It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. God accepted Abel's offering declaring him to be a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith. It was by faith that Enoch pleased God, and he was taken up to heaven without dying. So, you see, it is impossible to please God without the faith that He is God, and that He accepts all who seek Him.
It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before. Because of his faith, he was considered righteous, and he was not condemned with the rest of the world.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed God, leaving his home to possess an unknown land. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Jam. 2:23). When he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith, as did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he foresaw a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. And, it was by faith that Sarah and Abraham were able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. And so a whole nation came from this one man, a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and believed the promises of God.
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac because God had promised him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." It was by faith that Isaac blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau. He had confidence in what God was going to do in the future. It was by faith that Jacob blessed Joseph's sons. And it was by faith that Joseph confidently spoke of God's bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. He was so sure of it that he commanded them to carry his bones with them when they left!
It was by faith that Moses chose to identify himself with God's people. He was not afraid of the king, but by faith, he commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover. It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho and the walls came crashing down. It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute gave assistance to the Hebrew spies, and she was spared.
Faith is simply trusting God's Word
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