Paul on Faith: Roll Call and Things Not Seen

Hebrews 11 is traditionally called the “Hall of Faith.” It lists generations of biblical figures celebrated for their trust in God’s promises. But when read through Neville Goddard’s teaching, it becomes a vivid instruction on imagination, showing how inner states of consciousness shape our outer reality.

Faith as Creative Assumption

The chapter begins with Hebrews 11:1:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

For Neville, faith is not merely belief in a future event. It is the assumption that the desired state already exists. The unseen, imagined reality is the only true evidence needed. When you assume something is real in consciousness, it inevitably externalises.

Verse 3 reinforces this:

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Here, “the word of God” is the creative act of imagination. The visible world always originates from the invisible realm — from the assumptions and inner conversations of consciousness — this is the principle of the seed in itself.

The Roll Call of Faith

Hebrews 11 lists figures whose lives illustrate the power of imagination. Each one symbolises a particular state of consciousness.

Abel

Abel offered a “better sacrifice” — the invisible, inward act. Cain, by contrast, represents reliance on appearances. Faith means giving the unseen, trusting that imagination is honoured.

Enoch

Enoch “was not found, because God had translated him.” He exemplifies the state lifted entirely into the new consciousness, transcending old limitations.

Noah

Noah prepared an ark, symbolic of creating an inner container to carry your assumptions safely through the flood of external evidence to the contrary.

Abraham

Abraham left his country, abandoning an old self-concept and stepping into the state of the wish fulfilled. He shows that imagination requires leaving behind the familiar and moving into the unseen.

Sarah

Sarah represents receptive and joyful imagination, conceiving what seems impossible. Her story illustrates that faith, aligned with delight, has the power to bring forth life from the unseen.

Isaac

Isaac blesses his sons, demonstrating that inner speech — conscious direction — fixes the unseen future. The words of imagination determine the outcome.

Jacob

Jacob wrestles through contradiction to bless Joseph’s sons. He represents persistence in imagination and the reshaping of priorities to achieve the desired state.

Joseph

Even in confinement, Joseph spoke of future deliverance. He shows that imagination trusts in the promise despite present limitations.

Moses

Moses refused Egypt, choosing the invisible over the pleasures of appearances. He embodies the discipline of living by the unseen rather than the material world.

Rahab

Rahab, a former harlot, receives the spies and is spared. She exemplifies the transformative power of imagination: even the lowest state can be redeemed by aligning with a new inner assumption.

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the Prophets

These figures represent courage, dominion, and persistence. They “subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire” — inner victories manifested outwardly through persistent imagination.

Esau

Esau is a warning of the outer, impulsive self that lives only by appearances. He shows what happens when immediate gratification overrides imagination’s promise.

The Limitation of Seeing “Afar Off”

Hebrews 11:13 states:

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

While they acted by faith, their vision was incomplete. They imagined the promise as distant — in the future — rather than assuming it as present reality. As Neville would emphasise, imagining a desire as “afar off” keeps it distant. True faith is living in the end: assuming the promise is already fulfilled in consciousness.

Verse 39 echoes this:

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.”

As the Bible advances, especially in the New Testament, it speaks directly about living from the end, assuming fulfillment, and accessing the I AM within. This is because the Bible's narrative progressively teaches consciousness

The chapter praises their striving but symbolically shows the unfinished act of imagination. It highlights the necessity of assuming the end now rather than hoping for a future manifestation.

The Practical Lesson

Hebrews 11 is both a gallery of examples and a cautionary guide. It teaches:

Imagination creates reality. The unseen is the only true substance.
Faith is living in the end. Do not see your desire as distant; assume it is present.
Persistence matters. Like Jacob and Joseph, continue in imagination despite appearances.
The outer world reflects inner states. Esau’s impulsiveness or Cain’s reliance on appearances show how outer life mirrors consciousness.

By reading Hebrews 11 with Neville’s framework, the “Hall of Faith” transforms into a guide for practical manifestation — showing how imagination shapes reality and how incomplete assumptions limit fulfilment.

Hebrews 12 opens with a reminder:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

The “cloud of witnesses” is the roll call of Hebrews 11 — the symbolic states of consciousness whose lives demonstrate the power and pitfalls of imagination. But Hebrews 12 shifts focus: it introduces Jesus as the author and finisher of faith (v. 2).

In Neville’s terms, Jesus represents the fully assumed state — the consciousness that lives entirely in the end. He does not see the promise “afar off” but embodies it now. Every act, word, and experience reflects an inner state already realised.

Where Hebrews 11 shows faithful striving — sometimes incomplete because desire is imagined as distant — Hebrews 12 demonstrates the perfection of imagination: living fully in the end and allowing that state to externalise naturally.

This “finisher” principle gives a practical takeaway: the examples of faith are inspiring, but they are incomplete without Jesus’ model. To manifest successfully, one must:

Assume the end as present. Do not see it in the future; live in its reality now.
Persist inwardly. External obstacles are neutral; persistence in consciousness shapes outcome.
Lay aside limiting weights. Doubts, habits, and old self-concepts are “weights” that slow the manifestation of imagination.
Follow the model of perfected assumption. Jesus, as fully assumed consciousness, shows how faith becomes reality without delay or deferral.

Conclusion

Hebrews 11, when viewed through Neville Goddard’s lens, is a symbolic roadmap of consciousness: each figure illustrates an aspect of imagination, faith, and persistence. Yet verse 13 quietly warns that imagining the promise as distant keeps it distant.

Hebrews 12 provides the resolution: Jesus embodies the perfected state, the full assumption of desire. Together, these chapters teach the essential Neville principle: imagine the end as already yours, persist in that state, and reality must conform.

Paul on Faith:Roll Call and Things Not Seen