John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , etc..] The faith here spoken of is not a mere moral virtue, which is a branch of the law; nor a bare assent to anything revealed, declared, and affirmed in the Gospel; nor a faith of doing miracles; nor an implicit one; nor a mere profession of faith, which sometimes is but temporary; nor the word or doctrine of faith; but that which is made mention of in the preceding chapter, by which the just man lives, and which has the salvation of the soul annexed to it: and it does not so much design any particular branch, or act of faith, but as that in general respects the various promises, and blessings of grace; and it chiefly regards the faith of Old Testament saints, though that, as to its nature, object, and acts, is the same with the faith of New Testament ones; and is a firm persuasion of the power, faithfulness, and love of God in Christ, and of interest therein, and in all special blessings: it is described as the substance of things hoped for; and which, in general, are things unseen, and as yet not enjoyed; future, and yet to come; difficult to be obtained, though possible, otherwise there would be no hope of them; and which are promised and laid up; and in particular, the things hoped for by Old Testament saints were Christ, and eternal glory and happiness; and by New Testament ones, more grace, perseverance in it, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life. Now faith is the substance of these things; it is the ground and foundation of them, in which there is some standing hope; in which sense the word upostasiv is used by Septuagint in ( Psalm 69:2). The word of promise is principal ground and foundation of hope; and faith, as leaning on the word, is a less principal ground; it is a confident persuasion, expectation, and assurance of them. The Syriac version renders it, the certainty of them; it is the subsistence of them, and what gives them an existence, at least a mental one; so with respect to the faith and hope of the Old Testament saints, the incarnation, sufferings, and death of Christ, his resurrection, ascension, and session at God's right hand, are spoken of, as if they then were; and so are heaven, and glory, and everlasting salvation, with regard to the faith and hope of New Testament saints: yea, faith gives a kind of possession of those things before hand, ( John 6:47). Philo the Jew says much the same thing of faith; the only infallible and certain good thing (says he) is, that faith which is faith towards God; it is the solace of life, plhrwma crhstwn elpidwn , the fulness of good hopes, etc..
It follows here, the evidence of things not seen ; of things past, of what was done in eternity, in the council and covenant of grace and peace; of what has been in time, in creation, and providence; of the birth, miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; of things present, the being, perfections, love, etc.. of God; of the session of Christ at God's right hand, and his continual intercession; and of the various blessings of grace revealed in the Gospel; and of future ones, as the invisible realities of another world: faith has both certainty and evidence in it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-3 - Faith always has been the mark of God's servants, from the beginning of the world. Where the principle is planted by the regenerating Spirit of God, it will cause the truth to be received, concerning justificatio by the sufferings and merits of Christ. And the same things that ar the object of our hope, are the object of our faith. It is a fir persuasion and expectation, that God will perform all he has promise to us in Christ. This persuasion gives the soul to enjoy those thing now; it gives them a subsistence or reality in the soul, by the first-fruits and foretastes of them. Faith proves to the mind, the reality of things that cannot be seen by the bodily eye. It is a ful approval of all God has revealed, as holy, just, and good. This view of faith is explained by many examples of persons in former times, wh obtained a good report, or an honourable character in the word of God Faith was the principle of their holy obedience, remarkable services and patient sufferings. The Bible gives the most true and exact accoun of the origin of all things, and we are to believe it, and not to wres the Scripture account of the creation, because it does not suit with the differing fancies of men. All that we see of the works of creation were brought into being by the command of God.
Greek Textus Receptus
εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S δε 1161 CONJ πιστις 4102 N-NSF ελπιζομενων 1679 5746 V-PPP-GPM υποστασις 5287 N-NSF πραγματων 4229 N-GPN ελεγχος 1650 N-NSM ου 3756 PRT-N βλεπομενων 991 5746 V-PPP-GPN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. Faith (pistiv). Without the article, indicating that it is treated in its abstract conception, and not merely as Christian faith. It is important that the preliminary definition should be clearly understood, since the following examples illustrate it. The key is furnished by ver. 27, as seeing him who is invisible. Faith apprehends as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses. It rests on that fact, acts upon it, and is upheld by it in the face of all that seems to contradict it. Faith is a real seeing. See Introduction, p. 363.Substance (upostasiv). See on ch. i. 3 and iii. 14. On the whole, the Rev. assurance gives the true meaning. The definition has a scholastic and philosophic quality, as might be expected from a pupil of the Alexandrian schools. The meaning substance, real being, given by A.V., Vulg., and many earlier interpreters, suggests the true sense, but is philosophically inaccurate. Substance, as used by these translators, is substantial nature; the real nature of a thing which underlies and supports its outward form or properties. In this sense it is very appropriate in ch. i. 3, in describing the nature of the Son as the image or impress of God's essential being: but in this sense it is improperly applied to faith, which is an act of the moral intelligence directed at an object; or a condition which sustains a certain relation to the object. It cannot be said that faith is substantial being. It apprehends reality: it is that to which the unseen objects of hope become real and substantial. Assurance gives the true idea. It is the firm grasp of faith on unseen fact.
Evidence (elegcov). N.T.o . Quite often in LXX for yakach, to reprove, rebuke, punish, blame. See Prov. i. 23; Wisd. ii. 14; Sir. xxi. 12. See especially on the kindred verb ejlegcein, John iii. 20. Rend. conviction. Observe that uJpostasiv and elegcov are not two distinct and independent conceptions, in which case kai would have been added; but they stand in apposition. Elegcov is really included in uJpostasiv, but adds to the simple idea of assurance a suggestion of influences operating to produce conviction which carry the force of demonstration. The word often signifies a process of proof or demonstration. So von Soden: "a being convinced. Therefore not a rash, feebly-grounded hypothesis, a dream of hope, the child of a wish."
Of things (pragmatwn). Pragma is, strictly, a thing done; an accomplished fact. It introduces a wider conception than ejlpizomenwn things hoped for; embracing not only future realities, but all that does not fall under the cognizance of the senses, whether past, present, or future.
