Saved by faith

 

Saved by faith

Faith is the focus of the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews. Faith is a very important subject; for without faith it is impossible for anybody to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Yet many believe this is not the case. This is because they believe grace alone is sufficient for us to find favor with God. To these individuals any suggestion that we have to exercise obedience of faith is anathema, lest we boast. However, pleasing God is not a matter of boasting, because we need to trust God to give Him the pleasure He seeks by bestowing grace upon grace (John 1:17) all over us. Trusting in our Heavenly Father is not a basis for boasting; rather it is a matter of rejoicing in His good pleasure. Rejoicing in the pleasure of God’s favor is something the self-righteous never get to experience, and according to the first of the Psalms: nor the wicked, nor sinners, nor scoffers.

The difference between rejoicing in our Heavenly Father’s pleasure, and rejoicing in His unmerited favor is rather significant. While one is the result of grace, the other is the outcome of faith. God’s grace is involved even when faith is exercised; for we cannot have faith without grace. We cannot have salvation without both grace and faith. But we can experience God’s grace, and yet lose out on being saved because we failed to exercise faith. The difference is difficult to grasp unless experienced. It is like trying to explain to a prepubescent child the pleasures of romance and the joys of marriage. The child has no interest and cannot understand the experience, no matter how descriptive an adult might be. The child is just left wondering; bereft of what marital intimacy might mean. Likewise, until a person has entered God’s rest, the struggle of sin is all that person will know, because having been born into sin; he or she has not yet been set free (John 8:34-36). Though, the Psalmist knew about the pleasure of God. He wrote:

• You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more. (Psalm 16:11)

While grace is the extension of unearned favor and kindness toward us, we experience the pleasure of God through faith. The unmerited favor of God is meant to lead us to repentance and bring us to salvation, so that through faith we might experience the riches of God’s good pleasure. Unmerited favor extends to all; whereas the pleasure of God, we experience according to our faith. This is difficult for many people to grasp, because they do not want to be accountable for their actions; nor do they want to take responsibility for seeking God. Yet the Bible is very clear that God requires us to seek Him out and to call upon His name. In essence, God is looking to see whether we value the truth more than the lies of the Devil.

Tackling Sin

The Apostle Paul wrote that the Israelites had a zeal for God but they lacked the knowledge that would lead them to salvation—because they did not understand faith. As a nation, the people thought they had been elected by the grace of God unto salvation, and were thereby saved, regardless of what they did. Many people subscribe to a similar doctrine in that they believe they are saved by grace alone, because they are part of the elect that were chosen before the foundation of the world. This is contrary to the righteousness that comes from being saved through faith.  For self-righteousness is not the same as the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God comes through faith and not by grace alone. If we are saved by grace only, there is no requirement to change. This is the same as saying everybody is righteous because of the death of Jesus Christ. And what Jesus did on the cross, paying the price for all to be free from the condemnation of sin, means His blood covers whatever sin we commit and there is no need for repentance. The attitude of those who subscribe to this belief of being saved by grace alone, becomes one of we were born into sin, and we cannot but sin; therefore, sin we will—for blessed are those who sins are covered (Romans 4:7). The idea of sinning no more (John 8:11) or being perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48) is foreign to those who hold to the doctrine of saved by grace alone, even though Jesus clearly stated that ceasing from committing sin and being perfect of heart is required if we are to find favor with God. Moreover, the Apostle John writes:

• Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him. Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the Devil, for the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the Devil. Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:4-9)

• We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him. (1 John 5:18)

There is a stark difference contrasting being saved by grace but unable to overcome sin, and believing in the name of Lord Jesus Christ and overcoming sin through faith in the promises of God. This is not because only the Apostle John believes that this is what should happen, but we read it also in the book of Romans; except it is not expressed quite so obviously. For this is what we read in Romans:

• There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:1-13)

As we can see this does not express sinless perfection in the same manner as the Apostle John does, but this is what is taught nevertheless. We cannot be in Christ and walking by the Spirit, if we are living in sin. Only when we put to death the deeds of the body by walking through faith in the Spirit will we live; that is, obtain eternal life. Effectively, this is what the Apostle Paul taught, and if we consider Romans chapter six, we do find that we who are in Christ do not sin:

• Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.  What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!    Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?  But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered. Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness. (Romans 6:12-18)

Action is necessary.  This action is the outcome of our faith; it is not a matter of grace alone. The Apostle Paul writes:

• For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Much is made of the fact that faith is a gift along with grace, and the idea of merit being attached to faith suggests that works is the means by which we are saved, rather than the blood of Jesus that was shed on the Cross of Calvary. One important point often overlooked is the gift has to be received. Gifts can also be rejected. If not, it is no longer a gift. For gifts come without coercion.

Interestingly, we read concerning Jesus:

• He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:10-13)

Noteworthy in this passage is the need to receive Jesus (the free gift) and with this comes the right to become God’s children. Being born of God is not a guarantee that we are His children, it merely gives us a right to exercise obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26) so that we might secure the promised inheritance that has been offered to every human through the death of Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Way to Life. Walking in the way also requires us to live according to the truth and not be deceived by the deceitful doctrines of the Devil and the philosophies of his agents, which are designed to lead us astray from serving Jesus. The Devil and his agents (which many unsuspecting souls often unwittingly become) do not realize that possessing a form of godliness based on a body of theoretical knowledge that denies the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:5) is not the truth. Many of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches and the Protestant Churches are based on the Bible and make the point of talking about Jesus, but they also lead followers astray. This occurs because the leaders guide them into beliefs that become stumbling blocks which are idolatrous. These are seen when people look to faith aids such as amulets, candles and statues among the Catholics, and even in the Orthodox and Coptic churches. Among the Protestants and Evangelicals, the idolatrous sin of bibliolatry is evidenced by putting the Bible before Jesus; and because of the teaching, Once saved, Always saved, the belief flourishes that adherents cannot lose their salvation regardless of how much they sin.

The statement “one saved, always saved” is technically correct; for if we are saved; we are always saved.  However, the problem with this concept is that if a person has been told they have been saved because of something they did, but they are not truly saved, then this teaching of, Once saved, Always saved, is dangerous and does not apply to that person.  If the person has acknowledged Jesus and received the word of God, this is equivalent to the egg in the womb of a woman having been inseminated with the seed that will activate the egg to grow and eventually, all going well, bring forth a child. Likewise, when we receive the seed of life that is the word of God—as Jesus expressed in the parable of the Sower and the Seed—our spirits (which were dead, cut off from God because of sin) are activated to bring forth a child of God. When this event occurs, just as a baby is born and declared alive, so too are we when we are truly born again—unfortunately, far too many think they are saved when they are not. Self-delusion occurs when people think that something is so because of rituals and what they might represent. The delusion that a person is saved because they have been baptized is evident among those who baptize people as adults but teach the doctrine that this qualifies as “having been chosen before the foundation of the world as part of the elect”. Now contrast that with this truth of “having been chosen because a person is now expressing faith through Lord Jesus Christ towards the Heavenly Father as evidenced by the fruit of salvation”.

The grace of God has provided us the opportunity to acknowledge our Heavenly Father and respond to the call of the gospel, but only faith enables us to respond in an acceptable fashion.  This is why we are saved by grace through faith. We are not saved by grace alone, neither are we saved by faith alone. Faith of itself is insufficient. We need to have faith in God, if we are to be saved. Many claim that faith does not save, because faith originates from a sinful person. What these people fail to realize is that all things originate from God except sin. Paradoxically, the people who oppose the truth about being saved by faith say that sin originated with God, but faith originates from humans.  When we consult the Bible to see what it has to say about the origin of sin, this is what we learn:

• He who sins is of the Devil, for the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the Devil. (1 John 3:8)

God does not sin. Sin is contrary to God’s nature. In fact, Jesus had this to say about those who refused to acknowledge the truth of His word:

• Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word.  You are of your father, the Devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and its father. But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me. (John 8:43-45)

The reason the Devil sinned is He committed murder. Interestingly, according to Scripture, anyone who hates another person is guilty of murder, and we are told that no murderer has eternal life (1 John 3:15). The Devil, as Lucifer the guardian angel in paradise, hated Adam and Eve and attempted to destroy their relationship with God by causing them to sin, which is the same as committing murder. The reason sin against God is the same as murder is it cuts people off from having a relationship with Him. When a person really hates another person, as far as he is concerned the person does not exist, and this is the same as murder; for he has cut that person off from the land of the living within his heart. When Lucifer, the Devil, caused Adam and Eve to be cut off from having a relationship with God in the Garden of Eden, this was the same as being cut off from the land of the living.  To suggest that God ordained sin is the same as equating God with the Devil. This is what many who hold to the doctrines of “Saved by Grace”, “Once Saved, Always Saved”, and “Double Predestination” do. They outrageously insinuate, and even claim, sin originated from God—this amounts to blasphemy!

Seeds Of Faith

The Bible teaches that we are saved by faith in God and this faith has to grow to ensure that it is sufficient to save us. Unless we have sufficient faith to be reckoned as righteousness, we cannot be saved. Insufficient faith, or weak faith, as it is sometimes known, does not enable us to be saved. Our faith needs to overflow and burst forth, just as a baby being born, if we are to be truly saved. When this happens, we know we are saved. We are no longer professing belief in God and in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we now confess that Jesus rose from the dead, and we have absolute certainty within us that He lives. Sometimes the difference between professing and confessing[i] is expressed as the difference in believing that Jesus is the Savior and knowing Jesus as Lord.  Naturally, such a concept is opposed by those who claim that it is unnecessary to know Jesus as Lord to be saved, since they want to believe salvation comes by grace alone.

The parable that Jesus told His disciples about the man sowing seed—which was really a metaphor for the word of God being placed in people’s hearts—instructs us about the truth of salvation. The seed falls on different types of soils. The soils are representative of the different types of hearts that exist within humans. Unlike the belief of modern-day psychologists, Jesus informs us in this parable that there are essentially four types of hearts. One is impenetrable to truth; one rejoices in the truth for a little while; another believes in the truth but delights more in what world has to offer; then there are those that embrace the truth for all it is worth and seek to understand it.

When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable.

• “The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”   Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”     He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the road are those who hear, then the Devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produces fruit with patience. (Luke 8:4-15)

Many think that parables are short stories that use metaphors to teach a single moral; that is, a lesson regarding only one truth about life. The parables of Jesus are more complex than those that teach single truths. Jesus’ parables often contain quite a number of truths. For instance, we have already given consideration to the different types of ground being the dispositions of the heart; then there is the seed being the word of God—which makes two truths. All the truths Jesus taught are to be found in the Old Testament somewhere, which surprises many, who think that the New Testament is separate from the Law and the Prophets. Nevertheless, the truths in this parable are very instructive of human nature and we can learn plenty from it.

The word of God, here, is often taught as being the message of God. We can consider this as a possibility. If the people hear the message and reject it, we need to know the reason why they would. Likewise, if the message is thought to sound so good that it is received with joy, what would be the types of persecution that would cause a person to later reject it. Then when it comes to the cares and pleasures of the world, we might wonder how they can strangle the message. But what if the word of God is not a message but an actual thing that has substance, like a seed, and is able to bring forth life on its own account, providing it lands in good ground.

If the word of God is a message only, then this will explain the implicit idea of people having a choice to accept or reject the message (1 John 1:5-2:24). If the word is a spiritual seed that is able to bring forth life, then this will explain the concept of it being planted and watered, while God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). Jesus also said to His disciples that they had been made clean by the words with which He had spoken (John 15:3). This tells us that the word of God can be planted and watered; also, the word of God can have a washing effect that cleanses a person—obviously, we are not talking about the skin, so this would mean the heart (the spirit of the inner man). Therefore, for us to understand the parable, we need to understand the action of the word of God and the heart response as represented by the different types of ground.

The hard ground is said to be that which has been downtrodden. We know Jesus came for the oppressed who have been downtrodden, since he came to set the captives free. The ground that is downtrodden and hardened by life does not preclude the politically oppressed nor people abused by those who hold power over them. We need not be considering only slaves or leaders, who are tyrants, as hard ground, but members of families, who have been exploited, tyrannized and made subservient within their own homes.  Household politics can be vicious and more cruel than what we might witness among politicians in public life. How household politics affects each one of us, as we grow up, can have a major impact upon our worldview. People who grow up in a punitive environment as children can have a hardened attitude to life and be more evil themselves. Not everyone who grows up in a violent society seeks peace, many simply perpetuate the violence and this becomes a cultural norm. Such people can become hard ground. So, too, can children, who grow up in a household environment where there is no violence, become calloused and impervious to the concerns of others, and see nothing wrong with inflicting pain upon them. However, Jesus was not talking about ground that was downtrodden in the psychological sense of people having become hardened by exploitation; rather he was speaking about people who hardened their heart to the weightier matters of the Law of God. These are those who cared little about justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23); people who were partial, merciless and dishonest.

People respond to the word of God in different ways. When we say “word of God”, we mean the message of hope and salvation.  Yet regardless of whom we are, two critical factors play a major part of who we become as we are maturing during our childhood years. These are the social environments in which we are raised and the thoughts we entertain and build upon.  However, our attitude of heart develops through the interaction of our thoughts in response to our own environment. Theoretically, we are all on the same playing field. But there are so many variables in terms of genetics, religion, culture, family type, family size, family birth position, health, education, wealth, opportunities, landscape, etc., that to suggest we are all the same, seems an oversimplification which is definitely untrue. Yet, surprisingly, even though we are complex creatures that are like diamonds with many facets, we have an incredible simplicity to our makeup. This is because each one of us possesses a spirit and a soul within a physical body. The spirit has the ability to process knowledge and the soul is that which enables us to know the lusts of this world. Our body provides us with our five senses and a brain, which enables us to process our subconscious conceptualizations and attitudes in order to consciously make sense of our environment and express our thoughts verbally.

Each one of us forms a worldview through thinking. Thinking is what distinguishes us from animals and gives us our creativity—which is the result of language—and our ability to understand the meaning of what is stated; that is, what a word or sentence identifies and signifies as the picture that is being conveyed into the mind of the hearer. For some people, the message of the gospel identifies what is missing in their lives and signifies the importance of action; whereas for others, the message is of no significance. Often this depends how the message is presented and how the person is spiritually predisposed at the time. Jesus did say that the gospel message was purposefully veiled so that those who knew better, but did evil, would not repent; whereas, those who were seeking the truth about life would repent. Those who think they will get away with evil or think they can sin without the prospect of judgment, because they were chosen beforehand by the grace of God to be saved, see no need to repent and forsake their sin. Like hardened ground the gospel message does not penetrate the hearts of such people. The message of the gospel is not given a second thought. Any idea that they would not measure up to a requirement of God, if there were one, is immediately dismissed because, as far as they are concerned, it does not apply. This suggests pride is the problem here.

The Gospel And Persecution

However, it is possible for people who are proud and reject the gospel message to actually be softened; the same as hard ground is softened by water. Time becomes the essence of hope and, if such people are constantly getting splashed with the gospel message, a softening can take place. Still, besides the softening of people’s hearts, there is the need for people to think about their position in life. Being washed by the water of the word is not the same as being receptive to the word of God. The word of God needs to be implanted and when this occurs, it has the power to save our souls (James 1:21). An attitude of humility is required before the word of God can be sown. For this to occur, the recipients have to think about their existence and what is going to happen to them after death. Those who think they have nothing to worry about will not be receptive to the truth. Unbelief is the result of their reasoning; whereas those who express doubt could change their view and begin to consider where they stand in relation to the truth of the gospel message. People who are not prepared to believe that they will be judged for their wrongdoing will not repent from their sins. Those who think judgment is a possibility will repent. The idea of being saved by grace alone might appeal to people who are otherwise hard-hearted; so might the idea that the promises of the gospel are better than what is on offer in the world. Both these ideas appear to have been appropriated by Abraham. He understood that God was the judge of the Earth (Genesis 18:25). Nevertheless, Abraham is also the example and proof of the second point, that there is something better on offer; it is because he was looking for something the world could not offer that he was receptive to the gospel message. For we read:

• The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8)

• Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”    So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4)

• By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for the city which has foundations, and whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)

The seed that falls in the ground that is rocky does have soil in which to take root. The idea put forward by Jesus is that this soil is shallow. The individuals have little root in themselves and are not prepared to suffer on account of the gospel. Most people think of this as being persecuted (Matthew 13:21) for preaching the gospel or being mocked for going to church and identifying as a Christian. Besides this, shallow people are often not prepared to give up their sins and therefore give in to temptation. They make a profession for a while, but when it comes to resisting the Devil, they are not prepared to persist in the pain that occurs from doing so, and give in to the sin. The sins in which people, who have little root in themselves, often become entangled, have to do with the flesh. When it comes to drugs and alcohol and, even, food and sex, people can find these very difficult to overcome. Gluttony and sexual lust are historically two of the deadly sins because they prevent people from living a virtuous life of chastity and temperance. While lust concerns the sexual sins, gluttony includes alcohol and refers to drugs; these being addictions that require outside sources. Lust, on the other hand, does not require outside sources, but occurs from within, feeds on the mind, and relief is achievable by self-eroticism; only this is never truly satisfying. Persecution, of course, comes by way of the Devil. Even though many people call upon the name of the Lord, they find it too difficult to resist the flesh and succumb to the Devil’s wiles.

The Apostle Paul said that we were to rejoice in our sufferings because these are what eventually produce character (Romans 5:2-4). Few, if any, find rejoicing easy when suffering. In a majority of cases, to make matters worse, not everyone has an understanding of the gospel message that goes beyond “judge not and you will not be judged, forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). This is where they remain in their belief system. For such individuals, this is the way to eternal life. They often think in terms of being saved by grace alone and believe, since they were saved before the foundation of the world, they have nothing to worry about because they do not judge others and expect they will not be judged themselves, no matter how much they revel in their sin; besides, giving up their sin is too difficult. Likewise, it is often too difficult for such individuals to suffer the persecution that comes with telling others about Jesus and they become closet Christians; public confession of being a Christian is too shameful. Although, there are those who publicly profess they are Christians while seeing no need to forsake their hidden sins. True Christians confess their sins, even if they slip,  and have a conviction that what they hope for will come to pass, because they possess an assurance God exists and oversees everything.

In Abraham’s case, the suffering was a matter of famine. God promises him the land, but the famine is too much for him, so he does not persevere, but seeks something more appealing to the natural man. We learn about this as being the second time the word of the Lord comes to Abraham.

• Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. They entered into the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites were in the land, then.   Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.”   He built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on Yahweh’s name.  Abram traveled, still going on toward the South.   There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land. (Genesis 12:5-10)

Cares And Riches Of The World

People, who find that there is much gain in being freed from the ignorance about life, often get caught up in the pleasures that the world provides. Regarding pleasures, we are talking about everything that has to do with acquiring wealth and education. Though not everyone sets their path in the hope of becoming wealthy; many simply develop hobbies and become sports enthusiasts, where ball games become more important to them than worshipping the Lord God and promoting the truth. The number of Christians that get involved in sport and pray that they will win the games they play is incredible. The cares of the world are more important to these individuals than the truth of salvation.  Careers are important, and for some, their life’s work is wrapped up in their professional and academic achievements. Tragically, for those who head off to Hollywood or Nashville, often their careers end with untimely deaths (or in the case of Jerry Lee Lewis, having to sleep with a gun[ii]).  Many decide to go to Bible College and become fulltime workers in churches. Unfortunately, too many pastors and preachers become more interested in their personal status within the community or their denomination rather than bearing fruit in the Kingdom of God. Instead of being servants in the Kingdom of God, pastors and preachers too often become lord-like masters (Yes, Pastor! As you say, Pastor!) who oversee flocks of people and seek numbers rather than holiness—without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

Another trick of the Devil is to introduce philosophy of men disguised as truth. When we are told about propositional truths of the gospel, salvation or theology, we need to appreciate that there is a subtle deception being played out. With propositional truths comes a philosophy of salvation that is not biblical truth, even though it may appear to be from the Bible, because it is based on texts found in the New Testament. The study of soteriology (salvation) is one such system that is a serious effort by theologians to understand the salvific process in a systematic fashion. Even though there are different views and they generally follow the same propositions that are subsequent to each other in the process, they miss the mark and overlook the biblical explanation. Indeed, there is a biblical explanation. It is very simple; while, at the same time, possessing a complexity of its own. (There are numerous doctrines that appear to have merit. In the following chapter, we will briefly discuss, if not all, at least a significant number of these doctrines regarding the process of salvation.)  However, propositional truths do not lead people to maturity as Christians; instead, they provide a philosophical basis for arguing a point. This is not what brings forth fruit for eternal life.  This is why we read that the seed fails to mature which is sown in the ground where there are thorns and thistles. The seed needs to meet with faith (Hebrews 4:2).

Another parable Jesus provided, which is found in Matthew, also points out one of the reasons people fail to mature; it reads:

• He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also. The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’    “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’    “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’    “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”    ....Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”    He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

There is a very important principle found in this parable. Like the darnel that looks like wheat, propositional truths are easily used to lead people away from the truth of the Bible. False teachers come in and deceive many with propositional truths. False teachers, unlike prophets, cannot be judged by their prophecies; they produce a different type of deception, one that appeals to the intellectually minded.  What they teach has the appearance of truth, which is necessary if they are to deceive. Once the deception has been put in place and the false teaching is accepted, it is passed down from one generation of believers to another generation, leading the unsuspecting astray and placing stumbling blocks in front of people. Our Heavenly Father allows this to see whether we truly want to know the truth, or whether we are prepared to settle for intellectual deception, because we like to pride ourselves on our belief system. This is the religion of the Pharisee. This is also one of the reasons people seek alternatives to what Christianity has to offer. Instead of substance producing changed lives and a sense of reality in the those claiming to be Christians, too often, academic flip-flops are submitted as truths by those who self-contradict the Bible, because they do not have a genuine experience with Jesus Christ as Lord. Professing to be wise they become fools; for self-deception is at the heart of the untruths and false teachings that are propagated as deep knowledge of the Bible. The darnel that is sown by the Devil, the Father of Lies, is the false teaching that leads people astray. (The doctrines of limited atonement and double predestination are two such propositional truths.)

The third time we learn about the word of God coming to Abraham was after he had come out of Egypt, having been sent away by Pharaoh, who had enriched him on account of God’s intervention. God spoke to Pharaoh about his sin. Pharaoh then decided the best option would be to encourage Abraham to go back to the land of Canaan by giving him ample wealth. A dispute arose over the wealth that Lot and Abraham possessed and the cares and riches of this world became the issue of the day; thus, we read:

• The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their substance was great, so that they could not live together. There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land at that time. Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives. Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”     Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.    Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your offspring[a] may also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”     Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh. (Genesis 13:6-18)

Maturing Faith

For the word of God to mature, this means it needs to grow. Maturity always requires growth and transformation. In the book of Ephesians (4:11-16), we learn apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were given by Jesus to bring about the perfecting of the saints, or as many translations prefer, the maturing of the saints, so they will not succumb to the deceptions of the Devil and his agents. Doctrine is very much a part of bringing about the unity of the faithful in the knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ. This doctrine needs to be such that it is experiential. Propositional truths are not experiential, and neither is the concept of being saved by grace. Experiential knowledge is that which can be applied to our lives and enables us to grow in faith. Experiential knowledge does not mean we possess swelled heads stuffed with pages of theory and are lacking the power to demonstrate the practicalities of the theory. For if we are to attain to the unity of the faith, this really means developing oneness of expression through the power of testimony, because we faithfully apply the truths concerning our Lord Jesus to our own lives—not becoming indoctrinated parrots bereft of the meaning of being born again. The Psalmist celebrates this idea of unity and says:

• See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aaron’s beard; that came down on the edge of his robes; like the dew of Hermon, that comes down on the hills of Zion: for there Yahweh gives the blessing, even life forever more. (Psalm 133:1-3)

Applied knowledge produces people who are walking together in the bond of love and have the blessing of the Lord, because they have grown into maturity as they express their faith in Jesus Christ.

 Propositional truths do not do this. There might be a consensus among those who accept them to be true, but they cannot bring about faith that brings glory to God. This is evidenced in the fact that the doctrine of grace usually plays an important part of the theology rather than faith. Faith without works is dead and this can be easily identified, whereas grace tends to be inclusive of everything, even though those who proclaim grace will be exclusive of others in practice. Those who possess faith are assured of salvation and have no need to be constantly relying on affirmations of dogma as proof of commitment.  This is because those who grow in faith have an honest heart regarding themselves and when it comes to seeking the truth; as well as a generous heart towards other people.  As they grow in faith they are able to produce fruit that brings glory to our Heavenly Father, which is what Jesus said would happen; thus, we read:

• In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. (John 15:8)

When the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, he told his charge that the Old Testament was able to instruct him how to be saved through faith in Jesus. This is what he wrote:

• How from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15 ESV)

Salvation does not come from grace, but through faith. Grace is the means that enables us the right to exercise faith. When we hear the message of salvation, it has to land on good ground if it is to be effective. Good ground has to be prepared, just as all good farmland has to be made ready for sowing. In order for the Word of Life to bring forth fruit, it needs to be planted into a heart that has been cleared of worldly cares and pleasures and the pursuit of riches. A heart that has had sinful preferences and desires rooted out. A heart that has been well watered, so that the eternal significance of the truth is easily understood.

The individual who is open to the message of salvation has to be dissatisfied with this current world. Good preaching is about pointing out the futility of this world and the philosophies of those who insist that God does not exist. Such preaching is the washing of the water of the word that cleanses, as it cuts and prunes the thinking of each hearer, as he or she considers the realities of life on this planet. Individuals respond to this form of preaching because it makes sense and the description of futility is readily recognizable as part of the fallen human condition.

Without a strong enough reason to change, people are not going to change their thoughts, let alone their ways. When we talk about people’s ways, we are talking about their lifestyle; that is, their habits. Some habits are easier to change than others. People believe sinful habits to be the hardest to change; while many people claiming to be Christians believe they are impossible to change. This is because we do not have to change just the habit, but also overcome the adversary, who is intent of keeping us entrapped in our sin.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi has been quoted as having said:

Your beliefs become your thoughts; your thoughts become your words; your words become your actions; your actions become your habits; your habits become your values; your values become your destiny.

While there is some merit to what Gandhi has stated, there is also an issue about his initial premise that our beliefs become our thoughts. The reason being: beliefs are actually the result of information obtained from our environment that we have processed and thereby accepted as true. For instance, an opinion is a belief held by people who have only some of the information required to form a correct judgment. For someone to say that beliefs become our thoughts is incorrect. Thoughts are required to form beliefs. Unfortunately, misinformation and misunderstanding leads to poor definitions of words, and when people make a claim about something, they are often expressing an opinion, which is frequently a misinterpretation of a matter not even based on truth, let alone an expression of truth.

Faith is one matter that is misinterpreted and therefore misunderstood. Many think of faith as a body of thought about hypothetical matters. Others think of faith as merely a belief in the supernatural and therefore of no real value. Yet the Bible informs us faith is the means by which people find salvation. However, this is not faith in faith, or faith for faith’s sake, or faith in abilities, or faith in any human. This is faith towards God. Faith is actually a substance of sorts that, although we cannot see it, enables us to turn thoughts into purposeful actions with confidence, as opposed to reflex actions without thought or merely having a notion that something could exist, might have happened at some time, or could happen in the future.

Gandhi was known to have rejected the gospel message of salvation through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. He believed that a person ought to be true to his natural roots and culture. This is probably the reason he has stated beliefs form thoughts. Gandhi probably meant that the cultural beliefs within the social environment into which we are born impregnate us with thoughts; as we begin to become aware of those thoughts and what they mean, this forms our belief system. Strictly speaking, this is not true, as we have already noted, we gather information from our environment and this is what forms our thoughts. It is from the development of these thoughts that opinions and beliefs occur. Truth is another matter altogether. Truth is universal. What is true in India is true in Ireland and also true in Argentina and Australia, South Africa and Sweden. Sometimes, there may appear to be different truths (manifestations of truth). But these occur because of underlying reasons or principles that, if found in other places, would produce the same effect. This is what genuine scientists like to call objective truth; underlying principles that can be proven.

Truth comes from observation. The Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze is noted for many of his observations that have produced wise sayings. Lao-Tze is the reputed founder of Tao, which supposedly came on the scene about three centuries after King Solomon. One of Lao-Tze’s observations is:

The best people are like water, which benefits all things and does not compete with them. It stays in lowly places that others reject. This is why it is so similar to the Way.

Now the Way that Taoism speaks about is not the Way of which Christians think. Yet surprisingly, the Tao concepts of being like a vessel that is empty, waiting to filled, when one is still, has the ring of biblical truth. For in the Old Testament we find “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) and “let him who glories glory in the fact that he understands and knows that I am the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:24). In the New Testament we learn that we possess treasure (in what would otherwise be empty vessels) to demonstrate that the transcendent power of God is within us and belongs to Him (2 Corinthians 4:7). However, what we can learn from Tao is that people are able to make observations from nature that are universally true, but may later interpret these truths and then find themselves moving away from the truth.

Jesus said that He is the Way to the truth that leads to life; in that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and there is no other God besides Him, for He and the Father are One.  Nevertheless, it is interesting, that as Lao-Tze spoke of those who are great and benefit all, are humble and like water, they are found in the lowly place; for to be as such is the Way to life. This is because Jesus is the Way, and if we learn about Jesus, we find that He too is humble and the source of life, just like water; only Jesus said to the woman at a well that unlike the water she was drawing to drink; the water that He provides wells up into eternal life.

The following declaration is also attributed to Lao-Tze:

Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Gandhi may have been influenced by reading Lao-Tze’s sayings. He may have made an adaption to what Lao-Tze said to fit his views. Nevertheless, there is a truth expressed that is observable even today and, when it comes to Gandhi’s version, we immediately notice what is missing from Tao’s saying and what he has added. When we combine the two sayings, instead of five attributes, in the case of Tao, and six attributes, in the case of Gandhi, we have seven attributes that contribute to each one’s destiny:

Beliefs become thoughts that become words, and when they become actions, these become habits that develop character, which determine the values that result in each one’s destiny.

While the likes of Gandhi and Lao-Tze might be lauded among those who promote positive thinking and strong values for wholesome living, these fall short of what we can discover in the Bible. For if we were to consider what the Apostle Paul wrote about how character is formed in the book of Romans (5:1-4), when speaking about having obtained peace with God through faith in Lord Jesus Christ, we might come up with something like the following:

Faith is the foundation by which our thoughts become purposeful actions that produce positive outcomes as a matter of habit, and develops the character that has the values to determine our destiny.

The above description of faith is an understanding of its essential character and how it forms the core criterion for us to find our way to the truth through the salvation that is provided to us by means of the Heavenly Gift. The abovementioned description of faith is taken not just from the book of Romans, but is a crystallization of the concept of faith as presented within Scripture in its many facets.

We are saved through faith and not by grace alone. In fact, it is by grace that God tolerates our sinfulness in order that those who decide to choose life may do so.  We are told that once the full number of the Gentiles have been saved, then this is the time of the end (Romans 11:25).  People are only admitted into the body of Lord Jesus Christ though faith, not by grace alone, or any other reason for that matter.

If it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), how can anyone of us please God by grace alone?  Unlike grace, faith enables us to experience God’s pleasure and move beyond experiencing portions of unmerited favor.  However, if we consider grace as the empowerment that is provided to us who are walking in the pleasure of God, then we understand what the Apostle Paul means when he writes:

• Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

Many get confused when they see grace and hope having been mentioned after faith. The truth is by grace we are able to hope for that which we do not have, but it is only attainable through faith. For we do not hope for the things we have, but that which we do not have (Romans 8:24-25). We obtain the things we hope for through faith. We obtain salvation through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. Once we have obtained salvation, and have the everlasting assurance within, the guarantee of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), the concepts of “the grace in which we now stand” and “the hope of our glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18) require us to continue to exercise faith, if we are to bring glory to God. As we see in relation to thoughts producing a destiny, the steps are subsequent to each other: grace permits us to have a hope, which we attain by faith. In which case, there are two key stages that have numerous phases for us to pass, depending upon circumstances and what we are prepared to do in order to know the truth.

Redemption And Salvation

The first stage is going from being lost to being redeemed. The second stage is going from having been redeemed to being saved.  The similarity in the meaning of the words, and of the process by which we have to negotiate circumstances, confuses many expositors of the Bible. Each one will interpret the meaning of the Bible according to his or her own belief system—which is what Gandhi believed, because of the observations he had made in life.

Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed all who have been born and taken captive by the Devil. The price of redemption has been paid. The Devil has to let us go. But being the deceiver he is, he will do everything to prevent us from leaving his kingdom of darkness by using scare tactics or confusing our thinking. The Devil does not want us to believe that we have been redeemed and therefore can be saved. He wants us to doubt that we can be free from sin and death. He wants us to suffer unbelief; rather than demonstrate that we accept the truth about our redemption being finalized and all we have to do is claim our inheritance in Lord Jesus Christ through faith, and so be saved.

Faith is the key component in these matters, but the question is always: faith in what, or whom? If our faith is directed towards God, then we will learn the truth and discover the freedom that comes with the knowledge of Him. If we genuinely desire to know the truth and continue in it, by faith we will reach out to the Son of God and, if our faith is sufficient, it will be reckoned unto us as righteousness. This is what happened to Abraham:

• For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.”    Is this blessing then pronounced on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they might be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them. He is the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision. For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.  For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience. For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.  As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were. Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your offspring be.” Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, [from][iii] giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform. Therefore it also was “credited to him for righteousness.”  Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone, but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:3-25)

Abraham did not work to obtain salvation; neither did he work to have his faith in God accredited as righteousness. Abraham was granted salvation as a result of the faith he possessed in the Son of God’s word to him, and this gave great pleasure to our Heavenly Father. The Son of God had spoken to Abraham on a number of occasions, but it was not until his faith was sufficient to accept, without doubt, that what he was being told was true, that his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Performing the works of the ceremonial Law or any other activity had nothing to do with Abraham being declared righteous. It was God’s good pleasure to award Abraham righteousness because of his faith. As with us all, righteousness is a matter of grace and not works, least any person should boast that they are more deserving of God’s favor than another person. More to the point, what is evident in this passage is that Abraham was declared righteous because of His faith in God’s promises and not because of anything else. Also, Abraham became the father of all who are to be saved, including ourselves, who believe Jesus has been raised from the dead. The righteousness of Jesus has enabled us to obtain an inheritance, because He gave His life to redeem the people born on Earth from the clutches of sin and its originator, the angel of God that fell from Heaven and is now called Satan, the Devil, the Father of Lies (Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:9; John 8:44).

Jesus paid the price for sin, so that we might be delivered from the bondage of our trespasses; but it is our acceptance of His resurrection that justifies us in the presence of God. This is because by believing God can raise the dead, having been born into sin and death, we are expressing our rejection of the Evil One’s designs and our fate under him, in preference for an eternity in the presence of our Heavenly Father. By grace, we are able to grow in faith sufficiently to believe the Son of God has been raised from the dead, and will raise us from the dead also. Therefore, faith in Jesus Christ saves us. We might receive unmerited favor to demonstrate faith, but God’s grace alone does not save us, it is the pleasure we provide God by accepting as true that He is more worthy than the god of this world, and has demonstrated this through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do this by expressing our faith in the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul argues that we cannot call upon God if we have not heard about Him. As far as Abraham was concerned, we know that he had heard the voice of God without any record of a preacher having been sent to him. However, even Abraham, the father of the faithful, was not exempt. As has been discussed already, doctrine (teaching) plays an important part in the salvation process. Not only do we need to be humble before God, but we also need to be humble before men as well, since humans were created in the image of God. When we read the following from the books of Romans, Malachi, Genesis, Galatians and John, we are presented with some surprising truths:

• How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15)

• My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might be reverent toward me; and he was reverent toward me, and stood in awe of my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Armies. (Malachi 2:5-7)

• The king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him, and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”    Abram gave him a tenth of all.    The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and take the goods for yourself.”    Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread nor a sandal strap nor anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing from you except that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion.”    After these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”    Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram said, “Behold, to me you have given no children: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”    Behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir.”  Yahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So will your offspring be.”     He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 14:17-15:6)

• Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:6-7)

• Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. (John 8:39)

We are saved by faith, and if we are saved, we are children of Abraham. If we are children of Abraham, we do what Abraham did. Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Only this did not occur overnight. This was a process that went from, first of all, not rejecting the word of the Lord. Then Abraham had some hardships to persevere when tested by the famine. Issues arose later over the cares and riches of the world, before having to acknowledge the servant of God and listen to his teaching on the bread and the wine, tithing and giving God the glory for having made him rich.  What we learn from a study of Abraham is he had to mature in his faith and understand the significance of what salvation meant before he was saved.  One thing that is very clear, though, Abraham was not saved by grace alone; rather, he was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  How do we know this? Because Jesus said:

• Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad.” (John 8:56)

Who told Abraham about Jesus? For most people such an assertion that Abraham knew about Jesus would seem utterly stupid. Historically, Jesus was not born until some two thousand years after the birth of Abraham. What most people tend to overlook is the Son of God is the preexistent Word of God through whom all things, that exist, have been brought into existence. The message of salvation that was delivered to Noah came through the Son of God. Melchezidek the priest of God, Most High had to know about the Son of God. Melchezidek was the messenger of God, who walked in righteousness and peace and instructed Abraham about the importance of the bread and the wine, taught him about the truth of tithing and returning to our Heavenly Father through the Son of God. By faith Abraham obeyed and this was credited to him as righteousness (James 2:23).

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[i] While both "profession" and "confession" of faith involve declarations of beliefhe distinction lies in their emphasis. A profession of faith is often a public declaration of belief, while a confession of faith is a public declaration of trust and encompasses a more personal acknowledgment of repentance and faith towards God. The distinction is sharp, with profession being purely formal and objective. more a declaration of one’s righteousness, rather than a  humble confession of one’s faith.

The KJV uses the word “profession” for Hebrews 3:1 “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.”  The vast majority of translations have “consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus” The Pharisee professed his righteousness. The tax collector confessed his reliance on God. (Luke 18:9-14) Notably, in this parable the KJV differs from other versions and has a “publican” rather than a “tax collector” being compared with the Pharisee.

[ii] Jerry Lee Lewis’ “bedroom door was barred with steel. He kept a pistol under his pillow, an automatic on a bedside table, and more guns in his dresser drawer. One bedroom wall and an armoire were punctured by bullet holes.”— Milner, Richard. “The Death Of Jerry Lee Lewis Explained.”  Published online: Grunge.  https://www.grunge.com/1076015/the-death-of-jerry-lee-lewis-explained , —retrieved April 28, 2025.

[iii] The idea here is Abraham grew in faith as he gave God the glory. Giving glory to God for what we know He has done is how our faith grows. This plays an important element in the process of thoughts confessed being the words that lead towards actions taken. Daily seeking to see what God is going to do in our lives, and giving Him the glory for what He does do, increases our faith in Him.