Listen:  102 Question 2

The thought that the Lord exercised faith in creating the world comes from a misunderstanding of Hebrews 11:3 which says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”  Some have read this verse and ascribed the faith to be the faith of God.  Let’s look at the Biblical definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

To hope for something is an indication that we are not sure what the future will hold, but, by faith, we can rely on the goodness and power of God to provide our needs for the future.  Does the Lord ever hope in this sense?  Absolutely not!  Let’s read Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”  This teaches us that the Lord not only knows what will happen in the future, He determines what will happen in the future.

What about faith being the evidence of things not seen?  Are there things that the Lord does not see?  Again, absolutely not!  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”  We read in Jeremiah 23:23-24, “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.”  The Lord even looks into the depths of our thoughts and hearts as we read in 1 Samuel 16:7, “…the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

Let’s look again at Hebrews 11:3, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”  I don’t see how anyone can misunderstand this verse; it is so clear and simple.  It is through our faith that we understand that God spoke the world into existence as we read in Psalms 33:6, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”  No one saw the Lord create the world.  We, by faith, take God at His word and we believe that He framed the worlds by His word.  (102.2)