What is the Hall of Faith in the Bible?

In Heb. 11, and Heb. 12, on the question of faith 'to soul salvation,' a most remarkable cloud of witnesses is marshalled, to give their testimony as it were to this great principle. Beginning with Abel and closing with Rahab, various individual characteristics of faith and its consequences are presented, while in Heb. 11:32, etc., is given a group of worthies, many not mentioned by name, who by faith triumphed in different ways through suffering, with regard to whom it is added "And these all, having obtained witness through faith, received not the promise, God having foreseen some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect without us." The application of this to the Hebrew believers is at once given, "Let us, . . . . laying aside every weight and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us, looking steadfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith." He had reached the goal, the right hand of the throne of God, through suffering. Believers must resist to blood, if need be, wrestling against sin. Chastening after all is necessary, and a proof of God's interest in them as sons. To those exercised by it, it would yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. The Hebrews were to encourage those who were feeble; but to watch lest any lacked the grace of God, and lest evil should come in amongst them.

Then we come to Hebrews 11, that magnificent cloud of witnesses in the Old Testament as to what faith can do. “By faith” or its equivalent “Through faith” occurs no less than twenty-one times in that wonderful chapter. We can feel the vigour of the faith that was translated into various actions—the offering of the firstlings of the flock; translation to heaven without dying; building a huge ark on dry land far inland; going out into the wilderness as a Stranger and pilgrim; bearing a child when far past the time for nature to give such expectation; offering up a son though held back at the last moment; forsaking Egypt, not fearing the wrath of a powerful king; the falling of the walls of Jericho; subduing kingdoms; obtaining promises; stopping the mouths of lions; etc., etc.

God has called us to a path of faith, and in the previous chapter has given a number of examples of witnesses to what faith can be and do. It was faith that caused Abel to bring his excellent sacrifice, that took Enoch to heaven without passing through death, that moved Noah to heed God’s warning and build the ark that took him and his house through the waters of judgment on to the renewed earth, and that enabled Abraham to answer to God’s call and offer up his only-begotten son. Many of the distinguishing features of faith are brought before us in the great cloud of witnesses, of whom the world was not worthy.

In Hebrews 11 the subject of faith — faith as seen in its action and power — is dealt with, and numerous illustrations of it are adduced, as seen in the saints of old. But all these illustrious examples are but preparatory to, and as it were shadows of, the one perfect example of Christ. He alone, whatever the excellency and the devotedness of those who had gone before, He alone, is the leader and completer of faith, the only perfect exhibition of it from the commencement to the end of His course. "Wherefore," says the writer of this epistle, "seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking" (looking off, away from all these witnesses) "unto Jesus, the Author" (Leader) "and Finisher of faith." There the character of His life of faith is indicated in a few words. The joy set before Him is the encouragement and sustaining power; but His path itself is summed up briefly in these significant words, He "endured the cross, despising the shame." Ah, what a life indeed was His!

That brings us to the fourth portion, which is the world, or wilderness part. Beautifully you have it in the eleventh chapter, the pilgrim life. "The just shall live by faith," and there the apostle arrays examples before us one after another Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and a host of worthies. As he gets past the books of Moses, you notice he gets more rapid. Very striking that is. He gets into the period of the Judges and says time would fail to tell of Deborah, Gideon, Barak, and all the others; and he concludes the subject by saying, "Seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and run with patience the race set before us, looking" — not to these worthies of the past, save as they give us an example of faith, — "but looking off unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith."

Verse 23 now introduces 7 further distinct accomplishments of faith in connection with Israel's history from Egypt to Canaan, and this is followed by a more general list that covers the entire Old Testament. But it will have been noted in the first part of the chapter that Abraham is outstanding as an example of faith; in the latter part that Moses is outstanding. The former, being called to a path of godly separation, shows us the calm, steady endurance of faith. The latter, called to a rigorous service for God, illustrates the energy of faith.

Passing by many other cases that will readily occur to the reader we may refer to the familiar examples given in Hebrews 11. There will be no need, however, to dwell upon those which are given in detail, from Abel down to Rahab the harlot; it will suffice to recall the remarkable summary given by the apostle. After saying that the time would fail him to tell of all the mighty men of faith who had appeared on the scene, he proceeds to show what they had been enabled to accomplish: "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens," etc. (vv. 32-34.) Comment upon this marvellous catalogue of the exploits of faith is superfluous; for the mere enumeration of what these saints of old accomplished through faith in God carries with it its own instruction, and a solemn admonition for a generation which knows so little how to walk in the same steps.

What a record of the trial of faith endured for God! Some, like the postdiluvian patriarchs, waiting, others suffering, each one evidently brought on the scene in his proper order. And now we see from this chapter something of the Divine plan in the worlds history to illustrate for Christians different conditions in which faith might be displayed: pilgrims, as the patriarchs in the land; those engaged in conflict, as Moses, etc.; or living in times of declension, or in those of persecution at a later date. Each and all lived for God, but are also examples for us, on whom the ends of the ages are come (1 Cor. 10:11).

Usually, however, God does not intervene at once and then suffering is entailed. So after the mention of Rahab we have a list of names in verse 32 and a further recital of the triumphs of faith and then especially of the sufferings of faith. Multitudes of saints, of whom the world was not worthy, have been through every conceivable form of persecution and suffering. They endured, not accepting deliverance which might have reached them had they recanted or compromised. Faith suffered, but it carried them through.

The one who possesses it is endowed with the power to endure. Indeed we may say that faith never shines more brightly than when it is confronted by adverse power. Moses chose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." And a long list follows of those who endured persecution and suffering in the energy of faith.