Faith and Economic Resilience Among Christians: A Contextual Study of Hebrews 11:1–19 in the Church of Christ in Abeokuta
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Nigeria's persistent economic difficulties have generated renewed scholarly interest in the relationship between Christian faith, human agency, and socio-economic resilience. Although biblical and theological scholarship frequently presents faith as a source of perseverance in conditions of suffering and uncertainty, relatively limited empirical research has investigated how Christians themselves understand the relationship between faith and economic resilience through sustained engagement with a specific New Testament text. This study examines Hebrews 11:119 and its significance for economic resilience among members of the Church of Christ in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study employs a mixed methodological framework that combines exegetical analysis of Hebrews 11:1–19 with descriptive empirical research. Data were obtained through a structured questionnaire administered across selected Churches of Christ congregations in Abeokuta, with 801 valid responses used for analysis. The findings indicate a strong association between faith and resilience-oriented dispositions. Respondents largely understood faith as trust in God amid uncertainty and hardship, while also affirming the relevance of diligence, discipline, foresight, courage, perseverance, responsible risk-taking, and communal empowerment. The exegetical analysis demonstrates that Hebrews 11 does not present faith as passive optimism or a guarantee of material prosperity. Rather, πίστις functions within the argument of Hebrews as persevering fidelity to God and his promises, expressed through concrete acts of obedience. The article argues, however, that faith should not be romanticised as an independent solution to poverty. Christian economic resilience is therefore best conceptualised as a multidimensional phenomenon in which theological conviction, moral agency, social support, skills, responsible economic behaviour, and structural conditions interact. The study contributes to contextual New Testament scholarship by bringing Hebrews 11 into conversation with contemporary Nigerian economic realities and to empirical theology by demonstrating how biblical faith is interpreted and applied within a specific Christian community.
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212370129