Why the End Times (The Blessings and Curses of the Law. part 3)

We have seen the choosing of Abraham as the one through whom the ultimate seed (Jesus) would come. God made a covenant with him, and through him, to his son Isaac, and then Jacob to multiply their descendants after them, and give them what is known as the "promised land."

 

The next covenant that needs to be looked at is the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai, the Mosaic covenant. 

'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

Exodus 19:5-6 NASB 

This covenant unlike the Abrahamic covenant required obedience from Israel if they were to be blessed by God. What I would like to focus on in this post is how Israel's faithfulness to the LORD would affect their ability to remain in the land. All of this is spelled out in a couple sections that pertain to the blessings for obedience, and the curses for disobedience. 

According to these passages Israel's ability to remain in the land promised to them in the covenant made with Abraham was contingent upon their faithfulness to the covenant God made with them at Sinai. Here is what many perceive to be a dilemma. If the land promise was an irrevocable promise, how can Israel's obedience or disobedience effect this promise?

Is God unfaithful?

There are several passages of scripture that show how this works out. Leviticus 26:1-13, and Deuteronomy 28:1-14 contain blessings that Israel can expect if they as a nation walk in obedience to the LORD.  And the consequences for disobedience can be found in Leviticus 26:24-39, and Deuteronomy 28:15-68. 

To briefly sum it up, if Israel turns from the LORD and falls into idolatry they will face various disasters and ultimately be driven from their land and dispersed among the nations.  Their ability to remain in the land hinges upon their obedience. Yet as we read on we find that if they repent of their sin God will forgive them, and bring them back.

"If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me-I also was acting in hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies-or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land."

Leviticus 26:40-42 NASB 

"So shall it be when all these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you, if your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you and from there He will bring you back. The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it, and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers."

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 NASB

God's covenant with Abraham remains in spite of the fact that Israel turns away from Him. The giving of the Law ( the Old Covenant) does not negate the covenant with Abraham (Galatians 3:16-18). They might not be able to remain in the land, but because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the land is still theirs. His judgement is not only punitive, it is the  means to bring them to the end of themselves, to the point of repentance. Then, the LORD will restore them to their land again.

We have seen this play out through history. The Assyrian empire took away the northern ten tribes of Israel followed by the Babylonian captivity of the southern kingdom of Judah years later. Yet we read Daniel's prayer of confession in Daniel 9:1-19, and then read of their release from Babylon. Israel was dispersed by the Roman government in 70 AD and for almost two thousand years scattered among the nations where they suffered times of immense persecution. Yet in more recent times they have returned to the land where they remain today. The Bible foretells of one more time of desolation that is to come. This is time of tribulation will be the event that brings Israel as a nation to the point of repentance. Read what is prophecied in Deuteronomy 4:25-31

"When you become the father of children and children's children and have remained long in the land, and acted corruptly, and make an idol  in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. There you will serve gods the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.

For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you not destroy you not forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them."

Why the End Times? (The Abrahamic Covenant part 2)

To understand why, and how the events of the last days will play out we need to go back to the beginning. Last post we briefly looked at the fall of man and the resulting consequences that followed. People were now looking for one to come and reverse the curse (see Genesis 5:28-29).

God had foretold of one who would come and restore all things, and now this was being put into place one piece at a time.

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and  you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Genesis 12:1-3 NASB

God chose a man through whom he would bring the Messiah, the one who would reverse the curse and destroy the serpent. He called Abram out of his country, and away from his family to become a mighty nation in a land that he would give him and his descendants.

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

Genesis 12:7 NASB 

The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you forever. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you."

Genesis 13:14-17 NASB

Now it needs to be mentioned that Abram, who was 75 when he departed from Haran, was childless. And Sarai, his wife, was barren. Imaging how Abram must have felt. A promise like this would be an incredible thing. 

In Genesis 15 we read of the actual covenant that the LORD made with Abram. The LORD took Abram outside and asked him to look at the stars and try to number them, and nd then told him that that was how numerous his descendants would be. Abram believed the LORD, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen 15:1-6).

The LORD had Abram bring a heifer, a female goat, a ram, and a turtle dove and pigeon. He cut the animals in half and laid them out opposit from each other. The birds he left whole. At sundown Abram fell into a deep sleep. Then what appeared as a smoking oven and flaming torch passed in between the animals (Gen 15:7-17).

In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite."

Genesis 15:18-21 NASB 

This covenant was made by God, to Abram, without stipulations on Abram's part. The LORD Himself walked through the pieces of the slain animals in making this covenant. What He was signifying by this act was that if He did not indeed fulfill this covenant by giving this land to the descendants  of Abram as an eternal possession, then may what happened to these animals happen to Him. Bear in mind that Abram did not pass between these animals, he was in a deep slumber. God has pledged this land to Abram's descendants. This chapter alone absolutely refutes the idea of "replacement theology", the teaching that God has rejected Israel, and now these promises are symbolically applied to the Church. If this false teaching is true, then a major part of end times prophecy makes no sense at all, and leaves a huge portion of Christians in the dark on the topic of the last days.

In Chapter 17, Abram is now ninety-nine years old. The LORD appeared again to him and reaffirmed this covenant. Again, Abram, whose name has been changed to Abraham, is promised to become a mighty nation, and the land was promised to him and his descendants after him as an eternal possession. God would be their God, and they would be His people (Gen 17:1-8). 

It is also at this time God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, as the sign of the coven between them. Any disobedient male, refusing circumcision, among them would be cut off from his people for breaking the covenant (Gen 17:9-14). So, an individual may fail to remain within the covenant, but yet the promise still remained for the nation. This is a major theme, and has ramifications for what will transpire in the last days. I will go deeper into this in a post discussing the Mosaic covenant given at Mount Sinai.

We also read in this chapter that Sarai, Abraham's wife will bear a son whom they will name Issac. It will be through Him that the covenant made with Abraham will be passed down (Gen 17:25-21).

In Genesis 26:1-5 we now read of the covenant made with Abraham being passed down to his son Isaac. 

"Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham."

Genesis 26:3 NASB 

And from Issac we see the same covenant pass down to his son Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob had a dream. In it he saw a ladder reaching up to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it (Gen 28:10-12).

And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Genesis 28:13-14 NASB 

As one reads through the Old Testament numerous references are made to God being faithful to the covenant made with Abraham and the fathers. God chose a people through whom a deliverer would come, fulfilling prophecy, destroying the serpent and reversing the curse. God has sworn an oath, and He will fulfill that oath. That plays a huge part in the events that unfold in the last days. 

It must also be mentioned that Abraham had other son's. In fact his eldest, Ishmael was sent away. The covenant was not to pass to him. And Jacob had a twin brother named Esau. The covenant went through Jacob and not Esau. Tragically Jacob relied on trickery to gain Isaac's blessing, and it created a rift that exists to this day. These two events play a significant part in what is to come in future days. 

These are topics for future posts as I lay out a case for the how and why the end time events will play out.

 

Why the End Times? (Intro part 1)

The end time events portrayed in scripture seem daunting to so many people. Many find the symbolism found in much of prophecy confusing, others avoid it out of fear. Many theories exist, based primarily upon denominational bias, to exactly why and how all of these events will unfold, if at all, as some even hold.

However I believe it is pretty important, even necessary to get into these texts and study it out. These prophetic passages have been written into our scriptures under divine inspiration, not to confuse us, but to prepare us and give us hope.

It all starts at the beginning with the fall of man. As a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience, death entered the world, and a curse was placed upon the woman, increasing pain in childbirth, and upon the ground that Adam must now work for food (Genesis 3:16-19). This curse extends throughout the generations, and today we also feel the effects of it in our lives which are also fleeting. We are not immortal, and our days are spent in toil.

The serpent was cursed as well (Genesis 3:14-15). The part I want to focus on is found in verse 15.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.

 This verse is speaking about one who would come and ultimately defeat the serpent who is none other than Satan,  reversing the curse on all of mankind, and restoring things back to how it was in the garden, where man had unhindered fellowship with God his creator.

In Numbers 24:17 we read a similar prophecy about one who is to come and bring judgement to His enemies in the last days.

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through the forehead of Moab, and tear down the sound of Sheth."

In Psalm 74 we read a Psalm lamenting the destruction of Israel's temple and the affliction of the people. While this no doubt was written in the immediate context of the Babylonian captivity during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, it telescopes out to the future, when something similar but yet more cruel will take place in the land once again. Against this backdrop we read this,

Yet God is my king from of old, who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. You decided the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as good for the creatures of the wilderness.

Psalm 74:12-14 NASB

And in Isaiah 27:1, a verse found within the context of end time prophecy concerning the great tribulation, God's judgement against His enemies and ultimate restoration of all things. 

In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword, even Leviathan the twisted serpent; and He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

This is speaking of the same things that we have seen in the previous verses. A day is coming when the promised seed, who we know as Jesus the Messiah, will destroy the seed of the serpent as well as the serpent himself. 

In Revelation 21:1-5 we read of a new heaven and a new earth without any death, pain, or tears. All things are now made new again

 Revelation 22:3 adds that there will no longer be any curse, and God's people will see Him face to face in eternal fellowship.

To get from Genesis 3 and the fall of mankind to the restoration of all things found in the last few chapters of Revelation we must go through a time of intense tribulation, where evil reaches its ultimate intensity in a man empowered by Satan, who is often referred to as the antichrist. 

This is where we need to study, we need to find the truth, and we need to prepare. 

I have written many posts on this sight concerning these events.  I have tagged them, so feel free to search them out and prayerfully contemplate them. I plan to continue this topic over the next several posts the Lord willing, as I feel we need to be grounded in these things.

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The Great Falling Away

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron...

1 Timothy 4:1-2 NASB

The Bible is clear, it is a prophetic certainty, that a great falling away from the faith will occur in the last days. This is something that every believer should take to heart. It deserves our utmost attention, yet I fear that the average Christian doesn't spend much time on a topic like this.

Consider the following verse taken from 2 Timothy 3:1-5,

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. 

When one reads these verses it's hard to imagine that people whose lives are marked by sins such as these would consider themselves Christians at all. However, we read that they hold to a form of godliness, but without the power. It's like Jesus said, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me." (Mark 7:6)

But look around you, we are seeing this coming to pass even now. A large segment of the professing church fits this description perfectly.

Again, the very fact that scripture foretells of a great departure from the faith occurring in the last days, should cause us to seriously consider our lives and faith in Jesus Christ. We dare not be careless about this. What if we fall away? It is a possibility that we must be diligent to avoid.

I believe that even now we are witnessing a falling away, that will only progress until it reaches its climax during the time of tribulation that will come upon the world prior to Christ's return.

Paul adresses this issue in his second letter to the Thessalonian Church. It seems that they had heard a report that the day of the Lord had already come. In his correction of this misunderstanding he says this,

Let no one in any way decieve you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASB

And it gets worse. As we read on we find that those who have no regard for truth will be easy prey for deception. In fact we find that God, in an act of His judgement, sends a delusion on those who reject truth.

Then that lawless one, will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

2Thessalonians 2:8-12 NASB

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

2 Timothy 4:3 NASB

It matters how we receive truth. Do we accept it, and act upon it, even when it might be hard? Or do we take the easy things, and ignore the rest? 

We hear so much these days of popular Christian figures who are "deconstructing" their faith. What happened to them? Or what about what about "pop star Christianity", you know those famous people who claim to be born again, but their lives are always embroiled in the same sinful turmoil that they have always embraced?

The danger is real. A dumbed down Christianity where grace is proclaimed to the exclusion of commitment, repentance, the crucified life of following Jesus etc. Teachers are gathered to tickle our ears, but sadly provide us with no foundation to weather the storms of life.

It isn't just the popular people in the news who are prone to fall. We are all faced with the real possibility of apostasy. A Christian faces trials and temptations daily. We are constantly in danger of deception. Persecution is guaranteed for one who follows Jesus. All of these things work together to destroy our faith. We must be on guard, and by God's grace confront them diligently if we are to persevere to the end. It was Jesus who said that the love of many would grow cold in the last days. He also warned that endurance to the end is required.

"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved 

Matthew 24:10-13 NASB

Rejecting Wisdom

The Bible is filled with warnings against deception and the rejection of truth. To be unknowingly decieved is one thing, and can indeed be fatal to our spiritual well being, however, to be "willfully ignorant" is quite another thing. This tragic condition opens us up to a judgement of the severest kind. Sadly, many fall into this category, and the Bible expressly warns us that many more will as this age comes to a close (2Thess 2:7-12).

This principle is set forth in the first chapter of Proverbs.

20. Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square;

21. At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the gates in the city, she utters her sayings:

22. "How long, O naive ones, will you love simplicity? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?

23. "Turn to my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you

24. "Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; 

25. And you neglected all my council, and did not want My reproof;

26. I will even laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes,

27. When your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you,

28. "Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they shall not find Me, 

29. Because the hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

30. "They would not accept My council, they spurned all My reproof.

31. "So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be satisfied with their own devices. 

33. "For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them.

34. "But he who listens to me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil."

Proverbs 1:20-33 NASB

When we are given spiritual wisdom, the  demand upon us is great. We are faced with the choice to either recieve and act upon it, or to ignore it, refusing to act upon it, and therefore rejecting it. This is much like Pharaoh, who hardened his heart against the command of God, until God finally hardened his heart for him (See Exodus chapters 7-14).

God will only allow an individual to spurn wisdom so long, before He lets him go his own way, and bear the fruit of his own disobedience. This seems like a hard thing to hear, but God gives us this warning so that we would be careful with the wisdom He gives us.

Jesus likewise warned His disciples to be careful with how they received His teaching through the parables He told them. I will quote Luke 8:18 out of the Amplified Bible as it really clarifies what I'm trying to say here.

     Be careful therefore how you listen. For to him who has [spiritual knowledge] will more be given; and from him who does not have [spiritual knowledge], even what he thinks and guesses and supposes that he has will be taken away.

Again, when confronted with truth, what will we do with it? To act upon it is life, to refuse it leads to a spiritual deafness and ultimately destruction. 

This is much more than not understanding something we come across in the word of God, or not being quite sure of how to proceed in obedience to a particular thing God may be dealing with us about. This is a careless disregard for spiritual truth/ godly wisdom. To continue on with this willfull ignorance will cause a hardening of the heart over time, until the day comes when you find yourself past a point of no return with a heart turned over to every kind of deception.

    

Are you Living the Crucified Life?

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."

Matthew 16:24 NASB

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

Luke 14:27 NASB

Much of what is passed off as Christianity today is not Christianity. As a result many are decieved into following a false gospel, and others are turned off by the hypocrisy that they observe in those who are not living according to the Biblical standard.

Jesus describes two gates. One is small, the entrance to a narrow path leading to eternal life. The other is a wide gate and a broad path. The majority of people will find themselves on this broad path that ultimately leads to destruction. Sadly few find the true way. He warns us to beware of false prophets who come to lead people away from the truth. Unfortunately many who consider themselves Christians will discover that they were on the wrong path someday. It is not enough to call Jesus "Lord" if you are not living an obedient lifestyle (Matt 7:13-23).

The issue according to Jesus is lawlessness, a life not surrendered to His control. An individual may pick and choose what areas of his or her life to hold back, or they may have their own personal priorities that they are living for, God however, demands our all, our absolute commitment.

Jesus describes this as taking up our crosses and following Him. A man on his way to be crucified carried the heavy upper beam of the instrument he was to die on. This individual was as good as dead at this point. He no longer had any plans of his own. All of his hopes and dreams were over. 

We are invited to follow Jesus into this death to self. When we surrender our lives to Him we are giving up our plans and purposes in exchange for His will for our lives. Nothing we possess, none of our relationships, can stand in the way of our service to Him (Luke 14:26-33). This is what Jesus is teaching us, and this is what He requires of those who would follow Him. It is a narrow gate to squeeze through if we truly desire to be a follower of Jesus.

This death to self is necessary if we are to experience a resurrection to a new way of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

Romans 6:5-7 NASB

It isn't as simple as just saying a prayer but living your life according to how you want to live it. Self on the throne is the problem to start with.

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Romans 8:5-8 NASB

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please.

Galatians 5:16:17 NASB

There are two paths to take, pursuing the flesh or following the Spirit. What does this look like?

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:19-26 NASB

So look at what so many pass off as Christianity today. So much of what is seen is described in the first section of this passage. The deeds of the flesh are quite evident, with very little love, patience, gentleness, self control, etc. I do not mean to be judgemental, I am sounding an alarm. This passage tells us plainly that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh! There are many on the broad path and few on the narrow. 

The cross is a barrier between the follower of Christ and the world (Galatians 6:14). If we have truly been crucified with Christ we are no longer the ones living our lives out. It is Jesus, living through us as we follow Him by faith (Galatians 2:20). And if Jesus is living through us our lives will bear the fruit of that reality. 

     

The Obedience of Faith

"Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."

Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

John 6:27-29 NASB

The setting is the day following the feeding of the five thousand. The people, expecting another miraculous sign (perhaps another meal) from Jesus, found Him on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 

In these verses Jesus instructs them to get their priorities right. The temporal things in this world are nothing compared to living for the kingdom of God. This is similar to the passage in Matthew 6:25-34, where Jesus warns us that life is not about food and clothing, but about seeking as our priority His kingdom and righteousness.

Of course the people seeking Jesus that day were now desirous to know what kind of work they should be doing then. Maybe a few good deeds, some things that appeared "religious"?

Jesus tells the crowd that the work required was to believe in Him. I think many people today misunderstand this belief as an acknowledgement of the existence of Jesus. They are content to believe biblical facts about Him, and let it go at that. After all, faith and works are often portrayed as two opposing things that we must be careful not to mix up. But what does it mean to believe, in a truly biblical sense of the word?

In Romans we read of the "obedience of faith". The apostle Paul, speaking of Jesus, the resurrected Lord who had called him said this,

     Through whom we have recieved grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles for His names sake.

Romans 1:5 NASB

And again at the close of this epistle we read the following,

     Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to the obedience of faith.

Romans 16:25-26 NASB 

Paul the apostle to the Gentile nations stated that the gospel foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures, that he now proclaimed, led to the obedience of faith among all who received it. 

I think that the message Paul proclaimed is often misunderstood. To many, the emphasis is placed upon faith and not works, a concept which Paul also preached. In a passage which teaches that all have sinned and are guilty before God we read that no one will be justified by the works of the law because the law has proven that we are all sinners (Romans 3:9-20). And this is true. There is no possible way that we can be good enough, or perfect enough to undo all the guilt we have encured in our lifetimes. By the time we realize we need to live right we have already become guilty, and are estranged from God. We can't fix that by amending our ways. That is abundantly taught in the Bible.

However a mere assent to some facts about Jesus will never save us either. That is an insufficient faith. Paul writes this as well in Romans 2:12-13. 

     For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

Faith is more than knowing and holding certain facts to be true. Faith and obedience are two sides of a coin. It is often stated that a person who believes will obey Jesus out of a thankful heart, and I believe that there is truth to this statement. Jesus Himself stated that one who is forgiven much will love much (Luke 7:47). But it goes even deeper than this. 

Faith is a loyalty to Jesus as Lord of our lives. In an act of repentance we turn from our past when we were in control, living in opposition to God and His will for our lives, and now submit our lives by faith, under His absolute rule for our lives. Therefore faith is an ongoing submission to Jesus that we live out daily. Faith cannot be separated from obedience. Every act of obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is an act of faith. This is quite the opposite of selfishly performing some good works in the hope that we can somehow earn God's favor.

The life of Abraham shows this. What began in Genesis 15:5-6 where Abraham believed God's promise that he would have an heir, and God counted that belief as righteousness. This belief found it's culmination years later in Abraham's obedience in offering up Isaac, the promised heir.

 

It tells us in Romans 4:17-22 that Abraham believed God's promise against all the odds. We all know the story of Hagar, how early on, Sarai his wife, who was barren gives her maid to Abraham as a wife and she conceived and bears him Ishmael. They attempted to fulfill God's word to them in the flesh. That was not God's plan. He allowed Abraham to grow older until it was now impossible for him as well as for his wife to conceive and give birth. Yet Abraham still believed God's promise without wavering. 

Some time later Abraham faced the biggest test yet. God commanded him to take his son Isaac, the fulfilment of the promise that he had unwaveringly held on to, and offer him as a sacrifice to the LORD (Genesis 22:1-19). 

Abraham, motivated by the same faith that brought him this far, obeyed. We read in Hebrews 11:17-19 that even though he was about to offer up his son Isaac, the promised heir, he obeyed, considering that God was able to raise the dead. We know how it went. As Abraham was at the point of slaying his son the angel of the LORD stopped him and told him, "Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." (Genesis 22:12)

Obedience and faith are intertwined. You cannot escape this fact.

     Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.

James 2:21-23 NASB 

Jesus is the risen, exalted Lord. He has been given the name that is above every name. One day every knee will bow to Him, like it or not. In response to this inescapable fact how are we to live out our lives? Do we try to do good deeds, hoping that we will have enough in our favor to "tip the scales" on the day of judgement? Or do we bank on a head knowledge of Jesus and some biblical facts about His life, death, and resurrection, thinking that this is faith? This passage in Philippians 2:6-12 ends with an exhortation to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. If we believe we will submit and obey by faith. Just like Abraham, our faith and our works will work together in obedience. This is true saving faith.