Hebrews 11:6: the bar is lower than it sounds
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.
The first half alarms and the second disarms. It lists exactly what is necessary, and the list has two items — the second about seeking rather than about having found.
Short answer
Hebrews 11:6 says that pleasing God without faith is impossible, and then defines what is required of anyone approaching: to believe that he is there, and that he answers those who look for him. Two items, and neither is emotional certainty or a doctrinal system.
- Written by
- Maria Luisa Navarro Schmitt
- Reviewed by
- Raphael Navarro Schmitt
- Published on
- Reading time
- 2 min read
Almost everyone reads the first half and stops. It is the second that says which kind of faith is meant, and its size tends to surprise.
Where this verse appears
The verse sits inside the chapter that runs through examples of faith, right after the mention of Enoch. The letter is addressed to a tired community, tempted to give up.
The definition of faith was given five verses earlier, tying faith to what is hoped for and what is not apparent. This verse adds the minimum needed to come near.
What it says
The first part is a strong statement, and the one most often quoted alone. Without the second it works as a demand with no criterion — there would be no way to know whether you have enough faith.
The second part supplies the criterion, and it is short. Two convictions: that God is there, and that he answers those who look for him. There is no mention of elaborate doctrine, of the absence of doubt, or of intensity of feeling.
The second item is the more interesting. The word is seeking, not having found. That places someone still searching inside the description rather than outside it.
What to do with it today
If you wonder whether your faith counts, this verse offers a concrete test. Do you think God exists? Do you keep looking? If both answers are yes, the text is talking about you.
And there is a consequence for church vocabulary. The bar this verse sets is considerably lower than the one many communities communicate in practice, which is worth remembering when speaking to someone starting out or coming back.
What the passages say
1Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not apparent.
The definition given five verses earlier, tying faith to what is hoped for and what is not apparent. The two verses form a pair: one defines, the other sets the minimum.
6But he should ask with faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave on the ocean, which is moved about by the wind and carried away;
The instruction about asking in faith, with the image of a wave. It is a useful counterweight, and worth reading carefully: it concerns the instability of someone who oscillates, not honest doubt.
A prayer to carry with you
Lord, I believe that you exist, and I keep looking for you. If that is enough to come near, then I am coming. Amen.