Faith

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Acts 4

Paul now goes to the doctrine of faith, believing God. Paul writes of the faith of Abraham, the father of the faithful, the one whom the Jews looked to for their faith. Paul writes that “Abraham believed God.” Notice that Paul did NOT say Abraham believed IN God. Even the demons and Satan believe IN God. That is not the faith of Abraham! Believing God and believing IN God are different statements. God spoke to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, calling him to Himself. Abram believed IN God at that time and obeyed God’s call to leave his father and brothers and go to a land unknown to him, as directed by God. But, when God made a covenant with Abram, changing his name to Abraham and sealing His covenant, in Genesis 15, Scripture says, “Abram believed God.” You see, Abram already believed IN God and obeyed His call upon his life. But, when God made His covenant with Abram, he knew God to be the Creator of all things and the One Being who would keep His promises faithfully for all eternity. Unfortunately, by the time of Jesus of Nazareth, God Incarnate, came to earth, Abraham’s descendants had corrupted their faith to a set of rules that one must follow before one can get into Heaven, manmade rules that made the Spirit of God’s covenant moot, relying upon works of obedience rather than relying upon God the Holy Spirit to will and to do God’s good pleasure in their lives. And, we find ourselves, today, in the same predicament as the Jews of Jesus’ day, only, today, many believe that to get to Heaven, one need only to die because all people go to Heaven at death. This is a pernicious heresy that Satan and his demons have perpetrated upon humanity. Faith does involve works but, first, faith is believing the perfect works of Jesus of Nazareth in His earthly ministry, believing His atoning death for forgiveness of our sins and, believing His resurrection in glory as the “first fruits of the resurrection” promised by God in Scripture. Oh, soul, are you just believing IN God as evil ones all do, or, are you believing God, obeying Him, relying, not upon your own works which are as “filthy rags, but, upon the perfect works of Christ, having your sins forgiven and cleansed by His shed blood and, robed by Christ’s perfect Righteousness He earned through His sinless life lived some 2,000 years ago. Christ is the Way, the Truth and, the Life!

Source: S C Ball August 25, 2023