god’s hall of fame

God’s Hall of Fame

The great heroes of the Bible have always been individuals who expressed great faith or trust in the Word of God and therefore, were approved by God as a result of their faith in His Word. Hebrews 11 presents us with a list of 15 individuals in the Old Testament who demonstrated a tremendous amount of faith throughout their lives here on planet earth.

Hebrews 11

As a result of doing so, these individuals glorified God in their lives because they trusted that the Lord would fulfill His Word. These individuals were willing to trust God in the midst of great adversity, both national and personal.

Thus, they honored God for taking Him at His Word…for trusting Him. Of these 15 individuals listed in Hebrews 11, 13 men and 2 women. Hebrews 11 has been called by many and appropriately so…God’s Hall of Fame. They are the heroes of faith.

These individuals were people just like you and I. They were all sinners saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. They all had their failures and hang-ups. But God was able to use these individuals. In order for God to use them to glorify Himself, these individuals had to express faith in the promises that God made to them.

Hebrews 11

There are 3 words in Hebrews 11:1-3 summarize what true Biblical faith is: (1) “Assurance”: hupostasis (noun), “that which provides the basis for trust and reliance-trust, confidence, assurance.” (2) “Conviction”: elenchos (noun), “inner conviction based upon evidence.” (3) “Gained Approval”: martureo (verb), “to bear witness, to give testimony, testify.”

FAITH

As I noted before Hebrews 11 contains the names of 15 individuals: (1) Abel (2) Enoch (3) Noah (4) Abraham (5) Sarah (6) Isaac (7) Jacob (8) Moses (9) Rahab (10) Gideon (11) Barak (12) Samson (13) Jephthah (14) David (15) Samuel.

Hall of Fame

These individuals are summarized in Hebrews 12:1 as the “so great a cloud of witnesses.” They are witnesses to us because God bore witness to them. In each example cited in Hebrews 11, God gave witness to that person’s faith. This witness was His divine approval on their lives and ministries. The best way to grow in faith is to walk with those who are faithful.

Hebrews 11:4-40 is devoted to a summary of the lives and labors of great men and women of faith who lived in Old Testament dispensations.

In each instance, you will find the same elements of faith: (1) God spoke to them through His Word. (2) They responded to His Word and obeyed God. (3) God bore witness about them.

Hebrews 11

Let’s check out these heroes!

AbelEnochNoahAbrahamSarahIsaacJacobMosesRahabGideonBarakSamsonJephthahDavidSamuel

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” Heb. 11:4

Now who was Abel? Many Christians have little knowledge of him. The name “Abel” is the Hebrew noun hevel. His name means “breath, vapor, emptiness.” He was more than likely named this because of Eve’s disappointment with life outsideof the Garden of Eden.

Abel was the 2nd son of Adam and Eve…Cain being the first. Abel is mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 11:51 and Matthew 23:53.

Abel holds the dubious distinction of being the 1st member of the human race to be murdered. He was murdered because of jealousy on the part of his older brother Cain. But he is also listed in Hebrews 11 the 1st hero of faith. Abel is the 1st of 3 antediluvian individuals listed among the heroes of faith. What do I mean by the term antediluvian? An antediluvian is an individual lived prior to the flood. Abel, Enoch and Noah are the antediluvian’s mentioned in God’s Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.


Abel approached God with his offering by means of faith and Cain did not.

By offering up this blood animal sacrifice, Abel was expressing faith alone in Christ alone for salvation.

Cain did not follow suit and decided to work independently of God. God did not accept Cain’s sacrifice because he did not follow the required procedure. Cain didn’t offer a blood animal sacrifice which spoke of Christ and His Cross; therefore, he did not receive the gift of salvation. Cain did not operate in faith but Abel did. Abel listen and obeyed God…Cain on the other hand did not. Abel followed the directions that God had given Him as to the type of offering that would be acceptable to Him. Cain, his older brother did not. Abel was a believer…Cain was not.



“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” Heb. 11:5

Enoch is first mentioned in Genesis 4:18. “Enoch” is the Hebrew proper name chanokh. His name means “dedicated” or “set apart one, consecrated one.” Enoch’s lived up to his name. He set himself apart from the world in order to have a relationship with God. His life was dedicated to the Lord. Enoch’s name speaks of sanctification.

Enoch demonstrated dedication to the Lord by means of his faith, and we know that faith is characterized by obedience to God’s commands. He was a prophet of God.

Enoch preached the gospel in times of great apostasy. He preached against the godlessness of his generation.

Enoch was also in the line of Christ according to Luke 3:37. So Enoch was the son of Jared and father of Methuselah. He was 7th in descent from Adam in the line of Seth (Jude 14; cf. 1 Ch. 1:3). He lived halfway between Adam and the Flood. He is said to have lived 365 years. This long a period to live was not unusual prior to the Flood.



Enoch made it a habit to have fellowship with God…to commune with God. This again is accomplished by means of faith, which expresses itself in obedience to the Word of God. This phrase “walked with God” is used to describe Noah’s relationship with God.

The fact that Enoch walked with God indicates his total submission to God. It expresses the concept of faith, which we noted earlier. Faith for the Christian is trusting in the authority of the Scriptures in order to govern one’s life. Enoch’s life was governed by the Word of God.

“ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had {other} sons and daughters.” Gen. 5:21-22


“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Heb. 11:7

While Abel showed the way of faith and Enoch illustrated the walk of faith, Noah is the witness of faith. At the time Noah received his warning from God, there was no sign of a Flood. In fact, rain had never appeared on planet earth yet at that time. Noah had to take God at His Word regarding the Flood even though there was no evidence that a Flood that was to destroy the earth was even remotely possible.

His faith manifested

itself in obedience to

God’s command to build an ark.

This obedience on

the part of Noah

demonstrated his

reverence for God.


Noah’s faith not only resulted in him getting delivered from the flood but also his entire

household was delivered as well.

Noah is the first man to be called righteous in the Bible and like Enoch the Scriptures state that he walked with God meaning he had a lifestyle of fellowship with God. Gen 6:9, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.”

Noah had a relationship with God because he took God at His Word. He trusted what God said and he acted on it.


“Noah” is the proper name Noach. His name literally means “rest, quiet.” Noah was the son of the second Lamech, the grandson of Methuselah and is mentioned 10th in the descent from Adam. He was the father of 3 sons: (1) Shem (2) Ham (3) Japheth. Ham was the youngest (Gen.9:24) and Japheth the second and Shem was the oldest.

Noah lived 950 years. He was 500 years old before any of his children was born. He is the last antediluvian patriarch mentioned in the list of the heroes of faith found in Hebrews 11.


Noah was a prophet. God used Noah to warn an unregenerate and degenerate world for 120 years of the impending judgment on the earth. At Noah’s birth, his father Lamech prophesied of a coming time when the curse would be removed, indicating that the memory of the Creation and the Fall was still fresh in the minds of at least those who had received and believed the records transmitted to them from Adam. He lived in an evil world that mocked God.

Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found favor in the eyes

of the LORD.”


Now remember rain and floods for that matter had never taken place up to that time on planet earth. It is safe to assume that Noah was mocked and ridiculed by the building of this ark. Remember Noah was a preacher of righteousness indicating he promoted obedience to the Lord. His proclamation of the approaching Flood fell upon deaf ears. The ark is a type of Christ. The ark passing through the Flood waters was a type of Christ’s death, the resting of the ark on Mount Ararat, and Noah stepping forth on to the new earth, would prefigure resurrection life. The faith of Noah demonstrated by his obedience to the commands of the Lord saved his entire family whereas the disobedience of the antediluvian world resulted in their destruction (Gen. 7-9).


Hebrews 11:8, Abraham is mentioned as the 4th member in God’s Hall of Fame. Abraham is one of the heroes of faith. Faith is characterized by obedience to the commands of God. Abraham was born around 2161 B. C. in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen. 11:31). The land of Ur was located in lower Mesopotamia, more specifically on the Euphrates River in what is now southern Iraq. His name was originally Abram, which means "exalted father," but was changed by God in Gen. 17:5 to Abraham after God had established His covenant with him.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Heb. 11:8

The name Abraham means "father of a multitude," and this he was indeed though he and his wife Sarai were childless up until the time that Abraham was hundred years old (Gen. 21:5).


His father's name was Terah (Gen. 11:27) and he also was born in Ur.

Now Abraham was a man of faith and this he declared openly several times in his life. Abraham is called in Scripture "the friend of God" and he also is the recipient of a covenant promise from God.

James 2:23, “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.”


What was it that Abraham believed God would do for him? He believed that God would give him an heir from his own body even though him and his wife were well past the age producing children.

Genesis 15:4-6, “Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'This man (Ishmael) will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he (Isaac) shall be your heir.' And He (the preincarnate Christ) took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'so shall your descendants be.' Then he (Abraham) believed in the Lord; and He (the preincarnate Christ) reckoned it to him as righteousness.”


The covenant that God made with Abraham was unconditional. The Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant meaning that the agreement was based upon the Lord’s faithfulness and not Abraham’s.

The Lord was responsible to fulfill the agreement and Abraham’s part was to take God at His Word and accept it by means of faith. The Abrahamic covenant is related to the race of the nation of Israel. It was exclusively to the Jews. Abraham being the 1st Jew in history. He became the 1st of the new racial species as a result of his faith in the Lord.Abraham simply obeyed God. A Christian’s faith is based upon trusting in the authority of the Scriptures. Faith is a non-meritorious system of perception.


By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” Heb. 11:11

This is the 1st of 2 women mentioned in Hebrews 11, namely Sarah who was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac. Sarah was a person who had endurance. She persevered in the midst of adversity. Sarah was able to persevere and endure in life because of her confidence in the Lord. She trusted that He (the Lord) would be faithful and give her a child. Even when she was in menopause, she was confident that the Lord would give her a child. Now that is faith!


What is perseverance? Perseverance is a steady persistence in a course of action to attain an objective in life. Sarah possessed steady persistence in her relationship with the Lord and thus attained to spiritual maturity and executed the Lord’s plan for her life.What is endurance? Endurance is the fact or power of bearing an adversity or hardship in life. Sarah was able to bear many adversities and hardships in her life because of the power of the Word of God.

Hebrews 11:11 states that Sarah’s faith was the means by which she received the power and ability to conceive in her old age.


Her faith in the promise of the Lord to give her a child enabled the Lord to exercise His power that would give her the ability to conceive in her old age. God cannot work powerfully in our lives as he did with Sarah unless we trust Him. Our faith in the Word of God enables the omnipotence of God to be unleashed in our lives.

Faith or trusting in the promises of the Lord enables the Lord to do the impossible in our

lives.

This principle of faith operates quite simply. God speaks and we hear His Word.


“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and who received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.” Heb. 11:17

Isaac was the son of Abraham! God promised Abraham that He would give him a son (Gen. 17:19; 15:4). His mother was Sarah! Both, Abraham and Sarah were heroes because they trusted in God’s promises! Isaac became a hero also!

Hebrews 11:20, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.” Isaac showed his faith in God by blessing Jacob and Esau! He trusted that God would keep His promises.


Genesis 22:1-2, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He (God) said, ‘Take now you son, you only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’”

This must have been hard for Abraham because he waited a long time for Isaac to be born. Abraham loved his son Isaac very much. But Abraham did what God told him to do and passed the test.

One day God told Abraham to sacrifice his Isaac!


What Abraham did was a picture of what God the Father do when He would offered up His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He (God) gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life.” Abraham and Isaac both showed their faith in God by going to Moriah! Abraham was ready to kill Isaac but God stopped him (Gen. 22:9-14). Isaac showed courage and faith in God by not crying or becoming afraid when his father raised the knife to kill him.

God was really going to have Abraham kill Isaac. God was just testing Abraham’s doctrine in his soul. God wanted to show the angels (both elect and fallen) Abraham’s trust in Him!


Isaac went with his father and did what he was told just like the Lord Jesus Christ did what His Father told Him to do! Isaac obeyed his father. He was a good boy. Isaac’s obedience to his father is a picture of God the Son’s obedience to His Father’s will! We are to follow in their footsteps. We should be obedient to our heavenly Father and our earthly father’s.

Isaac learned Bible Doctrine from his father and mother and became a hero also like his parents did!


Isaac prayed that the Lord would open Rebekah’s womb (Gen. 25:21). The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer and Rebekah became pregnant with twins (Gen. 25:22-23). The Lord told Rebekah that she had two nations in her womb, Jew and Gentile (Gen. 25:23).

Rebekah gave birth to two twin boys, Jacob and Esau! Esau was the oldest because he came out first. Jacob came out second. Jacob was grabbing onto Esau’s heel when he came out after Esau (Gen. 25:26). Esau was a hairy person like a chimp (Gen. 25:25)! Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to the twins (Gen. 25:26). Esau grew up and became a great hunter (Gen. 25:27).

Back in the days when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived it was not good for the wife to go through not being able to bear a child for her husband.


Jacob hung around the house with his mother! Isaac loved Esau because he like to play outdoors and was rough and tough. Rebekah loved Jacob because he hung around the house vacuuming and cooking brownies with his mother! Jacob was wimpy because he always hung around his mother in the house! Esau was rough and tough and like to go out and kill animals for food! Esau was not God’s choice to receive the promise from God! Jacob was! Jacob was a liar and a deceiver! Jacob deceived Esau into giving him his birthright!

Esau didn’t think to much of his birthright. Jacob did! Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau because he was God’s choice!


“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.” Heb. 11:20

Isaac got old and became blind. Isaac thought he was going to die so therefore he wanted to passed down the blessing to his son Esau! Esau was his favorite but not God’s choice to receive the blessing from God! Jacob was God’s choice even though he was a liar and deceiver. One day Rebekah was listening to Isaac and heard him instruct Esau to go out and kill him his favorite game and prepare him dinner. After the dinner, Isaac was going to bless Esau! Rebekah wanted her favorite son Jacob to receive the blessing instead.


She came up with a plan to deceive her husband into giving Jacob the blessing. She told Jacob to go out and get a goat and she would prepare a savory dish for Isaac. She then put animal’s hair on Jacob’s arms so that he would feel like Esau. Remember, Isaac can’t see anymore. Jacob went along with his mother’s plan and deceived his father Isaac into giving him the blessing instead of Esau (Gen. 27)! Esau was not God’s choice but Jacob was! Isaac realized that Jacob was God’s choice! God used the deception of his wife and son to bring to pass His plan!

Even though Jacob was a jerk, God still blessed him, Grace! Isaac was going to do the wrong thing by blessing Esau!


The prophecy in Genesis 25:23 said that Esau the oldest must serve Jacob the youngest! This was God’s plan!

Isaac remembered this prophecy from God and understood that Jacob must receive the blessing even though Jacob was a deceiver and not Isaac’s favorite son! Isaac showed his faith in the Lord by blessing Jacob instead of Esau! Isaac became a hero by obeying God’s prophecy in Genesis 25:23! Isaac blessed Jacob with the promise and not Esau which was the according to God’s plan!

Isaac showed his greatness by remembering the prophecy and believing.


Heb 11:24-29, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.”

First of all, it must be emphasized that like Abraham, Moses was a man of great faith and this he declared openly several times in his life. And so Moses is listed in God’s Hall of Fame of Faith.


Moses is the key figure in the dispensation of the client nation of Israel for God used Moses to liberate the Jews from Egypt and he received the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament canon. He was also the leader of 2 million Jews who left the slavery of Egypt.

Moses was a genius in several areas: (1) Music: Ex. 15; Deut. 32 (2) Literary: Wrote the Pentateuch (3) Administrative: Led 2 million Jews for 40 years (4) Military: He delivered the Egyptian 18th Dynasty from the famous Ethiopian invasion after 3 regular armies had been wiped out. (Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews Chapter 10, paragraph 1) (5) Architectural: He built the "treasure" cities of Egypt.

No other Old Testament figure can compare with Moses. Moses is called in Scripture the “servant of the Lord” (Nm. 12:7-8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1) and he alone spoke “face to face” with the Lord.


Moses was the first and greatest of the prophets. (Ex. 33:7-23; Nm. 12:7-8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1).

Moses demonstrated his tremendous leadership skills and knowledge of the Lord by interceding in prayer for the rebellious Israelites. This intercessory prayer demonstrated the self-lessness of Moses and his love for his people as well as his deep humility and reverence for the Lord.

The Lord is also testing the faith of Moses since the circumstances that Moses found himself in were terrible and yet Moses trusted in the Word of the Lord and in particular His unconditional promises to Israel. The Lord is not only testing the humility of Moses but also his knowledge of His ways and promises to the nation of Israel. The intercessory prayer of Moses emphasizes the importance of praying according to the Word of God and claiming its promises.


Rahab, a prostitute, by hiding the spies, also showed remarkable faith as did Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. The great David, Samuel, and the Prophets exercised faith too. These people overthrew kingdoms and did great things, for they trusted and received God’s promises. Some who had trusted in Godwere tortured and they still held hope and faith in God, for they knew this life wastemporary and they held fast for thelife to come. They were too good for thisworld; they stayed in the race to win the prize and receive God’s approval andreward, as we will because of our faith in Christ.

Rahab, In Jewish mysticism, she is perceived as beautiful, wise, and the model of a convert to Judaism.


Rahab hid the spies and showed great allegiance to God—and, she became an ancestor to Jesus. The point to thehearers was this: if Rahab, who was not an Israelite, demonstrated extreme faith,why can’t you (Joshua. 2:8-11; 6:22-25; Matt. 1:5; James 2:25)? This is a demonstration of God's boundless grace, ability to redeem, and to give provision; we can trust in God.

There is a certainty we have in Christ; we have His promise as real, tangible hope forour daily Christian living.


Hebrews 11:32 says that Gideon was a hero of faith, but in fact he wasn’t always that way for he was originally a coward.

Bible Doctrine in his soul made him a hero and in particular the Faith Rest drill which was the means of spirituality for OT believers whereas the Filling of the Spirit is the means of spirituality in the Church Age. Only certain OT believers received the Holy Spirit in order to perform certain functions which in theology is called enduement. The Lord Jesus Christ took a coward and made him a hero. The Lord used Gideon along with just 300 men to defeat 135,000 Midianites who were Arabs.


The Lord gave Gideon orders and he followed them and as a result he became a visible hero in the nation of Israel. He operated in the Faith Rest concept by taking a promise from the Lord and applying it to his situation to solve his problem which was the occupation of the Midian’s inhis country, Israel. The story ofGideon takes place in the apostasy and degeneracy of Israel at the time of the Judges(middle of the 12th centuryB.C.) approximately 1148 B.C. when the world was in a terriblestate of uproar. It takes place during the time of the military dictators or judges.

The Lord uses a Pivot of mature believers today which sustains the United States. The Lord wants you and I to become part of that Pivot. You can become an invisible hero by studying the Bible and doing what it says in your life.


Gideon has made some good decisions: Believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. He has learned some Bible doctrine. Gideon’s problem was that he didn’t apply the doctrine and wasn’t advancing. He wasn’t deploying the 3rd problem solving device on the FLOT line of his soul and thus was not advancing but was in fact being defeated in his spiritual life. Gideon will be able to destroy the Arabs and free the land because the Lord was with him. You and I can do nothing without the Lord on our side.

The Lord gave Gideon His Word that he would be a hero, therefore, Gideon will have courage but first Gideon wants miracles because he is still a baby spiritually.

Gideon did what the Lord told him to do which was fight against the Arabs. Gideon became a hero because he did what the Lord told him to do.


“All these have won testimony because of their faith. Their witness of their faith is in the Scriptures and they did not “receive the promise”, their final reward of their faith. God’s promise includes “Us”! “So without us they should not be made perfect.” By perfection, He does not mean here either the perfect nature of the resurrection body or the perfection of Christ, which will be bestowed on the Church at the last day. God’s plan is for all his elect, whether they belong to the Old or New Testament period. Salvation is social, not individualistic. So long as a single member of the family is not present, the household of faith can never be complete and thus never perfect. Only the Faithful in all periods of God’s plan are saved!

Faith Under Fire, 11.35b-38: Hardship is often Faith’s most powerful testimony (vs. 39-40).


Barak, who was encouraged by the prophetess Deborah and defeated the Canaanite army of Sisera; Samson, famous as the muscleman of Israel, fatally susceptible to the charms of young women, but nevertheless the instrument of God to deliver Israel from Philistine oppression; Jephthah, haunted by his rash vow concerning his daughter, but also conqueror of the Ammonites and punisher of the tribe of Ephraim; David, Israel's greatest king and the author of many psalms, "a man after God's own heart"; and, finally, Samuel, first of the prophets and last of the judges, who lived by faith from his boyhood to his final days. Others are simply listed as the prophets, which would surely include the great names of Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and others.

For the person of faith, material comforts mean less and spiritual values mean more.


In Jesus, we have a model to follow which cannot be surpassed, for he, too, patiently endured the opposition of sinful men, even that of his own disciples. But he is also able to impart his own spirit of steadiness to those who trust him so they will not grow weary and lose heart! The author has exhorted us to keep our eyes on Jesus, to consider him. He represents faith, which has been tried to the utmost! He could take it because of the strength of his inner life. We, too, can take whatever life throws at us because we have him as our resource to draw upon. No truth in Hebrews is more strongly emphasized than this.

"Faith without deeds is useless," says James (2:20). If there is true faith, there will be consequent actions.

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the other prophets, the widow of Zarephath, the Shunamite woman - they are the stuff that dreams are made of. When we look at our stuff, we know why our dreams fizzle. We're not great stuff. Then again, look at their stuff. Gideon and Barak were chicken generals, Samson was deeply flawed, Jephthah was the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, David was the runt of the litter, the prophet Jeremiah resisted God at first and railed against him later, and the women were foreigners with no apparent right to expect anything from the God of Israel. No one ticketed them for greatness. The only one who had it pretty good start to finish was Samuel, but even he tried to hand over the kingdom to his sons, who turned out to be scoundrels (1 Samuel 8:1-3).

These people weren't great stuff, either. What's their secret then? It's faith. They did these things "by faith" - by believing in God and his promises.

Hall of Faith

The New Testament tells us that believers in Christ have enemies as well, but not human enemies. Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We are in a war with spiritual beings, Satan and his forces, who oppose the work of God's kingdom. Yet, God's kingdom can't be defeated (Matthew 16:18). When we put our faith in Christ, we join the kingdom of God.

god’s hall of fame

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