Understanding Faith in Christianity

Church Structure and Approach

Welcome welcome. If you have not been with us before, we have a very deconstructed approach to doing church. We pray, sing the Word of God put to music, sit in silent reflection for a minute, return and study the Word, and get outta here with the hope that we will exercise our Christianity throughout the week. I am convinced that Christianity is a completely subjective experience and therefore we try and avoid any of the trappings that attempt to objectify or institutionalize it.

So agree or disagree, sit where you want, show up if you want, sing if you want, and wear what you want. You can choose to offer to help or to give assistance, or you can withhold it. All are welcome as they are because in the end all of us are going to go to our maker alone and will stand to answer for how we lived the Christian life. Right? Good. So let’s get at it. When we come back, we’re going to pick our verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. back up at Hebrews 11 verse 5 and 6.

Enoch's Faith in Hebrews and Genesis

Hebrews 11.8

Alright we’ve defined faith (numerous times) over the past few weeks and last week we read as the writer compared the faith of Abel to that of Cain. He continues (verse 5) and says:

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God.; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Before we get into breaking these verses down, let’s read the biblical account of this Enoch of whom the writer speaks. The only place THIS Enoch is mentioned (there are a few Enoch’s in scripture) is in Genesis 5. Prior to his being born there was another Enoch who is described in Genesis four – Cain’s first son. According to the account Cain built a city “east of Eden in the land of Nod and named it after his son Enoch. This is not the Enoch being discussed here.

This Enoch is described in Genesis Five. He was the seventh born from Adam. So it went Adam, (who had another son after Abel named Seth) and then Enos, and then Cainan, then Mahalaleel, then Jared . . . and Jared begat Enoch. So let’s pick up where the Old Testament speaks of this Enoch. Ready? There are a whopping five verses:

Genesis 5:20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

That’s all we get – “His days were 365 years and he walked with God and he was not for God took Him.” It is the writer of Hebrews that lets us in on the idea that Enoch was “translated” or taken without dying by the natural course of things. The Greek word being Meta-tith-a-mee and it means transferred, to change sides. The writer says “that he should not see death,” so we might think this means that he was wholly unaware he had moved from this life to the next. When he was translated, it appears from the record that only Adam, so far as recorded, had died from a natural death and that Noah was not yet born.

Enoch's Reference in Jude

The only other biblical insight we get into Enoch is a reference made to him which is found in Jude. Now the Epistle of Jude was written by? (Jude!) otherwise known as "Judas, the brother of James" the Less who was also called also Lebbaeus (in Matthew 10:3) and to just confuse the heck out of everyone involved, Thaddaeus (in Mark 3:18).

Now, the “genuineness” of this epistle was in doubt very early on when the Bible books were being “vetted” and to be honest, during the Protestant Reformation doubts regarding it popped up again. In the end, the evidences in support of its claims were proven sound and it settled into a permanent place in the New Testament. The short little letter was apparently written in the later period of the apostolic age.

The Letter of Jude and Its References to Enoch

The letter attributed to Jude, believed to have been penned between 66 and 70 AD in Palestine, serves to alert Christians to heretical influences they were encountering. The urgency in the writing is palpable as the author passionately references numerous examples of vengeance upon the ungodly. Among these, Jude highlights the character of certain apostates, emphasizing that such figures are not new.

Enoch's Prophecy and Its Source

In this context, Jude speaks of Enoch. Jude 1:14 states: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints." Notably, there is no record in the writings of Moses mentioning Enoch as a prophet. This raises the question of where Labbaeus/Thaddeus/Jude/Judas obtained this information. Similarly, other biblical texts, like 2nd Timothy 3:8, mention figures absent from scripture, suggesting unknown sources.

A possible source could be the Jewish traditions passed down through generations, some of which might have been reliable. Furthermore, an apocryphal text known as "the Book of Enoch" presents a prediction closely resembling Jude's account. The Book of Enoch states: "Behold he comes with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon them, and destroy the wicked, and reprove all the carnal, for everything which the sinful and ungodly have done and committed against him." While the origins and legitimacy of the Book of Enoch are debated, it clearly influenced or resonated with Jude's account.

Implications and Biblical Accounts of Enoch

Jude 14-15 reiterates the prophecy attributed to Enoch, emphasizing an early teaching that warned of the Lord's descent for judgment just seven generations from Adam. This notion aligns with the corrupt state of the world during Enoch's time, ripe for judgment by the impending flood. Enoch, a man of faith and potentially one of the few faithful, may have faced ungodly accusations from those around him.

The author of Hebrews provides further insight, stating in Hebrews 11:5, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." This passage affirms Enoch's faith, even without explicit mention in earlier texts, suggesting either revelation or access to other sources informed these understandings.

In summary, Jude's letter and references to Enoch highlight an intriguing intersection of early Christian writings, oral traditions, apocryphal texts, and biblical narratives.

The Faith That Moved Enoch

oral or written traditions that informed him of this. I would suggest right off the bat that this is the reason that he follows up with the next verse and reminds us that it is impossible to please God without faith and if Enoch “walked with God” and was then “translated” it was only because he was a man of faith – I mean this is the purpose of the whole chapter, right? Additionally, we might allow ourselves some conjecture relative to the man Enoch. Because Jude says that “he prophesied” and that in response to his prophesies “ungodly sinners spoke against him” that Enoch was some sort of preacher not unlike Noah, Isaiah, Ezekiel and or Jeremiah. As a preacher he predicted the coming of the Lord to judgment, and that he lived in the firm belief of what was to occur in future times.

Enoch's Translation from Earth

Now Moses does not say expressly that Enoch was translated. All he says is "he was not, for God took him." The expression "he was not," means he was no more among men; or he was removed from the earth. When we look at the language of the Septuagint (the Old Testament translation into Greek) it says “ouc eurisketo” “he was not found" or, in other words, he disappeared. Actually where the idea that Enoch was translated comes from the line in Genesis that says, “God took him.”

The reason this in all probability does not mean died comes from the fact that there is no mention made of his death. It was the uniform custom of Moses to always list the age and death of a person in his account (in fact this is often all that is said of them) and this he does except in the case of Enoch. Another reason to think, though not as strong as the one I just gave, is found in the Hebrew. It is the word to take and in this case it refers to the type of taking a man does in taking a bride unto himself. The word, therefore, suggests that God had taken Enoch to himself. Additionally the word in Hebrew here for to take is never used in all of the Old Testament in connection to death or dying and (listen to this) the ONLY other place where it is used in connection to a radical removal from the world is in connection to Elijah (who was taken up in a whirlwind).

Finally, the writer employed what was obviously a description of Enoch’s translation that was in accordance with Jewish understanding – and he makes no bones or explanation for it. In fact in the Jewish Targum of Unkelos, which is the official eastern targum (Aramaic translation) of the Torah (or the Jewish Pentateuch or the First five books of the Tanach which is their Old Testament).

Cultural Interpretations of Enoch’s Departure

Anyway, in the Targum of Onkelos Genesis 24 "And Enoch walked in the fear of the Lord, and was not, for the Lord did not put him to death." These opinions of the Jews and of the early translators, are of value only as showing that the interpretation which the writer has put upon Genesis 5:24. So the writer here of Hebrews says that this Enoch “should not see death.” “Not experience death, or be made personally acquainted with it.” The word taste often occurs in the same sense.

Now the King James put it this way:

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” In my opinion we have two applications of faith here.

The first is relative to the first line of verse 6:

“By faith Enoch was translated that He should not see death.” I would suggest that Enoch desired to get outta dodge, that he was fed up with “the ungodly who railed on him for preaching a coming punishment, and I would suggest that in accordance with this first line of verse 5 that Enoch truly believed that God would “disappear him” and so God did.

We could also read that it is saying: “Due to Enoch’s faith in God God translated him.” In other words Enoch was rewarded (because of his faith) with escaping death and exiting in another much more pleasant manner.” And admittedly this is the way the line is traditionally seen. But there is another way this verse about Enoch relates to faith.

1. The first way is

2. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found,

Faith and Pleasing God

Because God had translated him:

But the second reference to faith comes in the last line which says: “for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Remember, our definition of faith from the past two weeks? It’s the assurance of things hoped for the confidence (or testimony) of things not seen. Of all the translations I consulted I like this one best (Young’s Literal) “By faith Enoch was translated–not to see death, and was not found, because God did translate him; for before his translation he had been testified to–that he had pleased God well.”

He had this testimony, this confidence, he had the faith that he pleased God. Again, faith is the evidence, the confidence, the testimony that we are in fact doing what God wants. After bringing up the case of Enoch the writer injects a keystone verse that in my opinion serves to speak of Enoch and his experience and then all the examples that will follow thereafter.

Faith: Crucial to Our Relationship with God

And so the writer delivers one of the single most important passages to the Christian world, saying:

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The verse says so much so let’s take it line by line and try and digest it. And let’s begin with the first line. Now, the writer is going to supply us with ample example of those who had faith and so I am not going to try and provide examples – they are coming.

What I want to try and do is just talk about the principles the writer introduces to us here.

The Role of Trust in Pleasing God

First, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” This is really true of most relationships when we think about it. How can a wife please a husband in whom she has no confidence? If a child has absolutely no trust or confidence in a father it going to be really hard for the child to please the father. If an employee has not faith in the employers ability or willingness to pay them at the end of the week it is going to be very hard for the employee to please the employer.

Instead of reading that “God cannot be pleased by anything but faith” maybe we ought to read that “we cannot live lives that are pleasing to God without there first being faith in Him? This is probably the better definition when we think about it. God knows all things and God gives us and blesses us with faith and so maybe the better reading is NOT that God is sitting there waiting for us to embrace faith in order to be pleased but instead we will never really please Him by anything we do unless faith is involved because UNTIL faith is involved WE will be failing in our attitudes toward Him.

Let’s go back to the marriage example and say: “Without trust (toward our husbands) it is impossible to please them.” Meaning, trust has to be present in a wife’s heart toward her husband before she is going to have the capacity to really make him blessed and happy by her attentions and actions. Something to think about because we all know that if there is distrust and jealousy and anger and disrespect present in a wife’s heart toward her husband she is going to find it very hard within herself to please him.

In this light, how could God be pleased with the man who has no confidence in him; who doubts the truth of his declarations and promises; who does not believe that his ways are right, or that he is qualified for universal rule and governance. If the possession of faith and trust in a marriage, or a job is requisite to please spouses and employers there is no question that it must be present in those who are going to be equipped to please God.

Show me a wife or employee who is fully convinced that she is married to a completely trustworthy man, or employed by the greatest, most reliable employer in the world, and I will show you a wife and employee that please.

The writer continues now and expands upon the premise, saying: “For he that cometh to God,” (those who arrive at His feet) “must believe that he is.” The Greek word for “cometh to God is PROS KER OMA HEE and it means to draw near, approach, worship and even consent.

For he that worships God . . . He that draws near unto God . . .

Belief in God's Existence

He that approaches God, even… He that consents unto God…

MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS!

This principle is wholly reasonable isn’t it? Would a person purchase twenty thousand dollar tickets to a place they did not truly believe exists? How could a person really pray to a God they do not believe is there? “For He that cometh to God MUST believe that He is!”

Now, in a way this is highly paradoxical because God is invisible and therefore to “believe that He, is we have to believe that He exists, but in order to believe that He exists, we have to first believe that He is.” For me, and maybe this is not the case for you, I cannot make heads or tails of this. I know what people say relative to the issue. Some say God is the one who makes us believe (in His irresistible way). Others claim it is up to the individual. But in the end, the writer is telling us that “He that COMES to God must (first) believe that He is.”

Understanding the Process

I think Jesus gives perhaps the best foundation for understanding this verse best. He said that those who do not see (or believe) a blinded, and that they love the darkness more than the light. For me this supports the idea that God is certainly calling and drawing all to Him, and it is man’s responsibility to respond. And often the only thing we can do is pray that the love of darkness will part, and the light will shine in and allow them to believe… that… He… is.”

And then the writer provides us with one more caveat to the process (and I call it a process because of the way it is written here). He says: “And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” So on the one hand we have the fact that it is impossible to please God without confidence that He exists, and that in order to approach Him we have to first believe that He exists. Then we have the added idea “that those who diligently seek Him He will reward.” So it moves from just a regular old believer that “He is” (which is a pre-qualifier to drawing near to Him) to having to diligently seek Him in order to be rewarded by Him.

Diligently Seeking Him

The Greek word for the phrase “that diligently seek” is EX AYE TAY O and it means to “crave, investigate, search” for Him. For the non-believer this may come through an assortment of conventional and unconventional means (I suppose this is the case for the believer too). But to truly EX AYE TAY O God as believers there appears to be a number of ways and means and methods. Let’s name a few before we wrap today up.

Under the banner of “diligently seeking Him,” I would suggest that this includes in everyday life. Including His will and ways instead of our own. Seeking His wisdom, His insights, His truths and ways of handling all things. Then obviously we have the Word of God which we also diligently search to know Him and His ways better. The example is always Acts 17:11 where, speaking of the Bereans, we read:

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things (which they were taught) were so. An imperative to searching the scriptures though has to be the presence of the Holy Spirit, who “teaches us all things, brings all things to our remembrance, comforts us, enlightens the mind and testifies constantly of Christ.” The Bible without the Holy Spirit is just head knowledge and a collection of facts.

The spirit without the Bible can be mistaken and misappropriated and we can ultimately wind up making some really egregious mistakes by what we might call, “Spirit alone.”

Let me give you an example out of my own life as a bible reading pastor who loved the Lord. Years ago I was introduced to an individual that really loved Indian Spiritualism. While proclaiming Jesus as Lord she also believed that there was a means to gain greater spiritual insight through fire watching, sweat lodges, and some other rather esoteric practices. One morning – a Sunday in fact – as I was driving to teach up at the University, I turned on the radio and there was an Native American program on. The DJ said, and now the Blacklodge Singers with a song that I know will reach people of…

The Influence of Cultural Rhythms

Then a bunch of natives started singing hello . . . hello before the rhythmic music started. It was deeply moving. As I drove, I allowed myself to sort of get into the groove, the spirit of the thing so to speak . . . Ohhhahhyaaya HEY yaayaya Ohhh yayayaya Hey ol lala.

I was really getting into it and started to sing along and thought to myself, “Wow, there is something to this native vibe isn’t there." I kept singing and felt a comforting spirit about me. But in time I began to recognize the words in English amidst all the yahahaya yeah hahah ya heey. I stopped my chanting, my vibe, and turned up the radio. And to my surprise amidst all the groove, the guy was saying:

SPongebob squarepants, spongebob squarepants, spongebob squarepants . . . spongebob . . . . SQUAREPANTS!

The Power of Spirit

“The Spirit” alone can be highly influential, so in the mouth of two or three witnesses are all things established.

The Promise of Reward

And here we have a promise – God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him – we might add, In spirit and in truth.

Q and A