1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 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. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:1-4 English Standard Version

What is faith? I suspect that skeptics would say it’s a foolish belief in fairy tales. The philosopher on whose ideas communism was shaped said “Religion is the opium of the people, the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of our soulless conditions.” His words to me sound like a cry of despair. Compare that to vs 1-2 of today's reading.

Yes, faith is a state of heart and mind that focuses on things hoped for rather than what is actually seen, but it's not just an emotional flimsy feeling. It is borne along by assurance and conviction. One could even say there’s a mixture of reason and deduction. The writer of Hebrews urges his readers to look at the outcome of the lives of people from the dawn of time who had a strong assurance that God exists, and that He will reward those who reach out for Him. (vs 1-2) So where is the starting point of faith? (vs 3)

This is where reason and deduction play a part. The majesty of our universe and of planet earth, the marvels and the mysteries, have led many who lived long after Adam and Abel to conclude that there is a Creator. The books from Adam's generation, which Moses passed down in Genesis, spoke of our visible universe having been brought into existence by God's powerful word. Faith sees the design and mind of a Creator, the fool says in his heart 'there is no God'.

But faith isn't only the conviction that there is a Creator who is invisible to our eyes, it's the certainty of mind that this Creator will accomplish what He promised to the man and woman He had created. Following their disobedience to the only commandment He had given, God not only covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness with garments of skin, but He set before them a promise by saying to the one who had deceived them: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) It was a promise of a Saviour to come

Which brings us to the first of the writer's portraits in the gallery of faith, Abel. What did Abel do by faith that led to him being commended as righteous?

He offered a 'more acceptable' sacrifice than his brother Cain. My thoughts are that, knowing how God had covered his parents guilt and shame with garments of skin, Abel deduced by faith that a life needed to be given in place of a guilty soul for atonement to be made. Faith connects the dots. It sees the gap between a holy God and men and woman who have sinned. And even though Abel was killed by his brother, his act of faith still calls us to do likewise. We must approach God through the more acceptable sacrifice.

Jesus warned how the religious leaders of His day would show the same hostility towards people of faith as Cain showed to Abel. He said: “Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.” (Matthew 23:34-35)

Faith is not something we boast of and put on parade. It's the firm belief that, even if we are persecuted in this world, we have a better hope awaiting us. It's the certainty that this world was created by God, and Christ will return to reclaim all of creation. There will be new heavens and earth in which righteousness is at home.