A Better Way Living By Faith - by Guy Orbison - Lectureship 2017
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class began with a fresh reading of Hebrews 11:1‑6 from the New American Standard Bible, emphasizing that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The teacher highlighted how the patriarchs and early believers—Abel, Enoch, and others—were justified by faith, and underscored that without faith it is impossible to please God. The teacher then distinguished several uses of the word “faith” throughout Scripture. He contrasted supernatural faith, illustrated by the mustard‑seed analogy in Matthew 17:20 and the spiritual gift of faith in 1 Corinthians 12:9, with the objective, doctrinal faith that Jude 3 and Ephesians 4:5 describe as the one true system of belief. Finally, he examined Romans 14:1‑5, showing how personal convictions about food and observances represent a subjective faith that should not be imposed on others. By grounding each definition in context, the lesson encouraged believers to live by a balanced, biblical faith that honors both truth and personal conviction.
Key Scriptures
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it, the men of old gained approval. By faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 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. By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death. And he was not found because God took him up. And he obtained the witness that before his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.