This page concerns faith as reliance or trust in God and His Son. It also encompasses the concepts of faithfulness, which is the loyalty and conscientious service of true believers. Faith and faithfulness are not just New Testament concepts. They are old. The Protestant reformation was, in fact, based on Old and New Testament texts:
| Habakuk 2: |
4: Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just
shall live by his faith.
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| Hebrews 10: | 38: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. |
Yahweh, the Almighty God of Israel, often had to rebuke His people for their lack of faith and their faithlessness.
| Deuteronomy 32: | 20: And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. |
When they proved faithful, He was not slow to acknowledge the fact.
| Numbers 12: |
7: My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
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| Psalm 101: | 6: Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. |
In Sermon 51, the subject of faith is dealt with. There we learn, amongst others, the following facts: FAITH IS ...
| Acts 16: |
30: ... Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. |
Salvation is a gift. It is offered free of charge, to the whole human race. Though free to us, it cost the Almighty the death of His own Son. It is given freely to us, simply because, we could never afford it. Yahweh's love is so great, He wants us to be saved no matter what the cost, to Himself. All we have to do, in order to obtain salvation, to receive eternal life, is to accept salvation by putting our faith in Yahweh’s son, Yeshua the Messiah.
In other words, our entry, our passport, to eternal life, into the kingdom of heaven, rests, in the merits of the Savior's life and sacrifice, not on our own obedience, however perfect we may believe ourselves to be. In short, we receive salvation by faith! Yes, faith in Christ is the prescribed passport to the Kingdom of God. “The just shall live by his faith” as our opening verse proclaimed.
In Old Testament times, it was faith in the cleansing power of a lamb’s blood that procured forgiveness from sin. Every time an Old Testament believer wanted forgiveness, he/she was obliged to offer an animal sacrifice to the Most High. The death of the animal was accepted by Yahweh and the sinner was pardoned. He was forgiven and free to go, because of the coming sacrifice of Yahweh’s Son. All those animals and birds (lambs, goats, bullocks and pigeons) prefigured Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God!
It is the same today. To obtain forgiveness from sin, we need faith
in the cleansing power of the Lamb’s blood; that is, faith in Jesus
the Messiah. The difference between Old and New Testament times is, now
the sinner doesn't need to offer a literal lamb as a sacrifice for sin. All
we need for forgiveness in this day is, faith in the Savior. He is the Lamb
of God, our once and for all sacrifice for sin. His blood cleanses us
from sin, if we believe, if we put our faith in him. That is where our
faith comes into the picture. We need faith in Yeshua for:
| 1 John 3: |
1: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,
because it knew him not. 2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3: And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4: Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5: And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6: Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7: Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8: He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. |
In short, we may say, obedience is the outcome, the expression of living faith. Obedience is faith in action. We obey the Most High, because that is what He wants us to do. That is His will. True believers will, therefore, seek to learn and keep the Ten Commandments. We will ...
To be sure, these acts, of obedience, do not, yea they cannot, earn us a right to the Kingdom of God. We repeat. Obedience, no matter how perfect it may be, does not save a person from the death penalty earned for past sins. Just as managing your money well from today onwards, does not cancel your past debts. In the same way, obedience can never cancel past sins. That must be done by God. He alone can cancel sin's debt; the death sentence our sins have given to us. Nevertheless, current acts of obedience do show, one's faith in Christ is alive and we truly appreciate what God has done for us through His Son. Obedience is living faith in action. It is proof, we are the children of God!
| 1 John 5: |
2: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,
and keep his commandments. 3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. |
The answer is twofold:
Obedience Determines Your Eternal Position in The Kingdom of God
| Matthew 5: |
17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. |
Persistent Disobedience Can Keep You Out of the Kingdom of God
| Galatians 5: |
19: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20: Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21: Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. |
Believers, who add obedience to their faith, will be given positions of high rank during the millennium and beyond. We see this fact taught in the parable of the servants and talents:
| Luke 19: |
15: And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the
kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom
he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained
by trading. 16: Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17: And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18: And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19: And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. |
This parable shows how, believers, who apply their faith in deeds of righteousness, will occupy high positions in the Kingdom of God. Where those who blatantly disobey will be stunned to find out, faith without obedience is dead faith. That dead faith will not get anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven.
| James 2: | 20: But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? |
In other words, if meaningful results are to come, then obedience and acts of righteousness must accompany faith.
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| Hebrews 10: | 38: Now the just shall live by faith ... |
Is this possible, in this day and fast-moving age, when nothing is guaranteed? The answer is: yes, it is possible. Let us outline certain spiritual canons, which we have used over the years, to help us realize the truth of that verse. A canon is a general (in our case a spiritual) principle, which can take on the weight of a law. In our case, these canons are laws, by which we govern our spiritual life.
| Habakkuk 3: |
17: Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the
vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no
meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd
in the stalls: 18: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. |
| Romans 8: | 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. |
This means, no matter what may come your way, God is in control and has some divine, worthwhile purpose in mind. We may not recognize that purpose at the time of disaster, but it surely exists; and our heavenly Father is working His purpose, for the good of His family. That is the second canon, the spiritual principle to bear in mind.
| Hebrews 11: |
1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen. 2: For by it the elders obtained a good report. |
| Job 13: | 15: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him ... |
| Matthew 7: |
1: Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. |
