The Ultimate Degree of Faith (Part 4)

By C.C. Crawford

Here, then, at the very entrance into the Kingdom, at the door to the Fold, the issue is placed squarely before each alien sinner, as to whether he has sufficient faith to obey a positive command which he can see clearly has no logical connection, in itself (i.e., as an immersion in water) with the end in view. Here he must make a choice whether he will do, or not do, what the Lord commands. Here he must decide whether he will yield to the authority of the Head of the Church. The tragedy today is that there are so many to whom religion is little more than a ritual, a sort of insurance policy against hell-fire; so many who fol­low the line of least resistance in everything they do, who have so little conviction and courage, so little love for God and so little faith in the Lord Jesus, that when they reach the baptismal pool, they will stop and argue the case, and in so many instances will turn aside to accept a meaningless substitute which human theology has provided for the sake )f convenience. What a tragedy! "Oh ye of little faith!" Jesus was willing to go all the way from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan River, some seventy to eighty miles, to submit to this divine institution and thus do the Father's will to the full (Matt. 3:15). This He did, He who was without sin, to please the Heavenly Father and to set the right example for all who would follow in His steps. If we expect to be called His disciples, we certainly will not start in argument at the baptismal pool! If we do hesitate, or turn aside, we not only fall short of that obedience which is necessary for justification, but we also lose the rich spiritual experience which always accompanies the walk of faith such as Enoch walked, such as Noah walked, such as Abraham walked, such as Moses walked, such as all the faithful have walked. Preachers fulminate so glibly about faith, justification by faith, etc. But faith is precisely the thing that is lacking in the professing church of this day and age. We simply cannot be the spiritual children of Abraham unless we have the faith of Abraham in our hearts, the faith that prompts us to realize that we are strangers and pilgrims here, that this world has no rest for us, that we journey to a better country, that is, a heavenly country, where there remaineth eternal rest for the people of God (Heb. 4:9).

Note that the life of Abraham is the story of the continuous expansion and intensification of the covenant and the covenant-promise. There was the initial promise to which Abraham responded in complete obedience (Gen. 12:1-3). As God enlarged the promise, Abraham responded in faith which was reckoned to him for righteousness (15:6): at this communication the land of Canaan was specifically pledged to the patriarch's fleshly seed. With the promise of the son, God appointed fleshly circumcision to be the sign of the covenant (ch. 17). Both the promise and the covenant were officially sealed as a result of Abra­ham's obedience of faith in which he Proved his faith by his willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac, the Child of Promise, accounting that God would raise him from the dead (ch. 22; cf. Heb. 11:9-19).

Any one who has faith deep enough to prompt him to meet the appointments ordered by Divine grace can be absolutely sure of receiving the blessings which that Grace has connected with the specific appointment. We can be absolutely sure that our God, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will actualize His "precious and exceeding great promises" (2 Pet. 1:4) if and when we, both as sinners and as saints, meet the conditions, by our obedience of faith, which Divine Grace has stipulated. "The firm foundation of God standeth" always (2 Tim. 2:19, Isa. 46:9-11). &

“It Is Written”

By Tim Haile

While many religious people believe the Bible to be important, and they want to believe that they are following the Bible, very few people actually cite biblical texts in defense of their positions and practices. Too many people simply assume that their religious teachings and traditions are correct. This is dangerous, for Jesus said that the use of human traditions and doctrines renders one’s worship “vain” (Matthew 15:8, 9)

 There is way whereby we can know that our beliefs, doctrines and practices are pleasing to God: Jesus demonstrated this good and safe way every time He said, “It is written…” Jesus began and ended His ministry with these words. At the beginning of His ministry, in responding to Satan’s efforts to entice Him, Jesus prefaced each rebuttal with the words, “It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) At the end of His ministry, in explaining to His apostles His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, Jesus said, “Thus it is written…” (Luke 24:46) To Jesus, the willingness of one to believe what was spoken and written by the prophets constituted “belief” (Luke 24:25). The things that were written in the Scriptures were the grounds of confident faith.

Herein lies the weakness and fallacy of so many of today’s religions. “Faith” is “strong belief,” and the so-called “faith” of many “religious” people is actually no faith at all. True Bible faith is founded upon Scripture - Paul said, “So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). It is therefore not “faith” when people believe, teach and practice things that are not ordered and authorized by Scripture.

Jesus also admonished people to “read” the things that were written (in Scripture), and He rebuked people for failing to do so. In response to the Pharisees’ question about divorce, Jesus immediately responded, “Have you not read…?” (Matthew 19:4). He asked, “Have you never read…?” and “Did you never read…?” (Matthew 21:16, 42). In answering the Sadducees’ question about the resurrection, Jesus asked, “Have you not read that which was spoken to you by God…?” (Matthew 22:31).

Restoration preachers of yesteryears rightly hammered into their hearers the words and sentiments of Peter in 1 Peter 4:11: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God…” But Peter was merely following the model of His Master, for Jesus laid heavy emphasis upon a “thus saith the Lord.” In like manner, when explaining the nature of Abraham’s faith Paul asked, “And what saith the Scripture?” (Romans 4:3). We need to be asking this question today! Yes, it may result in some awkward moments in some of today’s churches, but religious people must insist that scriptural authority be produced for what their churches believe, teach and practice. When church leaders and representatives fail or refuse to provide scriptural authority in these areas, such churches should not be supported or attended. Refusal to “abide in the doctrine of Christ” will result in the loss of fellowship with God (2 John 9). It is a serious and important matter. &

Bees Outsmart Scientists

Author Unknown

Scientists have long recognized that bees are intelligent creatures. Many believe that this intelligence is the product of millions of years of natural selection. But the extremely fast learning ability of the bee puts in doubt the millions of years and instead shows the hand of the Creator.

Researchers at Princeton University decided to find out whether bees were smart enough to find their food source if it was moved. The researchers moved the prime food source fifty meters farther from the hive. It took the bees less than one minute to locate the moved food source. The men then moved the food source another fifty meters away. The bees still took less than a minute to find the food source. Two more moves, each a precise fifty meters, produced the same results.

However, the bees had also been studying the researchers. Before the researchers could move the food another fifty meters, they found the bees had discovered the pattern and were already waiting at the new location!

God is our Creator and has clearly left evidence of His handiwork - His fingerprints - in the creation itself. For those who have eyes to see, this fills us with wonder, and yes, with love for the Creator God who first loved us. &

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the ... creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind: and it was so" Genesis 1:24.

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