As one approaches the study of the Scriptures we have pointed out that there are some differences between the Greek/Western/American world view and that of a more Eastern/Jewish/Hebraic world view. The reality is that most of us read Bibles that were carefully translated by scholars that come from a Western or Greek point of view. Thus their translations would naturally follow that mind set. A key difference is in the foundation for who we are. Greek thought centers on what you think and how you feel. Hebraic thought centers more on what you do and how you live. The mindset of the translator and that of the reader will influence how a word or passage is translated or understood. It is not that one is necessarily incorrect but the perspective can be quite different.
The writer to the Hebrews is assumed by most to be Jewish, a writer from a Hebraic point of view writing to a predominately Jewish audience. The abundant references and passages from the Tanakh , or Old Testament indicate a great familiarity with those Scriptures. It would seem most reasonable for him to be writing from a Jewish mind set. That being said, let us consider chapter 10 verse 38. "The Just shall live by faith" (KJV) or "My righteous one shall live by faith" (NASB and NIV). This is a quote borrowed from Habakkuk 2:4, "The just shall live by his faith" (KJV or "The righteous one shall live by his faith" (NASB and NIV). The translation leads us to believe that the just/righteous one lives by or according to what he believes or thinks to be true. And this is true but it may not be as clear as we would like. The word faith is a bit ambiguous, rather hard to grasp. From Bible school days I was told that God defined faith for me right there in Hebrews. Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is something hoped for and something unseen. That really doesn't help much, other than to let me know that I was right in that faith is hard to explain or is it just more of a feeling.
Let us return to Habakkuk 2:4. The Hebrew word here is emuna. It is translated faithfulness 18 times, truth 13 times, faithfully 5 times and faithful 3 times. It is only translated faith one time, here in Habakkuk 2:4. What if we use the most common translation and see that the just/righteous man lives by his faithfulness. A righteous man will live faithfully. He will live out what is true. We know he is just and righteous by what he faithfully does and how he faithfully lives. A just and righteous life is lived faithfully in agreement with God's Word and God's commandments. With this now in mind, bounce back to Hebrews 10:38 where the Jewish writer is writing to a Jewish audience from a Jewish mindset, and guess what he might have meant when he quoted Habakkuk. The Righteous one shall live by his faithfulness or he shall live faithfully. Just to let you know, the Greek word here, pistis, translated faith is also translated faithfulness in Romans 3:3 and Galatians 5:22 and many other places, so faithfulness is an acceptable translation of the word.
If this is reasonable then just carry the thought a couple of verses down and we find that "faithfulness is the substance of things hoped for and faithfulness is the evidence of things not seen." When I speak to others of my faith in Messiah as savior, my faithfulness to how He calls me to live is the substance of what I hope for and my faithful living is evidence to those around me that what I say I believe is true. Faith is not intangible or hard to explain, it is the reality, the substance, of how I live. And those around me can see, understand, and grasp what my faith, my belief is for it permeates my life and is expressed in real tangible ways.
Need some examples of what I mean? By his faithfulness Able offered a better sacrifice, the first, the best of his flocks as a blood sacrifice. Through his faithfulness Enoch was taken away so he did not see death. Noah faithfully prepared an ark for the saving of his household. Abraham faithfully obeyed when he was called to go to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. All the wonderful examples in Hebrews 11 are of those who lived faithfully. They are not about what they thought and felt but about what they did and how they lived. Faithfully.
So are you and I called to live by faith or to live by faithfulness. Are we called to live faithfully in obedience to what the Lord has told us to do, or is it more about what we think and feel? The Lord did say that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. We will do what He tells us to do. We are to live faithfully. Could it be that the writer to the Hebrews is telling them and us, "But without faithfulness it is impossible to please him" (Heb 11:6). Do you think you have faith or do you live faithfully? There is a difference.
