Bread Crumbs: The Hall of Fame of faith

Published 9:15 am Saturday, August 2, 2025

Last week, five former Major League Baseball players – Ichiro, C.C. Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dave Parker, and Dick Allen – were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

In the history of baseball, well over 100,000 young men have played in the Minor Leagues. Of those well over 100,000 players, only 20,959 have been good enough to eventually make it to the Major Leagues. Of those 20,959, only 346 have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame is every player’s dream. The Hall of Fame is the pinnacle. The Hall of Fame is for the best of the best.

Hebrews chapter eleven in the Bible is known as the “Hall of Fame of Faith.” It lists many of the great heroes of faith in the Bible, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, among others.

 The problem is that if you look carefully at the Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews chapter eleven, its members are far from the best of the best. 

For example, one of the first things Noah did when he got off the ark was to plant a vineyard, make some wine, and get drunk. Abraham doubted God’s promise to give him a son through Sarah, so he slept with Sarah’s servant Hagar and had a son with her. Moses was a murderer. David was an adulterer and murderer. Peter denied Jesus. Paul persecuted and killed Christians.

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Halls of Fame here on earth are meant to highlight the talent, hard work, and success that their members have earned. The point of Hebrews chapter eleven is not to put people on a pedestal. The Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews chapter eleven is meant to show us what God can do through sinful human beings like you and me through faith.

In the end, even the faith we have is a gift of God, the Holy Spirit, who came into our hearts through the promises of Baptism and God’s Word.

The purpose of Hebrews chapter eleven isn’t to place certain believers on a pedestal and tell everyone else to measure up. The purpose of Hebrews chapter eleven is to help us understand the nature of faith. Faith trusts in God’s promises. Faith trusts in what we cannot see with our physical eyes. Faith patiently waits, knowing that something better – heaven – is coming for all who believe in Jesus.

Hebrews chapter eleven is a reminder that God uses sinful, weak, fallible human beings like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David – sinful, weak, fallible humans like us – to carry out his plans and purposes. It reminds us that God saves us all through faith.

That also means, then, that if you have faith in Jesus, which I hope and pray you do, you also are a member of that wonderful and elite club I like to call the Hall of Fame of Faith.

Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.