Faith in Action

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for^(A) and assurance about what we do not see.^(B)

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,^(A) so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen,^(A) in holy fear built an ark^(B) to save his family.^(C) By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.^(D)

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,^(A) obeyed and went,^(B) even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land^(C) like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents,^(D) as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.^{(E) 10} For he was looking forward to the city^(F) with foundations,^(G) whose architect and builder is God.^{(H) 11} And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,^(I) was enabled to bear children^(J) because she^[a] considered him faithful^(K) who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead,^(L) came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.^(M)

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.^(A) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,^(A) Barak,^(B) Samson^(C) and Jephthah,^(D) about David^(E) and Samuel^(F) and the prophets,

²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.^(A) And what is more, it is the third day^(B) since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us.^(C) They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”^(D)

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”^(E)