Hebrews 11:1: the definition of faith, and what it is not
1Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not apparent.
This edition uses substance for the first term and evidence for the second — both concrete words, and both pointing away from feeling. Faith here is treated as what gives something consistency, not as a state of mind.
Short answer
Hebrews 11:1 is the most quoted definition of faith in the Bible. It ties faith to two things: what is hoped for and what is not apparent. It does not mention the absence of doubt, and the chapter that follows illustrates it with people who failed, lied and waited decades without seeing.
- Written by
- Raphael Navarro Schmitt
- Reviewed by
- Maria Luisa Navarro Schmitt
- Published on
- Reading time
- 2 min read
It is the sentence people look up when they want to know whether they have enough faith. It answers unexpectedly, by shifting the subject from the feeling to the object.
Where this verse appears
The letter to the Hebrews is written to a tired community, tempted to turn back. Chapter 11 follows a warning about persevering, and works as a gallery of examples.
The definition does not stand alone. Straight afterwards come dozens of concrete cases — Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab — several of them with failures recorded in the biblical text itself. That is how the author prefers to define: by example.
What it says
Both terms in the sentence point the same way. Faith is tied to what has not yet arrived and to what is not in view; that is, it is defined by its relation to something outside, not by an inner quality of the believer.
That is what separates the definition from self-confidence. There is no measure of intensity here, no mention of emotional conviction and no requirement not to doubt. The focus is on the object — what is hoped for, what is not apparent.
And the rest of the chapter confirms it by example. Several of those listed hesitated, laughed at the promise, or died without receiving what had been promised. The text includes them anyway, which suggests the definition accommodates far more fragility than the popular reading allows.
What to do with it today
If your question is whether you have enough faith, this verse moves the question. The measure is not how convinced you feel, but what you are holding on to while you cannot see.
And there is a practical effect on a bad day. If faith is the substance of what is still hoped for, then continuing to hope is already the exercise — with the doubt present, and without feeling anything.
What the passages say
6But without faith, it is impossible to please God. For whoever approaches God must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who seek him.
Five verses later, the minimum required of anyone approaching: to believe that he is there, and that he answers those who look for him. That is a far lower bar than we usually imagine.
7For we walk by means of faith, and not by sight.
The shortest form of the same idea in Paul, and it also sets faith against sight. Two different letters arriving at the same distinction.
A prayer to carry with you
Lord, I cannot see, and that is exactly why I need faith. Hold me to what I hope for, and do not let me measure my faith by what I feel today. Amen.