Hebrews 11
The Hall of Faith
The big idea
A chapter celebrating faith ends by admitting that many of the faithful were tortured, destitute, and died without receiving what was promised.
Context you need before you preach it
Written to Jewish Christians under pressure and tempted to go back. The roll call is an argument: you are not the first to be asked to hold on without seeing.
Verses 35–38 are the section almost universally omitted. The chapter itself refuses to let faith be equated with good outcomes, and cutting those verses reverses the author's point.
The outline
Faith defined
vv. 1–3Assurance of things hoped for, conviction of things not seen. Both halves concern what is not currently visible.
The roll call
vv. 4–31Note who is included — Rahab, Samson, Jephthah. The list is not a catalogue of exemplary characters.
And others were tortured
vv. 32–38The turn. Sawn in two, destitute, wandering in deserts. The world was not worthy of them, and their faith did not deliver them.
None of them received the promise
vv. 39–40They all died waiting, "God having provided some better thing concerning us". The completion is corporate and still ahead.
Application
- Faith is not a mechanism for producing outcomes. The chapter says so explicitly in verses 35–38.
- The list includes deeply flawed people. Being commended for faith is not the same as being a good example.
- Dying without receiving the promise is presented as a normal Christian experience, not a failure.
Where preachers go wrong on this text
- Stopping at verse 34. It is the single most common misuse of this chapter and it teaches a prosperity view of faith.
- Sanitising the characters. Samson and Jephthah are in the list for a reason worth wrestling with.
- Trying to cover all of it in one sermon. It is a series.
Other ways to structure it
The outline above is one defensible reading, not the only one. If it does not fit the congregation in front of you, these are legitimate alternatives:
- Preach it as a series, one or two figures per week.
- Preach verses 32–40 alone, which almost no congregation has heard.
- Preach verses 1–3 as a sermon defining faith, using the chapter as illustration.
Illustrations that fit this text
Frequently asked questions
Why does Hebrews 11 include people like Samson and Jephthah?
Because the chapter commends faith, not character. Their inclusion makes the point that God works through deeply compromised people — which is considerably more encouraging than a list of the impeccable would be.
You have preached this passage before
Probably more than once, and the earlier version had a line in it you would want back. Transcribe your sermons and every text you have ever preached becomes searchable by reference — $19/month for as many as you preach, and the first one is free.
More from Hebrews
Preaching resources for Hebrews — themes, famous chapters, and background for the whole book.
Preach it alongside
Hebrews 12:1–3
Run With Endurance
Genesis 22:1–19
The Mountain Where God Provides
Romans 8:28–39
Nothing Can Separate Us