In the King James Version, Hebrews 11:1 calls “faith,” “the evidence of things not seen.” How is faith itself evidence? Does the English word “evidence” in the King James Version mean the same thing as what we think it means today? It is close, but I believe there is evidence (pun intended) to say that “evidence” in Hebrews 11:1 means something a little different than what we think it means.Faith itself doesn’t seem to be evidence as we understand the meaning of evidence. It is based on evidence, but not itself evidence. Evidence itself is proof. The slight difference in understanding would be that faith is the “proving to yourself” things unseen. The Greek word elegchos is found only here in the New Testament. However, the verb form, elegcho, is used 17 times in the New Testament, it would have the same root meaning as the noun, and it’s classic and first usage in the New Testament is found in John 16:8, used by Jesus:
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
“Reprove” translates elegcho. According to Jesus, this is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and He “reproves the world of sin.” The meaning of “reprove” in John 16:8 is “convicts,” which is a legal or judicial term. It is translated “convinced” in 1 Cointhians 14:24, as in an unbeliever is convinced through preaching, we should assume, scripture that is itself proof. It is to prove someone to be guilty. Someone is proven to be guilty by presenting evidence. The noun form would be “conviction.” That is the word that should be our understanding of “evidence” in Hebrews 11:1, “conviction” in the legal or judicial sense of the word.The English word “reprove” has the term “prove” in it. That is often how elegcho is translated: “reprove.” It is used in 2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word. . . . reprove.” Use the Word of God to prove the guilt of someone. Present evidence from scripture that someone is wrong or needs to change. Elegcho is also used in Titus 1:9:
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
It is translated “convince.” Use the Word of God to convince those not convinced. Hebrews 11:1 could be understood as “the convincing of things not seen.” We know that God wants us to be convinced, because faith pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6). We can’t please God if we are not convinced about Him, which would mean that we’re convinced about the reality of Him, the truth of Him, and the will of Him.Matthew Henry wrote about the second half of Hebrews 11:1:
Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body. Faith is the firm assent of the soul to the divine revelation and every part of it, and sets to its seal that God is true. It is a full approbation of all that God has revealed as holy, just, and good; it helps the soul to make application of all to itself with suitable affections and endeavours; and so it is designed to serve the believer instead of sight, and to be to the soul all that the senses are to the body. That faith is but opinion or fancy which does not realize invisible things to the soul, and excite the soul to act agreeably to the nature and importance of them.
I agree with what he wrote.Someone might ask, how is faith evidence if faith is not by sight? Isn’t evidence sight? I agree that those two concepts can’t contradict one another if they are both true, and they are both true. Therefore, the proving or convincing doesn’t come from something you can see out there in the world, but from the means by which God chose to prove Himself, His Word. Like Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Hearing isn’t seeing.What’s out in the world does agree with the Bible. God originated both creation and scripture. People’s problem with what they see out in the world is not what is to be seen, but the interpretation of what they see and for two reasons. One, their sight is flawed because of sin. Two, what they see isn’t neutral. They are looking at evidence that has been trampled upon. It’s not a closed environment. They aren’t looking at something pristine. They don’t know enough to make an accurate interpretation of what they are seeing. Only God knows enough and He also doesn’t have lying eyes like we do, so we’ve got to trust what He says. If we trust what He says, then we honor Him, glorify Him (1 Corinthians 1-3).People very often do not like the idea of being convinced by scripture. They want “evidence,” which means to them scripture doesn’t prove anything. You’ve got to go outside of scripture to “prove” something. Scripture is sufficient for convincing, for proving, for faith. It is superior to evidence, even as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:19.Scripture is superior to experiences, even genuine experiences. Just because you don’t think Jesus is coming back, based on your impression or feeling or what you think you see through history and all around you, it’s not true. Scripture says He’s coming back. The second coming of Jesus is the particular doctrine that apostates reject and scorn according to 2 Peter. They attack scripture, because that’s the basis for believing in the second coming. They go further in rejecting divine intervention, so they live like God doesn’t exist.You are not a dummy if you live based upon scripture. You are not one if you use scripture to convince people. Very often professing believers stop using scripture to persuade someone because they are embarrassed by it. Paul wrote that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). The gospel as a method of persuasion is what God wants. That makes it the smartest method ever used by people who are more than genius in relying on it.
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