From the pulpit
Ancient Words — Faith, Substance and Evidence Hebrews 11 is a dramatic conclusion to the author’s wonderful and profound presentation of Jesus as superior, greater and worthy of all praise, glory and honor from the highest celestial beings and stars of creation – to man, creatures, all life and inanimate objects of creation as well. What is the role of man in this epitaph of superiority? Have faith, trust, conviction; believe and be persuaded without a doubt. A list of patriarchs is used to emphasize the point of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jochebed and Amram (parents to Moses), Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets. Their “substance” of things hoped for is clearly explained and the “evidence” of things not seen is clearly portrayed.
Romans 5 begins with a proclamation about faith: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
Faith is always a work in progress, it never should stop. We are all familiar with James’ statement that “faith without works is dead” and so the writer of Hebrews delivers a poignant discourse on how the patriarchs of old demonstrated their faith for their time. An active, working, substantial faith produces that which we all long for – peace, security, justification (in spite of our unjustifiable acts), hope, anticipation and grace beyond measure.
Our faith, which justifies, is only possible, however, because of blood. The blood sealed covenant is God’s offer to man. Can anything compare to the value of this covenant which moves mortal man into the splendor of immortality?
Paul explains in Romans
5: 9-11: Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God’s wrath through him!
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Faith accomplishes great events for God’s plan but faith will also produce suffering. This fact cannot be escaped. Until all things become reconciled to God through Christ, suffering will remain a product and yet fulfill a purpose as well.
Romans 5:3-8 reads: Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Faith expressed provides both substance and evidence. When one walks into church on Sunday morning, this is an effort of substance. When one practices what is preached, this is evidence. When one is baptized, this is a demonstration of substance. When one wears Christ daily, this is evidence. When one takes communion, this is an action of substance. When one drinks the blood of Christ and eats the body of Christ, this is evidence. When one says “I love you!” these are words of substance. When one dies for you because of love, this is evidence. Jesus was once asked what should man do to do the works of God. Jesus responded that to do the works of God is to believe on the One God sent. Believe without responding has little merit, yet believing with a wholehearted response generates the faith that God accepts.
The Ancient Words have spoken: Romans 12:1-3: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
(Scott Johnson is pastor at East Faulkner Church of Christ and author of the BRG Bible).
Sparks From The Gospel Anvil
John 12:23-33 According to the passage of scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ predicted three things were to happen as a consequence of Him dying on the cross.
First, sinners would be condemned,
“Now is the judgment of this world,” the world judged itself when it judged Christ! Salvation is based on what one does with
Jesus (reference John 3:18, 36). Second, Satan would be cast out, “now shall the prince of this world be cast out,” Satan’s hold over mankind was broken at the cross! Calvary did not mark the defeat of the Savior, but of Satan himself. A.W. Pink said that, “The Savior crucified is, in fact, the Savior glorified.” Third, souls would be converted. “I will draw all men (all people groups) unto Me.” This is not to say that everyone will be saved, but when the redeemed stand before God, mankind, as a whole, will be represented (reference Revelation 5:9).
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we have a well-marked path through the scriptures that leads to Satan’s final demise. His defeat is spoken of in these definite ways. Satan was prophetically defeated from the beginning, you see the first Messianic promise in scriptures appears in Genesis 3:15. This very first promise of a Redeemer predicts that Satan himself will be defeated through the death of the Messiah. The Messiah would crush the head of Satan, while Satan would only crush the heel of the Messiah. This could only be done by Christ dying on the cross (reference Hebrews 2:14).
Satan was potentially defeated at the cross. Although Satan’s defeat is certain, the tense of the verb in our passage suggests that his defeat will be gradual as opposed to immediate. So we see him potentially defeated, this is exactly what Jesus is saying in our Scripture, “Now is the prince of this world cast out?”
More than one New Testament text alludes to Christ’s victory over Satan at the cross, but Colossians 2:15 says it best. At Calvary, Christ broke Satan’s hold over humanity, freeing us from the bondage of sin and death. Our deliverance is actually three-fold – from the penalty of sin (past sin); from the power of sin (present – I don’t live like I used to thanks to the power of the Risen Christ in my life) and from the presence of sin (future).
Satan is personally defeated in the believer’s life and we can see that victory over Satan is possible, if not then we would never be known as overcomers! I am not suggesting that Satan is not a formidable foe or that we as believers are a match for Satan in our own strength. We face opposition from three fronts – from the flesh within, the world without and the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air from above and beneath.
But there are plenty of scriptures that assure us that we can be victorious (reference 1 John 2:14, Philippians 4:13, 1 John 4:4, James 4:7, Ephesians 6:10-16 and Romans 16:20).
It is obvious that God has equipped us to be victorious, but again it is not in our own strength – it is only strength found in the Holy Spirit, that we receive to overcome our enemies.