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Part 1
The word 'faith' is:
- Reliance or trust in a person or thing
- Belief in religious doctrines
- A system of religious belief.
This page concerns 'faith' as reliance or trust in YaHuWaH the Elohim of the Bible, and His only begotten Son YAHUSHUA the Messiah. It also encompasses the concepts of faithfulness, which is the loyalty and conscientious service of true believers. Faith and faithfulness are not New Testament concepts. They are old. The Protestant reformation was, in fact, based on this 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. |
YaHuWaH the Almighty Elohim of Israel, often had to rebuke His people for their lack of faith and their faithlessness.
| Deut.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. |
But when they proved faithful, He was not slow to acknowledge the fact.
| Numbers 12: | 7: My servant Moshe is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house. |
| 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 Lesson 4 the subject of faith is dealt with. There we learn, among others, the following facts:
- That faith, the action of the mind to believe in the Almighty, is reckoned by Him to be a form of righteousness, called 'the righteousness of faith.'
- That faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
- That the purpose of faith is the salvation of the soul.
- That faith increases by hearing or reading the Word of YaHuWaH - the Bible.
Faith in YAHUSHUA the Messiah
Where does the matter of faith in YAHSHUA the Messiah enter? The answer is: Salvation from eternal death is obtained through faith in YAHUSHUA the Messiah, YaHuWaH 's only begotten Son.
Salvation is a gift. It is offered free of charge to the whole human race. Though free to us humans, it cost the Almighty the death of His own Son. It is given freely to us simply because we could never afford it. YaHuWaH 's love is so great that He wants us to be saved no matter what the cost - to Himself. All we have to do to obtain salvation - to receive eternal life - is to accept salvation by putting our faith in YaHuWaH 's Son - YAHUSHUA the Messiah. In other words: our entry, our passport to eternal life in 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 YAHUSHUA the Messiah is the prescribed passport to the Kingdom of Heaven. "The just shall live by his/her 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 YaHuWaH and the sinner was pardoned. He was forgiven and free to go because of the coming sacrifice of YaHuWaH 's Son.
All those animals and birds (lambs, goats, bullocks and pigeons) prefigured YAHUSHUAthe Messiah - the Lamb of YaHuWaH !
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 YAHUSHUA the Messiah. The difference between old and new testament times is that now the sinner doesn't not 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 YaHuWaH, 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 the where our faith comes into the picture. We need faith in YAHUSHUA Messiah for:
- Forgiveness from past sins; and
- Spiritual power to overcome sin in the future.
Sons and Daughters of YaHuWaH !
Millions of Christians live under the impression that faith in YAHUSHUA has done away with the need to obey the commandments of YaHuWaH. This is undoubtedly the greatest error Christian preachers have ever taught. It has turned multitudes into persistent and willful Sabbath-breakers. For the fact is faith places a believer under greater obligation to keep YaHuWaH 's commandments. Faith doesn't just point the way to the Savior for forgiveness from past sins: it also opens the door to obedience, which is the opposite of disobedience (sin). Faith directs a true believer to study YaHuWaH 's Torah in order that he may improve - purify - his life. Faith in YaHuWaH is the key to right-living, to righteousness. That is what the Almighty means when He says: The just shall live by faith.
| 1 John 3: | 1: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of YaHuWaH : therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. YaHuWaH, 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 YaHuWaH was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9: Whosoever is born of YaHuWaH doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of YaHuWaH. |
In short, we may say that obedience to the commandments of YaHuWaH 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
- Not serve other gods but YaHuWaH the Elohim of Israel.
- Not make or worship idols
- Not take the Almighty's name in vain
- Remember the seventh day Shabbat (The seventh day is Saturday - not Sunday)
- Honor our parents
- Not murder
- Not commit adultery
- Not steal
- Not lie
- Not covet
To be sure these acts of obedience do not, yea they cannot, earn us a right to the Kingdom of Heaven. I 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 onward does not cancel your past debts. In the same way, obedience can never cancel past sins. That must be done by YaHuWaH. He alone can cancel sin's debt, the death sentence our sins earned us. Nevertheless, current acts of obedience do show that one's faith in Messiah is alive: and that we truly appreciate what YaHuWaH has done for us through His Son. Obedience is living faith in action. It is proof that we are the children of YaHuWaH !
| 1 John 5: | 2: By this we know that we love the children of YaHuWaH when we love YaHuWaH, and keep His commandments. 3: For this is the love of YaHuWaH, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. |
3. Position in the Kingdom
Some will ask: If faith alone gains a person entry to the kingdom of YaHuWaH, what advantage is there in being obedient? Isn't faith enough?
The answer is twofold:
| Obedience determines your eternal position in the Kingdom of Heaven. | |
|---|---|
| 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 YaHuWaH. | |
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 that believers who apply their faith in deeds of righteousness will occupy high positions in the Kingdom of YaHuWaH. Where those who blatantly disobey will be stunned to find out that faith without obedience is dead faith: and 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.
Part 2
We live in a world of chaos and sudden change, nothing is guaranteed.
- Business Failure: Daily we read of thriving billion dollar businesses collapsing overnight into bankruptcy.
- Jobs loss: Very few persons can be certain they will be in work next week. The whole structure of human employment has changed in the past century. No one's job is now guaranteed. You can be employed one day and sacked the next.
- Health: The devastating discovery that one has an incurable disease and that medical science can do nothing to help.
- Accident: Scarcely a week goes by but some terrible accident wipes out life. In the air, the sea and on the roads, the death toll mounts by the hour.
- Marital / Family breakdown: The sudden realization that an emotional earthquake has hit your life and irrevocably broken up a beautiful relationship.
- Loneliness: That terrible sense of total isolation.
- War/Burglary / Fraud / Fire / Earthquake / Flood/ Tornado / Drought / Famine etc.etc.
The list is long; but you know the picture. Life can be wonderful one day and terrifying the next. How does one cope? Where does faith come into the picture?
Is this possible in this day and fast-moving age when nothing is guaranteed? The answer is: Yes it is possible. Let me outline certain spiritual canons which I have used over the years to help me realize the truth of that verse. A canon is a general (in my case a spiritual) principle which can take on the weight of a law. In my case these canons are laws by which I govern my spiritual life.
Canon 1
No matter what may come my way, I will never doubt YaHuWaH 's existence, His love, His law and His Word. My present condition, no matter how tragic it may be, can never change or banish these realities. They are eternal. In other words:
| Habakkuk 3: | 17: Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor 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 YaHuWaH, I will joy in the Elohim of my salvation. |
Canon 2
YaHuWaH the Almighty Elohim of Israel, is our perfect and loving heavenly Father who always does what is best for his children.
This means that no matter what may come your way, YaHuWaH 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 out - for the good of His family. That is the second canon, the spiritual principle to bear in mind.
Canon 3
I will never make demands of the Most High. I will seek no signs, no wonders, gimmicks or tricks from Him to bolster my faith. I must needs walk by faith alone - not by sight, evidence and proof.
Canon 4
No matter what comes my way, I will accept it unquestioningly: not because I am an ignorant, unthinking slave, but because I have total trust in the Most High. In other words:
| Job 13: | 15: Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him ... |
Canon 5
I will not condemn myself or any other, simply because I do not know all the facts. We humans know very little. Therefore we should be careful not to judge others or ourselves too harshly. The Master advises as follows:
| 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." |
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