John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 11:16

"But now they desire a better [country], that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city." — Hebrews 11:16 (ASV)

Therefore God is not ashamed. He refers to that passage, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:6). It is a unique honor when God makes men illustrious by attaching His name to them, and in this way intends to be distinguished from idols.

This privilege, as the Apostle teaches us, also depends on faith. For when the holy fathers aspired to a heavenly country, God, on the other hand, considered them citizens.

We are therefore to conclude that there is no place for us among God’s children unless we renounce the world, and that there will be no inheritance for us in heaven unless we become pilgrims on earth.

Moreover, the Apostle justly concludes from these words—I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob—that they were heirs of heaven, since He who speaks in this way is not the God of the dead, but of the living.