Faultless Faith

It is a natural tendency for us to focus on faults we perceive in ourselves or others.  Sometimes these faults are merely a matter of preference, style, or opinion.  Yet in all of us there are genuine faults, damning sins to be repented of:  selfishness, pride, deceit, greed, and covetousness.  These blemishes cannot be covered up or ignored because everyone does them.  Bad behaviour and sinful characteristics in people provides instruction for the wise coupled with the insight of the Holy Spirit:  every fault we see in someone else and condemn, we are guilty of the same.

Finding fault in others might be the easiest task ever.  Doing this also plays to our own pride, thinking we are somehow superior to others because we have not made the same mistakes.  What we fail to recognise is whilst we may not have made the precise mistake because our circumstances differ, the sinful heart and mind found in us is just as deeply flawed and calls for judgment from God.  The things which bother us the most in others tend to be things we still do or used to do.  It grates upon us because it is so us.  We must be careful even in our explanations of behaviours which irritate us lest we become those whom we reproach.

One thing I am sensitive to is the criticism of other Christians, especially those who appear in the Bible.  God has graciously provided us His uncensored Word, not covering or justifying faults of flawed people who trusted in God.  It is a grief to my soul when believers today (and I have been guilty myself in the past) of mocking, scorning, and criticising actions of people in scripture, condemning them for a fault when God commended their faith.  To scoff at the unbelief of the Hebrews in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt is to scoff at ourselves if we will be honest.  To criticise Elijah for fleeing from Jezebel or Peter who denied Jesus is beside the point:  are we any better?  A list in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11:32-34 is a great example:  "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: ³³ who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

Instead of trotting out a disclaimer about the notable faults of each of these people, it was their faith the writer of Hebrews emphasised and affirmed.  We all have faults to be sure, but this does not condemn us before a God who accounts faith in Him as righteousness.  This should in no way embolden us to sin, but the grace, longsuffering, and goodness of God towards sinners should humble us and urge us to righteous living pleasing to God.  As I grow older I begin to understand a bit better why David said in light of the harsh actions of his cousins, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?"  While they bayed for blood, justice, and revenge, David realised he already had enough blood on his hands.  I am grown weary of finding fault, and it seems my faults are ever before me.

Faith in God is always better than the appearance of perfection or the self-righteous criticism of others.  Praise the LORD He will not bring my faults to remembrance when I stand before Him, but by faith in Christ He will enable me to stand.  Jesus is the one who will present me faultless (despite my faults!) before the Father with exceeding joy.  The walls of the courtrooms on earth have heard a great deal of testimony concerning heinous crimes committed, but what sin will there be to recount before the judgment seat of Christ when all sins of the saved have already been expunged by Him?  God knows what He has done, and Christ's followers know it too.  If we will not remind Him of our sins on that Day, why should we mock or scorn others for their faults today?  

Don't Be Troubled!

My memory was jogged the other day during conversation to look up a passage in 2 Thessalonians.  Paul wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians the day of the LORD would come as a thief in the night, suddenly and unexpectedly.  This commonly employed phrase "day of the LORD" throughout the scriptures means a time of judgment from God.  With the persecution and tribulation of the early church, it appears there were some who taught the day of the LORD had already come.  Perhaps they wondered if they had somehow missed the rapture of the church.  Paul refuted this in his second letter, explaining necessary events which much happen first.

Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come."  Paul wrote intending to provide comfort for followers of Jesus, but it seems they did not understand.  He sought to alleviate their concerns by correcting their understanding.  Paul affirmed the day of Christ had not yet come; they were not experiencing the wrath of God though they suffered much.  He then laid out (in my mind) once of the most clear and concrete explanation of major eschatological milestones in the New Testament.  Since prophecy is not always linear along a timeline, this revelation of the LORD through Paul is very useful and important.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 reads, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way."  The "Day" of the LORD would not occur until other prophecies were fulfilled.  Paul spoke of a "falling away," a massive departure from faith in Jesus Christ and the revelation of the "man of sin" who is commonly referred to as the anti-christ.  This son of perdition will exalt himself in the temple (there is currently no temple of God in Jerusalem, much to the dismay of pious Jews) and declare he is God and to be worshipped.

What is restraining this great apostasy?  The presence of the Holy Spirit in the church who fills each believer.  The mystery of lawlessness was already at work in Paul's day and has continued until now, but a day will come when He who restrains will be taken away with the rapture of the church when we are gathered to Jesus.  If we did not have the Holy Spirit within followers of Jesus we could not be presently born again, saved, love one another, or do any viable ministry unto the LORD.  The second coming of Jesus to judge the world in righteousness and the gathering of the church to Himself are two distinct events.  Once the church is removed there will be a great falling away from God like the world has never seen, the anti-christ will be revealed for who he is, and ultimately the Day of the LORD will follow.  Jude 1:14-15 says, "Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

When I was a kid, I was sadly much more intrigued about who the anti-christ was rather than lifting my eyes to Jesus Christ and following Him.  I was more determined not to receive the "mark of the beast" rather than loving God and other people.  No one knows when the rapture of the church will occur, but we are told of specific things which must occur before the Day of the LORD comes:  the temple will be built, the restraining Holy Spirit will be removed (and Christians with Him for He will never leave or forsake us), there will be a great apostasy, and the anti-christ will demand worship as God in the temple.  Those who once celebrated the return of temple worship of God will have their eyes opened to behold the reality the one they perhaps imagined to be their hero and messiah to be unveiled as a blasphemer and devil.  Amazingly, many will come to Christ during the great tribulation period, and the return of Jesus with His saints will bring it to a close with the establishment of Christ's physical kingdom in Jerusalem.

Instead of feeling unsettled or troubled, what confidence we can have in our Saviour Jesus Christ!  Let us recall the words of Jesus to His disciples in John 14:1-4:  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know."  All who trust in Christ need not fear, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He is with us today, and we will be together forever.

Faith First!

Genuine faith in God is expressed through obedience to Him.  Righteousness is imputed by God to those who trust in Him as is seen in the life of Abraham and others.  A great example of the impact of faith in the lives of people is seen with Elijah and the widow and her son who dwelt in Zarephath.

There was a severe drought in the land and God directed Elijah the prophet to travel to Zarephath.  He saw a woman gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water.  1 Kings 17:11-14 reads, "And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." ¹² So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." ¹³ And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"

The situation of the widow and her son was dire, for the woman imagined she was cooking her last meal.  Unlike the sometimes elaborate last meals of convicted criminals condemned to die today, her meal consisted of flatbread.  But Elijah told her not to be afraid in light of her lack but to make a cake for him first.  This must have seemed a bizarre request from a travelling stranger when food was scarce.  Was this some sort of cruel trick?  No:  God promised through the prophet Elijah there would be flour enough to also prepare a meal for the woman and her son--not just for the day, but flour and oil would be miraculously sustained for the duration of the drought and subsequent famine.

If you found yourself in the woman's predicament, what would you do?  To obey meant she needed to exercise faith in the word of the LORD God.  Faith obeys God first, believing He will graciously supply our need.  1 Kings 17:15-16 tells us what happened:  "So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah."  Exercising faith in God brought sustenance and salvation to her household.  The same is true concerning our souls when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.  Our faith in Christ is demonstrated by our works for Christ in obedience to Him.  Even when life seems futile and out of our control, there is provision, protection, and safety in God when we trust Him.  God has the power to miraculously sustain His people, and He provides abundant life forever.

In Jesus Life Consists

"And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

Luke 12:15

One of the chronic problems of men is not believing God, and the words of Jesus illustrate this well.  Coveting for human beings is as natural as breathing!  To covet is an inordinate desire to gain for yourself what someone else has.  It doesn't seem sinister or wicked at all to desire nice things for yourself, right?  The problem with covetousness at a fundamental level is it springs from a lack of gratitude with what you already have.  It sets stuff as an idol to be worshipped in the place of God.  A man who is dehydrated desires a drink of water, and it is not covetousness to have physical needs met.  It is covetousness and greed which causes a man to desire more than he needs and gives rise to excesses like gluttony, drunkenness, and lustful cravings.

Jesus taught our lives do not consist in the abundance of things we possess.  The world contradicts this:  it says we need newer, better, and more things to improve our lives.  But even if we were to gain the whole world, what would it profit us if we lost our souls?  God graciously has given us life, and He at all times maintains the sovereign right to take it away.  It is not money or things which make life good.  It is God who is good and the source of all life, and Jesus came to provide abundant life for all who trust in Him.  The world advocates acquiring new and better stuff, but the scriptures promotes thanksgiving and gratitude to God for all He supplies.  Do we need more than enough?

Do you have things?  Praise God for them and be generous in giving to others.  Material goods nor money are evil in themselves but are gifts from God.  When riches increase do not set your affections on them.  Remember the warning Jesus issued concerning covetousness which works to rob us of the abundant life God has graciously provided.  All the wealth of the world cannot save you, nor will your money, house, or car mourn your passing.  If we set our heart on things, even when we gain them we discover a greater emptiness.  Acquiring is not living, nor is there life in any worldly pursuit.  True life--eternal life---is only found in Jesus Christ in whom we all consist as it is written in Colossians 1:17:  "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."  If we deny our Life through idolatry, covetousness, and greed without repentance, what hope is there for us?