Faith That Produces Action
1Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see. 2That is what the people of long ago were praised for.
3We have faith. So we understand that everything was made when God commanded it. That’s why we believe that what we see was not made out of what could be seen.
4Abel had faith. So he brought to God a better offering than Cain did. Because of his faith Abel was praised as a godly man. God said good things about his offerings. Because of his faith Abel still speaks. He speaks even though he is dead.
5Enoch had faith. So he was taken from this life. He didn’t die. “He couldn’t be found, because God had taken him away.” (Genesis 5:24) Before God took him, Enoch was praised as one who pleased God. 6Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who come to God must believe that he exists. And they must believe that he rewards those who look to him.
7Noah had faith. So he built an ark to save his family. He built it because of his great respect for God. God had warned him about things that could not yet be seen. Because of his faith Noah showed the world that it was guilty. Because of his faith he was considered right with God.
8Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn’t know where he was going. 9Because of his faith he made his home in the land God had promised him. Abraham was like an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents. So did Isaac and Jacob. They received the same promise he did. 10Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built. 11And Sarah had faith. So God made it possible for her to become a mother. She became a mother even though she was too old to have children. But Sarah believed that the God who made the promise was faithful. 12Abraham was past the time when he could have children. But many children came from that one man. They were as many as the stars in the sky. They were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one could count them.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They didn’t receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on earth. 14People who say things like that show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15What if they had been thinking of the country they had left? Then they could have returned to it. 16Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted a heavenly one. So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.
17Abraham had faith. So when God tested him, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham had held on tightly to the promises. But he was about to offer his one and only son. 18God had said to him, “Your family line will continue through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) Even so, Abraham was going to offer him up. 19Abraham did this, because he believed that God could even raise the dead. In a way, he did receive Isaac back from death.
20Isaac had faith. So he blessed Jacob and Esau. He told them what was ahead for them.
21Jacob had faith. So he blessed each of Joseph’s sons. He blessed them when he was dying. Because of his faith he worshiped God. Jacob worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.
22Joseph had faith. So he spoke to the people of Israel about how they would leave Egypt someday. When his death was near, he spoke about where to bury his bones.
23Moses’ parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king’s command.
24Moses had faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. That happened after he had grown up. 25He chose to be treated badly together with the people of God. He chose not to enjoy sin’s pleasures. They only last for a short time. 26He suffered shame because of Christ. He thought it had great value. Moses considered it better than the riches of Egypt. He was looking ahead to his reward. 27Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. It wasn’t because he was afraid of the king’s anger. He didn’t let anything stop him. That’s because he saw the God who can’t be seen. 28Because of his faith, Moses was the first to keep the Passover Feast. He commanded the people of Israel to sprinkle blood on their doorways. He did it so that the destroying angel would not touch their oldest sons.
29The people of Israel had faith. So they passed through the Red Sea. They went through it as if it were dry land. The Egyptians tried to do it also. But they drowned.
30Israel’s army had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.
31Rahab, the prostitute, had faith. So she welcomed the spies. That’s why she wasn’t killed with those who didn’t obey God.
32What more can I say? I don’t have time to tell about all the others. I don’t have time to talk about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah. I don’t have time to tell about David and Samuel and the prophets. 33Because of their faith they took over kingdoms. They ruled fairly. They received the blessings God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions. 34They put out great fires. They escaped being killed by swords. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became powerful in battle. They beat back armies from other countries. 35Women received back their dead. The dead were raised to life again. There were others who were made to suffer greatly. But they refused to be set free. They did this so that after death they would be raised to an even better life. 36Some were made fun of and even whipped. Some were held by chains. Some were put in prison. 37Some were killed with stones. Some were sawed in two. Some were killed by swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor. They were attacked. They were treated badly. 38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains. They lived in caves. They lived in holes in the ground.
39All these people were praised because they had faith. But none of them received what God had promised. 40That’s because God had planned something better for us. So they would only be made perfect together with us.
Grandes exemplos de fé
1A fé é a firme certeza das coisas que se esperam; é a evidência daquilo que ainda não vemos. 2Foi porque tiveram essa fé que os antigos homens de Deus receberam o testemunho da sua aprovação.
3É a fé que nos dá a entender que o mundo inteiro foi criado pela palavra de Deus; que o que existe foi criado a partir do que se não vê!
4Foi a fé que inspirou Abel a oferecer a Deus um sacrifício mais agradável do que o de Caim. Aceitando a sua oferta, Deus mostrou a Abel que era declarado justo. Ainda que já esteja morto, Abel continua a falar-nos.
5Pela fé, Enoque foi levado para o céu sem experimentar a morte. Um dia deixaram de o ver porque Deus o tinha levado. Sobre ele foi escrito que agradou a Deus.11.5 Gn 5.24. 6Ora, sem fé é impossível agradar a Deus. É necessário que quem se aproximar dele creia que ele existe e que recompensa os que sinceramente o buscam.
7Pela fé, Noé creu, quando Deus o avisou de coisas que ainda estavam para acontecer e, consciente da sua gravidade, começou a construir a arca na qual salvou a sua família. Esse ato de fé foi como a condenação dos que não quiseram aceitar aquele aviso. E assim Noé obteve o direito de ser justificado pela fé.
8Pela fé, Abraão obedeceu, quando Deus o chamou, e partiu para uma terra que lhe prometia dar como uma herança. E foi sem saber para onde ia. 9Sempre em resultado da sua fé, aceitou habitar nessa outra terra como um estrangeiro, vivendo em tendas, tal como Isaque e Jacob, aos quais Deus fez também a mesma promessa. 10É que Abraão esperava aquela cidade solidamente estabelecida, cujo arquiteto e construtor é Deus.
11Pela fé, Sara, mulher de Abraão, pôde ter um filho, apesar da sua idade avançada, pois teve por digno de fé aquele que o tinha prometido. 12E foi assim que uma nação inteira veio de Abraão, velho demais para ter filhos. E o facto é que dele descenderam tantos milhões quantas as estrelas do firmamento, ou os grãos de areia à beira mar!
13Todas estas pessoas viveram na fé e morreram sem terem visto o cumprimento das promessas; mas foi como se as vissem de longe e, crendo nelas, aceitaram-nas. Reconheciam que aqui na Terra eram estrangeiros, vivendo de passagem. 14E os que reconhecem isto mostram claramente que buscam a sua verdadeira pátria. 15Se tivessem querido, teriam podido voltar à terra donde tinham saído. 16Mas não. Tinham em vista uma terra muito melhor, um país celestial. Por isso, Deus não se envergonha de ser considerado o seu Deus, porque lhes preparou uma cidade.
17Pela fé, Abraão ofereceu em sacrifício o seu filho Isaque, quando Deus quis provar a sua fé a obediência. É verdade! Ele tomou o seu único filho, que era o cumprimento da promessa de Deus, para o oferecer em sacrifício. 18De facto, Deus tinha-lhe dito: “Só através de Isaque é que a minha promessa terá cumprimento.”11.18 Gn 21.12. 19Mas Abraão sabia que Deus era poderoso até para o ressuscitar! E, metaforicamente, foi isso que aconteceu: foi como se o ressuscitasse.
20Pela fé, Isaque abençoou Jacob e Esaú, garantindo-lhes coisas que diziam respeito ao futuro. 21Pela fé, Jacob, já próximo de morrer, abençoou cada um dos filhos de José. E, apoiado ao seu bordão, adorou a Deus.
22Pela fé, José, igualmente no final da sua vida, falou da saída do povo de Israel do Egito, dando ordens sobre os seus restos mortais.
23Pela fé, os pais de Moisés esconderam-no durante três meses, depois de nascer. Viram que era uma criança formosa e não temeram a ordem do rei.
24Pela fé, o mesmo Moisés, já homem feito, renunciou ao título de filho da filha do Faraó, 25escolhendo antes ser maltratado com o povo de Deus do que, por um tempo limitado, gozar de uma vivência onde reinava o pecado. 26Preferiu sofrer o desprezo, por amor a Cristo, achando que isso era um bem superior às riquezas do Egito, porque tinha em vista a recompensa. 27Pela fé, deixou o Egito sem temer a ira do rei, mantendo-se firme, como vendo aquele que é invisível. 28Pela fé, celebrou a Páscoa e mandou aspergir o sangue do animal para que, quando o anjo destruidor viesse matar os filhos mais velhos, fossem poupados os das famílias de Israel.
29Pela fé, atravessaram os israelitas o mar Vermelho como se fosse terra seca. E quando os egípcios tentaram fazer o mesmo, morreram afogados.
30Pela fé, caíram as muralhas de Jericó, depois do povo de Israel ter marchado à volta delas por sete dias.
31Pela fé, Raabe, que era meretriz, recebeu em paz os israelitas enviados para espiar a cidade, e não morreu com os que não acreditavam no Senhor.
32De quem hei de falar mais? Faltar-me-ia o tempo se quisesse ainda falar de Gedeão, de Baraque, de Sansão, de Jefté, de David, de Samuel, dos profetas. 33São pessoas que pela fé conquistaram reinos, praticaram a justiça, obtiveram a realização das promessas, fecharam a boca de leões, 34anularam a força do fogo, escaparam de morrer à espada, da fraqueza tiraram forças, foram valentes nas batalhas, fizeram recuar exércitos estrangeiros. 35Houve mulheres que receberam os seus entes queridos ressuscitados. Outros foram torturados, preferindo morrer a ficarem livres, porque esperavam, pela ressurreição, alcançar uma vida melhor. 36Outros foram ridicularizados, açoitados, acorrentados em prisões. 37-38Alguns morreram apedrejados, serrados ao meio; outros foram tentados a renegar a sua fé, acabando por ser mortos à espada. Houve os que andaram vagueando pelos desertos e pelas montanhas, vestidos de peles de ovelha e de cabra, escondendo-se em covas e em cavernas, sem amparo, perseguidos e maltratados. O mundo não era digno deles.
39Todos estes, apesar do testemunho de que tiveram fé, não receberam o que lhes tinha sido prometido. 40Porque Deus tinha reservado para nós coisas melhores e queria que eles viessem também a participar delas juntamente connosco.
