Heb.11:5,6 by John Ritenbaugh

Hebrews 11:5,6

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But 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 diligently seek Him. (Heb.11:5-6)

The author writes, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him." Despite this plain statement, many through the ages have attempted to do so through mere religiosity. Cain is the Bible's first example of this. Nothing in Scripture indicates that he was not religious. Genesis 4:3 shows that he and Abel met with God at a set time, giving the sense of an occasion previously appointed and agreed upon. Cain is a type of the typical worldly religious person. He has God somewhat in mind, but he does not believe God really means all that He says. He chooses what he will believe, revealing the major, unbridgeable gaps in his faith.

Below are fourteen biblical statements on faith's importance. All of them apply during the sanctification period of a Christian's life:

• Romans 5:1-2 says that faith gains a person acceptance before God.
• Romans 4:20 declares that faith glorifies God.
• Hebrews 11:6 reveals that faith pleases God, and He will reward it.
• Isaiah 38:3 states that faith is expressed in humble and loyal sincerity.
• Ephesians 2:8 announces that by grace through faith a convicted and repentant sinner is saved.
• Ephesians 3:17 affirms that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith.
• Galatians 2:20 proclaims that we live by faith.
•  Romans 11:20 asserts that we stand before God by faith.
•  II Corinthians 5:7 confirms that we walk by faith.
•  I Peter 5:8-9 shows that we can successfully resist Satan by faith.
• Acts 26:18 establishes that we are experientially sanctified by faith.
• Ephesians 3:11-12 insists that by faith we have boldness to access God.
• I Timothy 6:12 explains that faith sustains us to fight the good fight.
•  I John 5:4 demonstrates that we can overcome the world by faith.

The overall lesson of Enoch's life is that, as important as it is, justification is merely a beginning—it is another thing altogether to continue living by faith. The sanctification period and the costs of being a living sacrifice to God drive human nature to devise theological lies like the "Eternal Security" doctrine, also known as "once saved, always saved."

Enoch literally lived a life in which the central issue, its driving force, was his faith in God. Looking at this entirely spiritually, a truth that is important to humility emerges. Just as Enoch's physical translation from one geographical area to another was supernatural, so was his spiritual translation from a carnal, earthy, self-centered person to a God/Christ/Kingdom of God-centered person.

The Bible shows that the heart is the source of our motivations (Mt.15:17-20). For our hearts to function by faith, we need what God makes possible only through His calling: Our hearts must change. The Bible refers to this as "circumcision made without hands." Living by faith is what pleases God. However, we can have that faith only when God supernaturally translates us into the beginning stages of His realm of living, called in the Bible "eternal life."

— John W. Ritenbaugh