April 14, 2025
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
First, let’s establish the context. The entirety of Hebrews 11 is referring to those who lived by faith and how they did so. It opens by setting the context for this entire chapter:
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:1-2 (NKJV)
Each of the individuals mentioned in the opening two verses of Hebrews are all commended for believing in things to come as though they were concrete although they were abstractions at that point in time. Because the book of Genesis is so contentious with some of the things it proposes, it would be helpful if we can approach the book with as little emotional baggage as possible. At the minimum we should be at the point whereby we’re open to the idea that God does exist and will reward us because we’re ready to diligently seek Him. God can (and will) convert us no matter where we start. This is, after all, his stated goal-that all come to a knowledge of Him. It would however, be helpful for us to have a very basic foundation already in place upon which we can begin building our faith.
I suggest you read the following books, in the following order. I believe this to be the most helpful. The Lamentations study is finished and can be found under: “Integrated Theology” then “Core Studies” then “Lamentations”. The other studies for the other books will be posted when they’re complete.
- Lamentations: Why does my life seem to be disjointed, out of sync?
- Ecclesiastes: What’s the point? Is there something that can help me make sense of it all?
- Job: IF God, THEN why evil? Doesn’t the existence of evil disprove the existence of God?
- Psalms: Why am I internally conflicted between good and evil? Is anyone concerned for my cares?
- Proverbs: What will satisfy my intellect as I think about these things?
- Song of Songs: Love, belonging, a sense of place. Where do I fit in?
The book of Genesis has several very important themes which will become more familiar as we continue our study:
- Where do we come from?
- What’s our purpose?
- How did things go wrong?
- Is there hope for me?
Let’s begin…