If we are not diligent we may lose our reward: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (2 John 8) John here is speaking of doctrinal error as he had just said: many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. These that John was referring to were the Gnostics who said that the physical world was evil; therefore Jesus did not have a body, but only a Spirit. They deduced from this that Jesus did not really become weary and sit by the well as it is written in John 4:6. He only pretended to be tired. John warns that those who accept this doctrine will not receive a full reward. I believe that a similarly serious error, which I refute in the article: Eternal Incarnation, is to say that Jesus' physical body was derived from Mary's genes. These are foundational doctrines.
The Colossians were warned by Paul that they would lose reward if their faith swerves away from preoccupation with Christ, who taught us of the Father: Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels. (Colossians 2:18) This is a serious error as we are to worship no one but God.
Because our reward is dependent upon adherence to correct doctrine, we should diligently search the Scriptures, holding fast what is true and rejecting what is false, rather than blindly accepting whatever we are told. Paul told Timothy: Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Timothy 4:16)
I have discussed taking heed to the doctrine. Now I will discuss the importance of taking heed to ourselves, to our own behaviour. God says: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7) Note that the scripture says not, ‘He who believeth shall inherit all things’, but rather: He that overcometh. This is because it is not all types of belief that will be rewarded, but only those types of belief that are positively exercised in obedience.
Lest anyone think that because they believe intellectually, they will be rewarded even if they are slack, God dismisses this possibility in Revelation chapters two and three. Here when God promises rewards to each of seven churches, He qualifies this in all cases by the condition: to him that overcometh and each church is told what it must overcome to obtain the reward. I will now discuss some of these obstacles.
The church at Ephesus is told: thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4) The church at Smyrna is told: Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. (Revelation 2:10) The churches at Pergamos and Thyatira both had teachers who taught them: to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. (Revelation 2:20 NKJV)
The first love of the church at Ephesus refers to their original love of God when they were first saved. We are not told in what way the church had left this love; perhaps they were neglecting to spend time with God in prayer and meditating upon His word. The more time we spend with God, the more we are coworkers with Him rather than just workers for Him. It seems that the latter was the case for the Ephesians, as they were doing much work for God and in accordance with the truth, yet they were still rebuked.
When the Jews asked Jesus: What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:28) Our works flow from our knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. If our fellowship with Him is broken, we are just: tinkling symbols that are empty, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:1. I discuss in another article: Vineyard of God, that we cannot achieve the work of God by ourselves; we are merely channels through whom God works. When we understand this, God is pleased with all our labours for Him. Then if we could say (before God, rather than men) the words of Paul: I laboured more abundantly than they all, (1 Corinthians 15:10) God would be well pleased and reward us.
The church at Smyrna had to overcome fear. They were told: the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10) Even though the devil is working to hinder the church, God uses him to test His people. But God is merciful to His saints and will not let them suffer forever; it is only for a time, in this case ten days. Although not all suffering is for this same time, the duration of all suffering for God obeys the principle of Psalm 125:3: the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
God's limitation of trials is also seen in the example of the children of Israel's journey from Egypt to Israel. God protected them from war with the Philistines during the early stages of the journey: when Pharaoh had let the people go . . . God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines . . . for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. (Exodus 13:17)
So God will limit all suffering to what we can bear. Then He will deliver us out of trouble. We need not fear to stand for God in times of persecution.
The way of victory over the devil that persecutes us is given in Revelation 12:11: they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Note first of all the type of faith these had: they esteemed the reward of God of more value than even their lives. This is one characteristic of an overcoming faith. Note secondly how they exercised their faith: by opening their mouths and testifying of Christ. They were not ashamed of Him. Note thirdly why they obtained victory: by the blood of the Lamb. No work that we can do can defeat the devil or gain us access to heaven. Only the work of God on the cross can achieve this. Our obedience to Christ merely fulfils the conditions for Christ to work on our behalf.
An example for us to follow in terms of enduring trials is that of the apostle Paul who says: be ye followers of me (1 Corinthians 4:16). One mark of the life of Paul was his sufferings and imprisonment, although he had done no wrong: I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds. (2 Timothy 2:9) Paul encourages Timothy to follow his example, saying: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:3) We must also endure hardships if we want the great reward of reigning with Christ as Paul tells Timothy: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him, he also will deny us. (2 Timothy 2:12) Thus the Lord, the righteous Judge, will only give the reward of reigning with Christ to those who endure whatever trials the Lord brings their way. Those who deny the Lord during suffering will not be rewarded.
But if we live as the apostle Paul, of our reward at death, we can say like him: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7,8)
It may be that, like Peter, you deny the Lord during persecution and afterward bitterly regret it. This may be because you, like Peter, are not born again. Alternatively it may be that you do not spend enough time in prayer and meditation upon God's word to be strengthened by His Spirit with all might in the inner man. In either case seek God's grace upon your knees: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) And then obey the Lord's word when: he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) There is no other way to follow Jesus as these words were spoken to all, and concern any man who desires to follow Jesus. To those who refuse this word and refuse to bear reproach for the name of Christ, Jesus says: whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father. (Matthew 10:33)
Another obstacle which the churches, specifically at Pergamos and Thyatira, had to overcome was: sexual immorality. (Revelation 2:14,20 NKJV) Just as an athlete must maintain self-discipline to win a race, so must we daily deny ourselves if we wish to obtain a crown of glory. This is the message of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Where Paul says: one receiveth the prize he is not teaching competitiveness between Christians. But he is teaching that we should strive for a good reward as one strives to win a race. Some Christians will lose some or all of their reward because they did not discipline their bodies.
The reward of an imperishable crown is not figurative. Those who overcome more than most overcomers, will actually have crowns, will sit upon thrones and have authority: round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4:4) These around the throne may have the highest station. They in a sense have won first prize. But there is a crown, not only for these, but there is: a crown of righteousness . . . unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8) But the glory of that crown will depend on how well we have run the race. So don't be slack.
Paul said that if he failed to maintain self-discipline, he would be disqualified so as to lose his reward. And if Paul could be disqualified, who had laboured so abundantly, so can any of us.
The church at Laodicea had to overcome their lack of spiritual zeal, the Lord saying to them: be zealous. (Revelation 3:19) They were the opposite. They said to themselves: I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. (Revelation 3:17) They must have been so satisfied with their riches that they thought they had no need of God and they thus became spiritually impoverished. Christ continued, by telling them that they were: wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
Riches can turn one's attention away from God according to James 2:5: Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith. I wonder how many in the affluent West are in the condition of the Laodiceans. They attend church each week but apart from this their works are concerned not with the needs of the Lord Jesus Christ but solely with themselves. They are selfish with their time and money, yet are unaware that they will, except they repent, miss out on the reward promised by Christ in Revelation 3:21: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. This reward is fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, discussing with Him plans to reign over the earth and then conveying this to its inhabitants. Surely we should all want such a reward.
But Paul did not miss out on his reward, and in Philippians 3:8-11 he tells us how: Yea doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. If Paul had counted things other than Christ (whether riches, reputation, or Jewish legality) as gain, he knew he would not attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
When Paul speaks of the law here, I don't think he is referring to the Ten Commandments, which are how we obey Christ. Rather Paul is probably referring to Jewish ceremonial law, as I explain in the article: Why Law Changed. Where Paul speaks of attaining to the resurrection he means the first resurrection spoken of in Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection . . . they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him.
If we are to attain this resurrection from the dead, we must follow Paul's example of faith. Paul said: I beseech you, be ye followers of me. (1 Corinthians 4:16) This does not mean trying to be as good or better than Paul, but rather it means modelling our lives on his example by striving for the prize and counting all else as rubbish in comparison.
To do this requires faith: The just shall live by faith. (Galatians 3:11) But it should not be difficult to have faith that God's way is best, nor should it be difficult to believe any of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, who says of himself: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. (Revelation 3:14) We can have confidence in the words of Jesus because He was with the Father before the beginning of creation. Men might have their own ideas about God, but Jesus knows. He has also seen all history from heaven whilst in fellowship with the Father. Not only this, but the words He spoke on earth were His Father's words, not His own. We may therefore have strong confidence in those words and in the rest of the bible, which He avouched.
No one can overcome in his or her own strength. But if we exercise faith, God enables us to overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the power to be obedient according to 1 John 5:3,4: his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
But this faith must be exercised if we are to enter into heaven. So: giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)
The first step to heaven listed by Peter is to have faith in God, and is to: believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) So one must believe in His power, and in His goodness, love, mercy and truth. This creates a grateful heart. One must also believe in God's rewarding of virtue. This motivates one's heart to take the next step listed by Peter. This is to purify one's heart to virtue or to an attitude of goodness and readiness to obey.
When one has the right attitude of heart to do what is right then one must grow in knowledge of what is right. When one knows what is right then one must exercise temperance and do what is right. To those who live such a life of righteousness, Paul says: all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12) A Christian must then persevere under persecution and not turn back.
When we are truly obedient we can grow in knowledge of our God and Saviour whom we must revere. Therefore we add godliness or piety to our faith. We must also have the right attitude to our brethren and see them not as strangers, but as brethren. Therefore we endeavour to be kind to them. This brotherly kindness should grow into love as we concern ourselves with the well being of our brethren, both materially and spiritually.
Peter says that by such an obedience one makes one's calling and election sure. This sounds strange because one normally thinks of calling and election as the work of God. But Peter teaches that we have a part in the process of confirming our election, and that this is to respond to God by such an obedience. And this response should not be half-hearted, as twice Peter counsels diligence. And to those who are diligent, he promises an abundant entrance into the kingdom of heaven. So, according to Peter, faith without the added virtues (if it really is faith at all) will not obtain the promised rewards. Such may scape in to the next world, losing almost ninety-nine per cent of their reward.
If you find it too difficult to obey these commands you should examine yourself as to whether you are really born again. You should not assume, just because you asked Christ into your life, that you are born again. A complete trust and repentance is needed. Paul admonishes those in the church: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV) But one sin does not mean you are not saved.
To confirm this doctrine of righteousness by active faith rather than by passive faith, I will look at the example of Abraham who is our model.
Paul uses the example of Abraham to teach the righteousness of faith, saying of him: faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. (Romans 4:9) It is this life of faith, which, through righteousness, will obtain the promised rewards. Therefore it is appropriate to look at Abraham's example. We see in Abraham both a belief in God and an obedience which demonstrated his trust in God. First I will briefly examine his beliefs and then I will show how he exercised those beliefs in a living faith.
Abraham, like us, needed to have faith in Christ. When God said to him: In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, (Genesis 22:18) the promise spoke of Christ, who was born of Mary. This is clear from Galatians 3:16: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. I do not know how much Abraham understood, if anything, of what would be Christ's atoning work. But he must have believed in Christ as the Saviour of the world. For this reason the Scriptures speak of the gospel being preached to Abraham: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Galatians 3:8)
Abraham also had hope, as recorded in Hebrews 11:10: he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. This city is the New Jerusalem which is now in heaven and will descend one day to earth. This city was to be his, and is to be our, eternal home, if we overcome as fully as Abraham. Like Abraham we must ask God to give us understanding of the promises of God for the future, so that we will have something to hope for.
God first records that Abraham was righteous by faith when he believed God's promise: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:5,6)
Because this promise was to be fulfilled through the work of Christ, Abraham's faith was to be a model for us as Paul says in Romans 4:23-25: Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. So Christ was delivered to the cross to be our Lamb, and was raised from the dead to be our Advocate.
Although Abraham's goodness was not the means by which he was accounted righteous, it was a condition for such an accounting.
That his goodness was a condition is made clear in Genesis 18:18,19: all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. So according to God's own words, if Abraham had not done justice and judgement, the Lord would not have been able to fulfil his promise to Abraham.
Abraham was not only given promises to believe; he was also given commands to keep, and the fulfilment of the promises was conditional upon obedience to the commands. Abraham's works of faith were not perfect in the beginning but he was gradually perfected.
Abraham acted on this faith when he left his homeland of Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2), and came to Israel, in obedience to God's command: Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. (Genesis 12:1) This obedience is described as a work of faith in Hebrews 11:8: By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
God promised Abraham a seven-fold blessing if and only if he obeyed this command, saying to him: I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:2,3) Initially Abraham was not fully obedient because he only made it half way to Israel, stopping in Haran (Genesis 11:31). But eventually he obeyed God fully and: Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him. (Genesis 12:4)
One of the promises to Abraham was that he could make a difference, and be a blessing to others. We must believe this, that we can make the world a better place, if we obey God. Otherwise our lives may seem futile, and we might give up.
The reason Abraham was told to leave his relatives, was that he had to go a long way away, to the land of Israel. Today Christians may not be called to go hundreds of miles away, so there is usually no reason to leave your relatives. But we are called to go to church, which is the New Israel (Galatians 6:16). This means that ordinarily we must put going to church, ahead of visiting the relatives.
God may have seemed distant, and Abraham may have been weary as he marched across the desert to Israel, having only the promise of God. But after he had obeyed: the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. (Genesis 12:7) When we obey God, He will similarly be with us according to Jesus' promise: If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23) When God's presence is with us He reassures us and strengthens our faith.
Not only did Abraham trust God initially, but also he continued to trust God. So Abraham's faith, which should be our model, was not only an active faith in obeying God, it was also a persevering faith.
Abraham's faith had to be mixed with great patience. He entered the land of Israel when he was seventy-five years old; but it was not until he was ninety-nine years old, that he had the promised son, Isaac, through whom the promise that his descendants would own the land of Israel, was to be fulfilled. When Abraham was 85 years old, more than 10 years after God's promise, he temporarily lost his faith. He thought his wife, Sarah, would never have a child, because of her age. So, at his wife's counsel, he took Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, as a concubine/wife, and had a child by her. This child was Ishmael, the father of the Arabs.
But another fourteen years later, God explained to Abraham that it would be his proper wife, who would bear the child through whom his descendants would inherit Israel. God said: I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her. (Genesis 17:16) At first, on hearing this promise: Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Genesis 17:17) But despite the doubt in Abraham's mind, Abraham continued to trust and obey God, and a year later the promise was fulfilled, and Sarah bore a child when it seemed impossible. God was testing Abraham's faith and patience, and Abraham passed the test. Thus we read in Hebrews 6:15: after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
The faith of Abraham, to believe the impossible, is spoken of by Paul in Romans 4:18-22: who, against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead; when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. So it was a persevering faith which justified Abraham in the sight of God.
Had Abraham lost faith he could have returned to his homeland: And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. (Hebrews 11:15) There his relatives would have been able to look after him in a house in his old age. Instead: By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles. (Hebrews 11:9) He thus obeyed, because he did not even regard this earth as his home, but was of those who: confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth . . . now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
Like Abraham, when God's promises seem unlikely, we need to exercise faith and continue to obey. Paul writes: let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)
The final test of Abraham's faith was when God said to him: Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering. (Genesis 22:2) Abraham had faith to obey because he believed that: God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. (Hebrews 11:19)
Although Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead so as to fulfil His promise, that through Isaac the Messiah would be born, he did not know where or when Isaac would be raised. Although Abraham told his servants that he would return with Isaac, this was to avoid a conflict with his servants, who might have tried to dissuade him from slaying Isaac. Therefore we see in this work of faith, that Abraham was willing to make a supreme sacrifice, perhaps losing Isaac for the rest of his natural life. God was testing Abraham's love for God against his love for his son, of whom God had said to Abraham: Isaac, whom thou lovest.
We also see in Abraham's work of faith, that he trusted that God would fulfil His promise through Isaac without Abraham's help. Human wisdom would have said that Isaac must be protected from all harm and danger until he had a son, but God told Abraham to slay his son. (Although we naturally work towards the fulfilment of God's promises by taking positive steps in that direction, our faith should be in God's power rather than our own works. Perhaps, sometimes, God tells us to stop our own efforts, and trust in God's power alone, to fulfil His promises, to make it clear where our faith is.)
After the Lord had seen Abraham was prepared to obey, God stopped him from slaying his son at the last moment. It was only after Abraham's preparedness to obey, that God reaffirmed his promise, saying: By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:16-18)
It was not that before this re-affirmation of the promise Abraham would have missed out on the promise, but rather that this obedience confirmed the faithfulness of his heart, that he was ready to obey, as he had previously obeyed.
It was because of this that God's two-sided covenant with Abraham was established. God's side of the covenant was to raise up the Messiah. Abraham's side of the covenant was to believe in this promise, to live a good life, and to take steps according to his faith.
As I will discuss in the next section, Abraham is sometimes described as being justified by faith and sometimes as being justified by works. When Abraham is described as being justified by faith, this is because Abraham could do nothing to justify himself; he had to trust God to do this. But where Abraham is described as being: justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar (James 2:21) this is because God places the condition of works as necessary.
So we see that the scriptures repeatedly affirm Abraham's righteousness by faith when he obediently took steps based upon faith. Because of these steps it can truly be said that the Lord was Abraham's God. Abraham therefore kept the principle of the first commandment, namely: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
The righteousness of faith was not limited in the Old Testament to Abraham. For God said, to all His people under the Old Covenant: Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord . . . Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. (Isaiah 51:1,2) The Jews under the Old Covenant certainly had to obey God's other laws. But they needed also to have faith as Abraham, in order to obtain full righteousness, and the full reward.
Hebrews 11 lists numerous other servants with faith, who are to be our examples, namely, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. As we read of their examples in the Old Testament: faith cometh by hearing. This: hearing is by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) True faith only comes by the reading of all of the scriptures, both Old Testament and New.
Here I will discuss the relative role of faith and works in our justification.
Some Scriptures speak of justification by faith alone and not by works, namely Romans 4:2-5: if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory . . . what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
However James 2:21-24 seems to say the opposite, that Abraham was justified by works: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness . . . Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
The traditional explanation to resolve the apparent difference between Paul's justification by faith and James' justification by works is that James is describing the type of faith which is needed to justify, and this is a faith that results in works. However I disagree with this explanation because it too considerably weakens the message of James regarding works, as works depend not only upon faith but also upon the will. The traditional explanation also confuses the two different types of faith: faith in the cross, and faith to obey God.
I believe that where Paul speaks of justification by faith he is speaking of the means of salvation which is the work of Christ. No one can by their own good works on the basis of their own merit reach heaven. Only the work of Christ on the cross could deliver us from death.
However where James speaks of justification by works he is speaking not of the means of salvation which is Calvary's cross, but of a condition for salvation, which is our obedience to God. Although no one is saved by doing works for God, God sees the heart at the moment of salvation, and in this heart there must be a preparedness to obey God after salvation by the power of God.
So to be justified, there must be firstly faith in the power of the death of Christ, which is the means of salvation, and secondly a preparedness to do good works, which is the condition for salvation. Thus we can understand James 2:24: Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Although the preparedness to do good works is based on faith, it is of a somewhat different nature to faith in the cross. Moses had such faith and: By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-27)
This decision of Moses, which was based on faith, according to the writer of Hebrews, would be called works by James. This is because it involved Moses choosing a course of action. I will follow James' terminology and call Moses' action ‘works’ because I would like to emphasise the role of the will in following God. God will encourage us by His word to follow Him, but we of our own free will must choose to follow that way, and do the works He shows. That is we must exercise our faith in obedience.
Because the classification of what is faith and what is works is fairly arbitrary, it is unwise to pluck a verse out of the bible speaking of salvation by faith or salvation by works and use it to try to prove that only one of the two is necessary for salvation. To use an analogy to further illustrate the danger of using one verse to try to prove only one step is needed for salvation, I say this: That oxygen gives life does not mean that food and water are unnecessary. Similarly, that believing in the cross gives eternal life, does not mean that the work of repenting of sin and trusting God with our life are unnecessary.
My argument that both steps, faith and works, are necessary for full salvation is based upon the totality of Scripture. We can obviously have great confidence in doctrines based upon many Scriptures. But we must reject doctrines based on a few Scriptures, if they clearly contradict other Scriptures. To say that only one of the steps is necessary for salvation, is a doctrine that is clearly contradicted by many Scriptures, and therefore such a doctrine must be rejected.
There is no contradiction in the mind of one being saved between faith and works. The same high standard set by God, which showed him his imperfection and need of the cross, also inspires him to determine in his heart to strive for perfection. Also the belief that sins can be forgiven by virtue of the cross, gives hope which leads men to obey God and thereby claim His promise.
The beliefs we need for salvation are learned from the bible, which we must trust as the word of God. At salvation this leads us to new birth according to 1 Peter 1:23: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. But which doctrines must we learn from it to be saved? Although we are reconciled to God by faith, by Christ's work on the cross, this work only becomes meaningful when we understand who God is in terms of His power, and who Christ is in terms of His Sonship.
The most fundamental faith one must have is to: understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3) God made the universe and is not therefore part of it. One need not believe that the earth is 6,000 years old or subscribe to any particular scientific view of creation, such as that presented in my article: Creation. But one must believe that life is not a chance event. God planned it, both by creating a universe with a world such as ours to be the environment for life, and by creating life upon earth and guiding its evolution. One should preferably also believe that man did not evolve from an ape. Man but was created from the dust and given a spirit.
One must also believe that: Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 4:15) This implies the deity of Jesus Christ, in that His Spirit was not created but was born of God the Father and made from His substance. And to him that: shall confess that, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
We must also believe in: the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood. (Romans 3:24,25) We must trust in Christ's blood, which symbolises His death, by means of which all the offence of sin was cancelled. Christ’s work was efficacious in: blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, having nailing it to his cross. (Colossians 2:14) So it is not that we did enough good deeds to outweigh our bad deeds. Rather, the law against sin, namely, the soul that sinneth, it shall die, was taken out of the way.
That good works are not the means of our justification is made clear in Romans 3:21-24: the righteousness of God without the law (our works of keeping it) is manifested . . . even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Further support for the doctrine that faith, not works, is the means of our salvation is seen in Ephesians 2:8,9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
But while works are not the means of salvation, they are the result of salvation according to the next verse: we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. To be saved one must be willing to be transformed by God and to then walk in good works. There is no such doctrine as salvation unto bad works. God will not save one who wishes to cling to sin, as I shall show.
The means of our salvation is our faith that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins. To this must be added the work of repenting of our sins, taking the cross and following Jesus. This is the condition for our salvation. If we have only the intellectual belief then: as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)
Such an intellectual faith by itself will not justify. In fact James 2:19 says: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and tremble. The demons certainly are not destined for a heavenly reward, and neither, James is arguing, is anyone with only an intellectual assent to the facts of the gospel, but without works.
A very clear example of justification by works is that of Rahab the harlot, of the town of Jericho, who was: justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and sent them out another way? (James 2:25) She believed that Joshua, by the power of the Lord, would conquer the city. So instead of seeking reward from the king of Jericho by turning in the spies, she sought the preservation of her life by hiding them. This work which justified her, was based upon faith as she said to the spies: the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. (Joshua 2:11) But this faith alone would not have justified her, if she had not hidden the spies.
I will now look at how Jesus taught the doctrine of works for salvation. In this discussion I will divide works into two categories: repenting of moral sin; and taking the cross.
That moral repentance is essential for eternal life, was taught by Jesus when a rich young ruler asked Jesus: what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 18:18) Jesus answered by first declaring the necessity to lead a good life. He quoted the following of the Ten Commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. (Verse 20) Thus Jesus is teaching the importance of this first step, the need for moral repentance to obtain eternal life.
Some say that Jesus was not showing him the way to eternal life, but rather the impossibility of obtaining it by law. But I disagree with this interpretation for several reasons: Firstly the rich young ruler thought he had kept these moral laws and Jesus did not tell him he had not. Thus this interpretation would show Jesus failing to communicate. Secondly nowhere in the dialogue did Jesus point him to the need of a Saviour; He is speaking of deeds.
Since the passage is not designed to show man's need of the Saviour, and since the doctrine of repentance for the remission of sins is biblical according to John the Baptist who did: preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, (Mark 1:4) I think my interpretation is preferable. That is, Jesus is not teaching sinless perfection as the way to heaven, but rather that a repentant heart that basically keeps the word of God or is prepared to keep the word of God is a prerequisite for salvation.
After this Jesus showed the young man the work necessary to not only be saved, but to overcome and obtain full reward: the need to take the cross, deny oneself and obey God in faith. He gave him one more commandment: Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. (Luke 18:22) When Jesus said this He was testing the rich young ruler's faith on a higher level.
Those who are like the rich young ruler, and have kept God's moral commandments, only need to add the work of taking the cross to obtain full reward - they only lack this one thing - the taking of the cross. But those who have other sins also need to repent of them. The Scriptures record in Mark 10:21 that Jesus loved the rich young ruler, but he did not love Jesus sufficiently to obey Christ's command: take up the cross, and follow me.
For us to obtain full reward by fully trusting God, should we offer our son as a sacrifice, or give away all our money? No, because these were only commandments to specific men. But what we should do is to obey whatever God shows for us to do. Perhaps the most fundamental way to exercise faith is to obey the words of Jesus when He said: seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
But to do this there will be a cost which Jesus did not hide. He said: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-28)
Jesus then speaks of the cost in two parables. The first is designed to show the labour involved and perhaps also the financial cost of being a Christian. It is told in Luke 14:28-30: which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. After salvation the Lord will certainly call you to dedicate some of your time and money to Him. He may even call you to give all your money away and become a missionary, as in the case of the rich young ruler. You must be prepared to do whatever He commands, even if your family objects. A true Christian disciple is prepared to pay whatever price he must because he knows that God will never fail him nor forsake him, but will always provide for his and his families needs, provided he obeys the Lord.
The next parable is designed to show the battle involved in Christianity and is recorded in Luke 14:31,32: what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage and desireth conditions of peace. Know that if you become a Christian, it may cost you your life. A true Christian disciple is prepared to face death because he knows he has eternal life.
I believe that taking the cross is an application of the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3) Therefore we must make Jahovah our God by doing whatever He commands us, not caring for anyone or anything which may stand in our way.
Some might say that Abraham was justified before he offered Isaac and therefore faith justified him rather than works. But I would argue that God saw Abraham's heart earlier, that he had purposed to obey God. Therefore God justified him before his works, although his willingness to do the works of God was a necessary condition for justification. The works, which are recorded as justifying Abraham, were merely a continuation of the purpose of his heart. The purposing in the heart, whilst motivated by a type of faith, is an act of the will. Therefore it can be included in the doctrine of works.
Similarly today, when someone repents and trusts God for salvation, God does not wait several years until they have performed enough good works. But He looks at their heart. Is there a willingness and a purposing to depart from sin? If there is He justifies them immediately and they then live out the purpose of their heart at conversion. Is there a willingness to pay the price of discipleship? They shall reign with Christ.
A prerequisite for conversion is belief in the gospel: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3,4)
To this faith must be added the willingness to do certain works: Peter said unto them (the multitudes), Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) So repentance is first work necessary for salvation. But some have wrongly interpreted this Scripture as meaning baptism is the other work necessary for salvation. The reason baptism is here mentioned is that baptism was a public act of confessing Christ. Although baptism is not necessary for salvation, the willingness to identify oneself as a Christian is.
It is unwise to build a doctrine upon the fragments of a sermon recorded in Acts. It is wiser to build doctrines upon the epistles where a complete argument is stated.
And in Romans 10:9,10 it is written: if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Paul is speaking of public confession of Christ, not private confession of sin. And it is the readiness to confess Christ, that leads to salvation.
Often what is lacking in a believer is the willingness to bear reproach for the name of Christ by confessing that Christ is their Saviour. If this is your stumbling-block, when you are prepared to take the step of faith of confessing Christ, just as Abraham took the step of faith of offering Isaac, God, by His Spirit, will help you to understand that your sins have been payed for.
Confession of Christ is also for most the first step, and perhaps the main step in taking the cross, although a willingness to take the cross in all ways, is necessary for full reward. There is some reproach for all, but a great reproach or cost for true disciples who take the cross.
I have discussed the terms of conversion. Now I will discuss calling upon the Lord at conversion.
Conversion is effected, not by taking an exam, but by coming to a person and both the Father and the Son are involved. Their differing roles are explained in Acts 20:21 where Paul testified: repentance toward God (the Father), and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
The commandments of the bible are fundamentally those of God the Father. Even when Christ spoke, He claimed to be speaking His Father's word. Therefore when we sin we are fundamentally sinning against the Father. The condition for salvation, as I have mentioned before, is that of turning from disobeying the Father to obeying Him. Therefore Paul speaks of conversion involving: repentance toward God (the Father).
One should purpose in one's heart to obey God and ask Him to supply the power necessary. I think it is primarily the Spirit of the Father, rather than the Son, which gives us power to obey righteousness: it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) This speaks of our heart after conversion, but God (the Father) also works in our heart prior to conversion. The Spirit of the Father also reveals Christ, who said: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. (John 6:44)
Now we shall look at the role of Christ at conversion. Jesus said: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:39,40) You do this by calling upon the Lord Jesus for salvation and asking that He would plead the merit of His death on your behalf with the Father. Then God promises of His Son: the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:12,13) You can trust Him wholly as: the scripture saith: Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:11)
When a person thus trusts in Christ they are also trusting in the Father, as it was the Father who made Christ's advocacy possible by raising Him from the dead, and by listening to His advocacy and justifying accordingly. Our trust in God the Father is spoken of in Romans 4:24: for us also, to whom it (righteousness) shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. We should also remember that it was the Father's plan and will for Christ to make the atonement, Christ saying: not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
Sometimes however when one calls upon God for salvation, perhaps because of commitments in one's heart, or false doctrine, or lack of faith, one is not saved immediately. It may only be through perseverance in the word of God that one's faith becomes strong. We should be like Jacob who wrestled with the angel, saying: I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. (Genesis 32:26) So we should continue to read the word of God, obey God, go to church, and pray until our faith becomes strong. Then one can call upon the Lord again and be saved.
I have spoken of the need for good works earlier. Now I will focus on why and how we perform them. There are two reasons why: God's power; and the submission of our will to Him.
God's power to transform us is spoken of in Jeremiah’s prophecy of the New Covenant: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31-33) Hebrews chapters eight to ten, teach us that this new covenant is that which Christ establishes with us at salvation. He gives us the power to do good works by writing the law on our hearts and minds. In this the new covenant differs from the old covenant, where they were told what to do, but the power to perform these commandments, was often lacking.
The other reason why Christians perform good works is, that at salvation and ever after, they submit their wills to God, as they daily pray: Thy will be done. (Matthew 6:10) Christians should not be passive, but rather: those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. (Titus 3:8 NKJV) Christians in their daily lives should continually fulfil the purpose in their hearts at conversion.
How do we learn to do good works? One does not have to understand the difference between taking the cross and repenting of moral sin, nor agree with my classification system for commandments. The word of God, the bible, teaches in detail all aspects of the obedience that is required of us. Therefore if we take heed of the words of Jesus: man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Luke 4:4), we shall live the life pertaining to the righteousness of faith. And especially, as we praise God, as we are commanded to do, we shall be reminded of the love and power of God through the cross of Christ.
All we need to do is to read the bible, Old Testament and New, and obey it. God in His wisdom has given us numerous examples of faith. Jesus in the gospels has also explained how to trust God. If we are wise, we will take heed to obey the words of Christ given in the gospels and to the rest of the bible, and can be assured by Jesus' promise: whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)
Four of the ten commandments teach us about our relationship to God, and the other six about our relationship to our neighbour. But the exact classification of commandments is not important because we are commanded not to disobey any commandment. Jesus said: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)
Many of the commandments given through Moses taught the Israelites faith in God. For example they were taught to rely upon God's help in time of war. Because the commandments also taught repentance, they were told that all they had to do to be rewarded, was to keep all the commandments. Moses told them how simple it was to follow God; by simply obeying the word of God And this would be made easy because God would help them by bringing the word to their mind and heart, so it would be near them. Moses said: For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
Moses then impressed upon them the importance of obeying that word of God in order to receive blessing, by saying: See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days . . . I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days. (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)
Confirmation that these, the last words of Moses, teach the way to obtain the righteousness of faith comes from Paul where he quotes their context (which I underline), saying that it relates to the righteousness of faith. Paul says: But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. (Romans 10:6-8)
Therefore the way of faith is: to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 30:16) But this involves choice, both before salvation and after. So Moses exhorted them to: choose life. (Deuteronomy 30:19) When we choose life, we are justified by works, although not on the basis of our merit, but on the basis of the merit of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Then God blesses us.