Genesis 15, they were counted as righteous because they trusted the word of the Lord. And as Hebrews has already declared, “the righteous shall live by faith” (Heb. 10:38).

Jesus Himself echoed this truth: “whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). Faith is not only the means by which we are saved, it is the evidence that we are truly alive. In contrast, when Adam disobeyed God, he died, not just physically, but spiritually. Life apart from God’s word is death. Life through faith in His word is the only life that endures.

By faith, we are able to see reality as it actually is. Verse 3 tells us that the universe was created by the word of God, not out of what is visible, but from the unseen. This means that what is seen is not ultimate. The foundation of everything is not matter, but God’s spoken word. As John 1 and Psalm 33 remind us, all things came into being through Him. Faith, then, is not irrational, it is a deeper kind of vision, a sight that peers beyond the temporary into the eternal.

Faith sets us free from the tyranny of appearances, desires, and fears. It frees us to live as those who know what is truly real. It draws us out of the shadows and into the substance of God’s promises. The commendation of God, His approval and pleasure, is given to those who believe, who trust, who walk not by sight but by faith.

And so we are invited to respond. Pay much closer attention (Heb. 2:1). Hold fast our confession (Heb. 4:14). Draw near to God (Heb. 10:22). Boldly approach the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). Let us not shrink back (Heb. 10:39), but press forward, deeper into faith, while it is still called “Today” (Heb. 3:13).

Let wonder arise in your heart: the unseen is more real than the seen. God has spoken, and His word sustains all things. To believe Him is to truly live.