WHAT CAN YOU KNOW? Devotion 8 of 32 The necessity of a strong faith, and of the knowledge we have eternal life, are central in spiritual life. The burden of the Apostolic writings is focused on producing these results. Believing God and possessing a confident assurance of His acceptance are subjects woven into the fabric of Apostolic doctrine. The primary purpose of their writings was not to merely resolve problems and establish proper procedures – even though much of the Christian emphasis of our day could lead one to that conclusion. The Holy Spirit did move post-Pentecost writers to deal with such things. But those matters were never at the heart of their writings. They were always on the periphery, where carnality had erupted. The purpose for correcting behavior was always to get people into the most holy place, where they could hear Him who is speaking from heaven (Heb 12:29), and enjoy the "spiritual blessings" that can only be obtained in "the heavenly places" (Eph 1:3). – Tomorrow:
The awareness of this revolutionizes our approach to the Scriptures. Now they are seen as a vast reservoir of spiritual nourishment and riches, rather than a mere manual of conduct or a roadmap for uncertain travelers.
In order for men to believe, something must be affirmed, for faith rests upon a word from God. Further, what is said about believing is a great encouragement to extend ourselves to be classified with Abraham, of whom it is written, "Abraham BELIEVED GOD!" (Rom 4:3).
A FEW EXAMPLES
As believers, we are told God's own righteousness will be imputed to us "If we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead" (Rom 4:24). When we remember that no other righteousness is accepted by God, this becomes one of those exceeding great and precious promises by which we become "partakers of the Divine nature" (2 Pet 1:4).
Those in Christ are NOT addressed as though they were already in heaven. Rather, they are told they will be saved "IF thou shalt . . . BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised Him (Christ) from the dead" (Rom 10:9-10). They are also told righteousness will be imputed to the "IF we BELIEVE on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead" (Rom 4:24). I want to emphasize that these words were written to people who were already in Christ. The Holy Spirit does not take for granted that Christians ARE believing.
The matter of being joined together with those who have gone on to be with the Lord is also tied to believing. We are told God will bring those departed saints with Jesus, to be joined to us "IF we BELIEVE that Jesus died and rose again" (1 Thess 4:14).
In this very Epistle (First John), not taking our faith for granted, the Spirit reminds us that God's commandments are "That we (believers) should BELIEVE on the name of the Son of God, and love one another, we He gave us commandment" (1 John 3:23). This is the highest view of the commandments. In prior ages, before the Sun of Righteousness had risen to His zenith, the will of God was frequently summarized with two commandments. Under Moses they were, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind . . . And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Mat 22:37-39). Solomon summarized it with these two statements: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl 12:13). Micah stated it this way: "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" (Micah 6:8). These earlier statements find their fulfillment in the commandments stated by John: "believe on the name of the Son of God, and love one another." The commandments are most concisely stated in those words.
How is it that believing on the name of the Son of God is so rarely the subject of contemporary preaching, teaching, and writing? Why does it seem to be taken for granted that those who wear the name of Christ have reached the pinnacle of believing, and thus need to believe no more? Why have some demeaned believing by viewing it as a mere "step" in a series of responses culminating in initial salvation? Is it not true that every sensitive soul feels the need for stronger faith? Who is the trusting soul that sees no need for a more firm persuasion of the truth of Christ Jesus as declared in the Gospel?
The Western church has, indeed, fallen upon hard times. In a massive departure from the faith, little effort is being devoted to maturing and stabilizing the faith of the saints of God. Churches are filled with spiritually immature people, and most everyone knows it. Strong confidence, rejoicing in hope, and stability of soul are admittedly scarce. Rarely will you hear a word addressed to those who "believe on the name of the Son of God," in order that they might "know" what they possess in Him. Thank the Lord, there are exceptions to this trend. However, this IS the mind and manner of the Spirit, as made abundantly clear in the text before us.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to be a strong believer myself, and then to encourage others to be the same.