Hebrews 11:3 (KJV)
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.

“Through faith we understand.”

I understand that my statement above is incomplete. The context of every passage of the Bible is essential to properly understanding and applying the Bible. There is that expression “We can’t see the forest for the trees.” It’s important to see the big picture. But sometimes “We miss the tree for the forest.”

As I considered this expression, which in its entirety seems to teach that it is by faith we understand Creation, I realized that it encompasses much more than Creation. Truly it is through faith we understand the significance of every action recorded in the chapter.

• Through faith we understand the heart of every character mentioned in this chapter. 
• Through faith the lessons drawn come to light. 

Indeed, the expression transcends Hebrews chapter eleven. We acknowledge the God of the Bible through faith. Through faith we accept the Bible as authoritative.

No wonder there is such a conflict between faith and modern science today. Academia trusts the rules of scholarship. Men of renown[1]have developed their own ideas how to know whether a thing is true.

• Rules for interpretation 
• Rules for historian[2]
• Rules for science
• Rules of philosophy

There are others but one gets the idea. The point is academia has set up men as their gods. They cannot embrace faith in anything in the Bible without denying some tenant of the god they have already bowed before.

There are Believers who have learned what the academics know but have been excommunicated from that fold, not for lack of knowledge but for their lack of devotion the their god.

[1]The term takes me back to Nimrod.

[2]I recently listened to an interview of the author of “Never Caught.” Her book is said to be a biography of Ona Judge, a runaway slave of George and Martha Washington.  The author admitted that she had very little credentialed material to work from and that the material she did have had to be used in ways generally unacceptable to historians and biographers. She admitted that much of her book is “informed speculation” where she added in what must have been true but cannot be known to be true. She claimed that these stretches of fact are necessary and acceptable in this case because the subject was a slave and “she deserves a voice.” So, in the eyes of this biographer, (and her book is now being used as a textbook in many schools) it is acceptable to cast aspersions on George Washington’s character using methods her own rules consider faulty just because the subject was a slave.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

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Hebrews 11:3 (KJV) Faith Vs Academia

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