Faith toward God

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for. It is the evidence of things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1 NLT). According to the AMES International School of Ministry notes, there are many different types of faith, my answers to the study questions of which are the basis of this material.

NATURAL FAITH

I am sitting in a wheelchair right now. When I get up in the morning (or in the afternoon if I was up really late and have no reason to get up early), I have faith that when I sit down, this chair is going to support my weight. This is not blind faith. It is based on past experience and evidence that the chair has been built well. I have been using this chair for a long time, and it has never failed me. I trust that the knowledge of those who made the chair is good enough to produce a product to fulfill my maneuverability needs. I also trust their self-interest motivation. Things would not go well if the company had a habit of putting out defective wheelchairs that could not be used.

SAVING FAITH

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved (Romans 10:9-10 NLT). Every genuine convert to Christ has done this at some point in their lives. I prayed to received Christ on December 20, 2000, and I have been openly declaring it via spoken and written word ever since. This faith causes a person to be saved from sin and its penalty, making them a new creature in Christ and giving them eternal life.

SANCTIFYING FAITH

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20 NLT). Sanctifying faith is needed every day in the life of the believer. When we exercise saving faith, we are given eternal life immediately, made right with God just as if we had never sinned. But sanctifying faith is different. We do not live the rest of our lives in moral perfection automatically. It requires daily trust and the purposeful choice to reject the desires of the old sinful nature. I have not always done this. In fact, there have been times where I wandered off the path to such a degree that it caused me to examine myself to see if my faith was genuine (2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT). I thank God that salvation is based on grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), not my performance.

DEFENSIVE FAITH

Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil (Ephesians 6:16 NLT). The Christian life is one of constant spiritual warfare. It can be easy to forget that we are in spiritual warfare sometimes because, to the natural eye, everything can seem peaceful at different times. We can get so caught up in the day-to-day busyness of life that we can be lulled into a false sense of security. But in the invisible, spiritual realm all around us, a battle is continuously being waged for territory, influence, and ultimately the souls of every human being. The devil and his demonic armies do everything they can to try to dissuade us from accepting Christ as our Savior. They will tempt us with worldly pleasures so that a life lived for Jesus as part of God's Kingdom seems inadequate. Others are threatened with persecution and fear if they give their lives to Jesus. The devil's fiery arrows sometimes come in the form of intellectual doubts about whether or not Christianity's claims are objectively true. And then once a person is a believer, the kingdom of darkness continues to attack us with temptations, sicknesses, worries, distractions, and anything that will keep us from Jesus' Great Commission to evangelize and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). But intentional faith acts as a shield to protect us from those fiery arrows.

It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and rewards those who sincerely seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Faith toward God is necessary because, without that, we cannot be pleasing to him no matter what else we may do. You may be kind to people, charitable, respectful, hard-working, accomplished, or any number of positive things. But if you do not have faith in God through Christ, all of this is for nothing. As the Rick James song, Nicest Man in Hell, says:

"'I'm a good man. I have a good job. I go to church once a week.

I donate clothes to the needy. I spread kindness when I speak.

I got two kids and a wife, and I support them every day.

I don't cheat, and I don't lie. So why must I be saved?'"

"'I go to the homeless shelter. I give money to the poor. At Christmas, I go care for the ones in the old folks' home. I'm at church on Easter Sunday each and every year.

I'm a pillar in my town. So why must I fear?'"

"Jesus said it's not by works that a man can be saved, but it's only by his grace that you will ever know the way.

He's standing at the door, and he's waiting to take away your sin.

But if you don't open up, he won't come in.

Just think about the rich man who tried to buy his way through life.

He tried to write a check out to Jesus and thought that'd make everything alright.

But Jesus wouldn't take it because there's one thing you can't buy.

He said if you really want to live, you've got to die."

"You can be a good man, but that doesn't mean you're saved.

You can live a good life, but you still don't know the way.

You can be a nice guy who treats everybody well.

But if you don't know Jesus, you could be the nicest man in Hell."

And that's why faith toward God is necessary and why John 3:16 is the most well-known verse in the entire Bible. "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (NLT). Without faith in Jesus, you will never enter God's Kingdom or have eternal life. You will have eternal existence, but not one I would want.

So how can we increase our faith in God? The Bible tells us how. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17 MEV). You don't have to try to conjure up more faith through your own concentration, self-effort, or willpower. In fact, I can guarantee that will not work. You grow your faith by watering your mustard-seed faith with God's word. There are many ways to do this. The primary method is through reading and studying the Bible. Solid Christian teaching is another means by which our faith can grow. But it all has to be based on the Bible itself because that is the spiritual greenhouse where faith grows. Positive feelings and motivational speeches won't get it done. You need the Bible.

I have been talking about Abraham and his example of faith a lot on the Wisdom On Wheels podcast when going through the Genesis Precept Ministries study. Abraham is the best example of faith that we have. One of the primary texts I have been using to point this out in the last couple of episodes is Romans 4:13-25. "Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, faith is unnecessary, and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses if we have faith like Abraham’s. Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this, he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God can do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God."

Faith toward God is different from hope, works, and mind over matter. The AMES study I mentioned at the beginning of this defines "hope" as a desire or attitude of expectancy concerning things in the future. They define "faith" as a  belief in something you cannot see but have the assurance you already possess. "But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NLT). As was stated earlier, faith and works are not the same things. Good works cannot increase faith because only the Bible can do that (Romans 10:17). Faith is what you trust in. Works are what you do as a result of what you really believe. And "mind over matter" has nothing to do with any of these things because that involves the false belief that the mind and willpower alone can overcome anything in the natural world. Some false religions teach this, but it is not biblical because it leaves faith toward God out of the equation. Faith toward God is complete and total trust in and reliance on him as your source.

Repentance from acts that lead to death

Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. What does it mean to repent from acts that lead to death? The Greek word for "repentance" is "metanoia." It means a change of mind as it appears to one who repents. It is a change of purpose that has been formed or a reversal of something that has been done. Acts leading to death are acts, deeds, or things done that are destitute of force or power, inactive, and inoperative. These acts that lead to death are also called "sin," which is why Romans 3:23 is at the beginning of this. Sin can mean to be without a share in something, miss the mark, err and be mistaken, miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, or wander or go wrong from God's law by violating it. The Bible clarifies that ALL, with Jesus Christ as the only exception, have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Every one of us has missed perfection's mark, which is what God requires. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

So if everything God made was perfect in the beginning, how did all of this become corrupted? First, perfection does not mean what is incapable of wrong necessarily. It can also mean that one just hasn't messed up yet. When the New England Patriots were undefeated going into the Super Bowl one year, they had a perfect record. That doesn't mean that they were unable to possibly lose, as the New York Giants demonstrated in the Super Bowl that year when they defeated them to win the Lombardi trophy. Nonetheless, it would have been correct to say the Patriots had a perfect record to that point, even though they were capable of losing at any time. So just because Adam and Eve were created as perfect people, that doesn't mean sin was impossible for them, as they, too, showed. The origin of evil came from Lucifer (a.k.a. Satan). Isaiah 14:12-17 describes Satan as falling from Heaven because he said in his heart that he would ascend to the heavens and raise his throne above God's stars. Satan sought to sit enthroned on the assembly mount, climbing above the clouds' tops and making himself like the Most High. But he will be brought down to the realm of the dead, the depths of the pit. Ezekiel 28:12-17 calls Lucifer perfection's seal, who was full of wisdom and perfectly beautiful. Satan was in God's garden in Eden. Every precious stone adorned him. God had ordained Lucifer as an anointed guardian cherub. But Lucifer's heart became proud because of his beauty. He corrupted his wisdom because of his splendor. So God threw Satan to the earth. Satan is the originator of acts that lead to death.

But even though repentance from acts that lead to death is required to begin or restore a relationship with God, it is essential to remember that remorse and repentance are not the same things. When Judas betrayed Jesus to Jesus' condemnation, Judas was seized with remorse and returned his bribery money, saying that he had sinned by betraying innocent blood. But he did not repent. Instead, he went to hang himself, overwhelmed with self-pity. Likewise, when Esau wanted to inherit a blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. He could have gotten forgiveness for it had he totally repented in his heart, but there was no going back.

Repentance is necessary for salvation. Jesus talked about the necessity of repenting and believing in Mark 1:15. Acts 20:21 says Paul preached repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. To truly repent means to confess and forsake your sins. Psalm 66:18 says if you cherish sin in your heart, the Lord will not listen to you. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation, but worldly sorrow brings death. Acts 3:19 says we are to repent and turn to God so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. 2 Timothy 2:19 says everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.

But it's not just unbelievers that need to repent. Sometimes Christians also need to repent because believers, who have freedom from sin, often still choose it. The Apostle Peter had to repent for denying Jesus three times. King David repented in Psalm 51 for his sins, which included adultery and sending the husband of the woman he committed adutery with to be killed in battle to cover up his sin. Fortunately, God still calls King David a man after his own heart because of his genuine repentance, but he still needed to repent. In Luke 19, Zaccheaus repented of his sins by paying back four times what he cheated people out of.

When a person confesses and repents of their sins, they receive justification. The best definition for justification I have heard is when someone described it this way: "Just as if I'd never sinned." Being justified is what it means to be saved. Justification is not an excuse for sin or a reason for why someone sinned. It is wiping the slate clean, paying all spiritual debt that we could never pay ourselves. To be saved is to be forgiven from all sin and the judgment associated with it. It is totally based on God's goodness, for which we should all be eternally grateful.

Foundational doctrines

Hebrews 6:1-3 lays out the foundations of the Christian faith. The author of Hebrews--which I believe the Apostle Paul wrote even though there is disagreement--wrote, "Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so." So we see from this that the six foundations of the Christian faith are:

1. Repentance from acts that lead to death
2. Faith in God
3. Instruction about cleansing rights
4. The laying on of hands
5. The resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal judgment

These are the six foundations of the Christian faith from a doctrinal standpoint, but, of course, the ultimate foundation for the beginning of spiritual maturity is a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don't have that, nothing else matters. To try to understand these things and then claim spiritual maturity without Christ is like getting all excited about going to the Super Bowl without actually having a ticket to get in. It is his empowerment through the Holy Spirit that enables us to continue moving forward and grow spiritually. Without him, a person is still dead in their sins. In that case, any talk of spiritual maturity is downright pointless.

The three steps for building a proper spiritual foundation according to Luke 6:47 are:

1. Coming to Jesus
2. Hearing Jesus' words
3. Acting on Jesus' words

If you don't act on Jesus' words, there is little point in bothering with him. It is just intellectual stimulation with no transformational value. It's the equivalent of watching a workout video while eating a box of Hostess Ding Dongs while telling yourself and everyone else you just started a new workout program and are expecting to lose weight. It's not enough just to watch. You actually have to participate to see the results. But to act on Jesus' words, first, you have to have them. You can't work on something you don't know. If someone asked me what the first line in the movie The Goonies was before last summer, I would not have been able to tell you because I had not seen the film before going to see it at a drive-in with a couple of friends. You can't know something if you have not been exposed to it. But then, to hear Jesus' words, one has to come to him. That's why it is the first step on this second list. You can't hear something if you don't make yourself present for it. Even in the digital and internet age, when you don't have to be "there" to be part of something, you still have to type or click to get to the proper online destination. If you don't show up in some form, you won't hear what you need to hear. Then you won't be able to do what you need to do. These examples work the same way when it comes to your spiritual life. You can't act on what you don't hear, and you can't listen if you don't show up. Again, Jesus is the spiritual foundation God has given. There is no other way to spiritual maturity and the Father except through him.

PARLER IS BACK!

I have some very exciting news for all of my friends that have joined me on Parler. According to TheBlaze, Parler is back! For anyone who is not familiar with what Parler is, where have you been?! But seriously, for those not familiar with Parler, it quickly rose to prominence as the number one social media platform for free speech. Until the app was taken off of all available places, it had increased to the number one downloaded app for a time.

Before being de-platformed by Amazon Web Services last month, the site had built up an impressive total of approximately 30 million users. However, it was falsely accused of promoting hate speech, violence, and conspiracy theories in light of the Capitol Hill riot some Trump supporters took part in on January 6, which led to minor damage to the United States Capitol Building and several deaths. Critics accused Parler of creating an environment for such events to occur, although I contend Parler had nothing to do with what happened in Washington D.C. The real reason anti-free speech people hate Parler is--well, because of all the free speech is allowed on there. Anti-Parleyers say that it should hold to the same censorship guidelines practiced by Facebook and Twitter. But if it did that, there would be no reason for it to exist. That's the entire reason Parler was developed, because of the censorship practiced by mainstream social media platforms.

Parler has been looking for a new client to host its website ever since what Amazon Web Services did to them back in January. They say that their new platform "is built on robust, sustainable, independent technology" and is available immediately for current users. If you have not already signed up for a Parler account, though, they say you may not be able to do that until some time next week.

That's not the only recent change at Parler. It is also has a new interim CEO. John Matze is now no longer CEO of Parler. The temporary new Chief Executive Officer is Mark Meckler, a grassroots conservative activist who is also President of Citizens for Self-Governance, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, and a leader in the Article V Convention of States movement. "Parler was built to offer a social media platform that protects free speech and values privacy and civil discourse. When Parler was taken offline in January by those who desire to silence tens of millions of Americans, our team came together, determined to keep our promise to our highly engaged community that we would return stronger than ever. We're thrilled to welcome everyone back," Meckler said. "Parler is being run by an experienced team and is here to stay. We will thrive as the premier social media platform dedicated to free speech, privacy, and civil dialogue."

Dan Bongino, another name well-known in conservative circles as well as a Parler investor, said, "Cancel culture came for us and hit us with all they had. Yet we couldn't be kept down. We're back, and we're ready to resume the struggle for freedom of expression, data sovereignty, and civil discourse. We thank our users for their loyalty during this incredibly challenging time." I couldn't agree more with what Bongino said here. The entire problem that people have with Parler is that it stands for free speech, and there are way too many people that are uncomfortable with free speech. Last year, the Pacific Legal Foundation reported that 61% of Americans agree that free speech should be restricted. 51% believe that the First Amendment, ratified in 1791, should be rewritten to reflect today's contemporary cultural norms. Millennials feel a greater sense of negativity about free speech. 57% agree that the First Amendment should be rewritten. 54% believe that possible jail time would be an appropriate consequence for “hate speech.” 36% of Americans support a government agency reviewing alternative media such as podcasts. Less than half of Americans oppose this. So we have a long way to go in this battle to preserve the free exchange of ideas. This is a huge victory, but it's not over. Suppose growing percentages of younger generations continue to see free speech as a problem. In that case, the road will get tougher until, one day, those of us who love free speech are outnumbered and wholly silenced. Free speech is one of the most significant parts of what makes America what it is. If we lose that, we lose everything that goes with it. Pray, and don't be silent!

A lot about Lot

The Bible has a lot to say about Lot, Abram's nephew. Many important lessons can be learned from his life. For those of you who have been following my Genesis study on my other blog, you know that Lot's father was a man named Haran. Haran died in the same city he was born in--Ur of the Chaldeans. Eventually, Lot's grandfather Terah took the entire family, left Ur, and set out on a journey to go to Canaan. But they stopped on the way and settled in the city called Harran instead.

When Terah died, God told Lot's Uncle Abram to leave his place, people, and family to finish the journey, but Abram took Lot with him. Abram became very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold, but Lot also had flocks, herds, and tents. Their lives eventually grew to the point that the land could no longer support all of them together. Arguments had begun between Abram's and Lot's herders. So Abram decided to be a peacemaker to avoid strife between him and his nephew. Even though Abram, being the elder of the two, had the right to choose first, he gave Lot the right to choose which way he would go. Lot chose the whole Jordan Plain toward Zoar because it was well-watered like God's garden. So Lot lived in the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near wicked Sodom.

Eventually, a war broke out in the area. During the war, local kings carried off Lot and all of his possessions away from Sodom, where he was living. A man escaped and told Lot's Uncle Abram what was going on. So Abram took 318 of his trained men and pursued them. Abram's men re-captured everything those kings and their people had taken, including Lot, those with him, and all of their possessions.

The next time we see Lot, he is sitting in Sodom's gateway, showing that he was a government official of some kind, possibly as a magistrate or judge. God sent two angels to destroy Sodom because of its great wickedness, but they looked like men. When Lot sees them, he greeted them and invited them to stay in his house. Despite their initial polite decline,  Lot continues to insist until they accept. While they are staying the night in Lot's home, Sodom's lust-filled evil men surround Lot's house, demanding that he send his guests out to them so that they could fulfill their sexual desires with them. Lot objects, instead offering up his two virgin daughters to the mob. The group then tries to force their way into Lot's home, but Lot is rescued by the two angels, who then supernaturally blind the men. The angels tell Lot of their plan to destroy the city. Lot tries to warn the two men his daughters were pledged to marry, but they thought he was joking and ignored him. So Lot hesitantly took his wife and two daughters, fleeing the city before God's wrath could be executed upon it. The angels told the family not to look back, but Lot's wife did, and God supernaturally turned her into a salt pillar. Lot and his daughters continued to escape, first going to Zoar and later to the mountains. While living in the mountains, the full realization hits Lot's two daughters that they are alone since the men to which they were promised perished in Sodom's judgment. Fearing childlessness, the two daughters hatch a plan to get their father drunk and have intercourse with him to get pregnant. They successfully execute this plan over the next two nights without Lot's knowledge. They each became pregnant. The older gave birth to a son named Moab (From Father), whose descendants were the Moabites. The younger gave birth to a son named Ben-Ammi (Son Of My Father's People), whose descendants were the Ammonites. Moab was located east of the Dead Sea in what is now west-central Jordan. It was bounded by Edom and the land of the Amorites. The Moabites and Israelites were frequently in conflict. The Ammonites settled to the east of the Jordan, invading the Rephaim lands east of Jordan, between the Jabbok and Arnon, dispossessing them and dwelling in their place. Their territory was originally comprising all from the Jordan to the wilderness. It also went from the River Jabbok south to the River Arnon.

Despite everything, the Apostle Peter, writing words breathed by God, says that Lot was a righteous man. That was because he was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless people he was living among. His righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard. And if that was true for Lot in his day, how much more is it true of those of us who follow Christ today. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and hold the unrighteous for Judgment Day's punishment.

I started this off by saying that there is a lot to learn from Lot's life. So what do we learn?

1. If you're living amongst wicked people, don't become like them.
2. If you live among the ungodly, don't expect your life or external circumstances to be peaceful.
3. When God tells you to leave somewhere, get out! Don't wait or look back.
4. Don't get drunk. Bad things happen when you get drunk.
5. The genuinely righteous continue to hate evil. Even when it is all around them, they don't succumb to cultural pressures.

I must admit that, to me, Lot doesn't seem very righteous. My biggest reason for saying this is not where he lived. It's the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his two virgin daughters that were already pledged in marriage to a bunch of sex-crazed maniacs. But we must remember the primary lesson from Lot's Uncle Abram, who God later named Abraham. In what I feel is the most essential part of Genesis, God says Abraham believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness. It was Abraham's faith that made him righteous. The same was true for Lot and for all today who have faith in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins.