Faith is Substance

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for."
Hebrews 11:1

The Greek word for substance refers to the
underlying state of a thing.
Similar to when we break down the English
word "substance", we find sub [under] and
stance [stand].

Substance is that which stands under a thing.

In Bible times, the Greek word had a legal
meaning which signified a foundational
document, such as a title-deed.
That is why some Greek scholars render
this translation, "Faith is the title-deed of
things hoped for."

A title-deed is an important document
because it shows ownership.
If we have the title-deed to a piece of
property, we do not even have to see the
property to know that it belongs to us.
We know it is ours because of the deed.
As long as we possess that deed, there is no
question that we are the owners.