"NOW FAITH IS"
#237.0399
scottSTANLEY
In the next few studies, I would like to continue building on the subject of the perfection of the believer. When I say "perfection", I mean a completed perfection. You can go to the Old Testament and look up this word "perfection" and discover that it’s actually sincere in the margin. In that respect, I see a lot of people who are perfectly sincere in serving the Lord but, what I would like to achieve in my life is to be open enough to the Lord and willing enough to lay down my concepts and my ideas to receive the knowledge of God in the totality of what He is offering me. Now, I’m not saying that I am going to receive the totality of God’s knowledge, but I can receive the totality of what He is offering me. In this remnant church, I want to be found living up to the knowledge that He is offering and letting that affect my actions - because I know that once I understand as He does that as He is, so will I be in this world. I know that is what He’s offering me. Praise God - what a blessed promise that is!
As I sit and study the Scriptures, and think day after day on the things the Lord is giving us - and, day after day, attempt to move my thinking into that place of responsibility that I know He has given me - I find, day after day, new ways of looking at this. New concepts come out and I go to present these things to our church and the Lord blesses in that, I think, because, as I stand up and go through the studies or read the Scriptures, it blesses me in that the understanding is deepened. I know that what we’re going to talk about today is not something that is easily understood - it’s something you’re really going to have to think about and concentrate on as you hear these words and we continue to put definitions on these things. It’s important that our hearts be open; it’s important that the Lord fill us with His Spirit - that we have His wisdom in putting the pieces of the puzzle together. It’s important that we’re not carrying bitterness, anger and malice toward the people in our lives because how can the Lord bless us if we are not in that place of lowliness of mind, esteeming others better than ourselves? I would like to offer a prayer to the Lord asking for His presence and His blessings as we go through this study:
Most Gracious Heavenly Father: It truly is an awesome thing; a wonderful thing to be in this place of knowing You, living in this world at this point of time and recognizing that You are doing a work in Your church - a work that the world is not going to recognize readily. They will see it, but they will not know what it is they’re seeing; just like when they saw the Saviour, they were not aware of who that man really and truly was, and is. We ask, Heavenly Father, that we be open to Thee, that we be willing to lay down our ideas - our knowledge - and allow You to feed us and give us Yours. We pray that only You be glorified. We pray that there be nothing between You and ourselves - nothing between our spirits and Your Spirit. We pray that You be glorified and we ask Your blessings on this study and that You would go with the tape, that people would hear it and receive the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. I ask Thee for the words to speak, that only You be glorified. Father, I praise You and ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let’s begin this study by looking at a word that we have looked at in times past. You know, the Lord continues to add to our understanding and continues to fine tune it. If you can reach a pencil and paper, do so, because I’m going to be putting things on the board and I’m going to be describing what is on the board. It would help you tremendously to write these things down so that you can continue to look at them. What we’re going to put up here is not something we think about all the time and you’re going to have to concentrate with me. I want to go back and look at the word "believe" and I’m going to write the word "believe" on the board. Out beside this, I am going to put "4100". Now, 4100 is a Strong’s number out of the Greek New Testament for the word "believe", and I’ve noted: "believe; #4100 = another Strong’s number, 539." #539 is the Hebrew number for the word "believe" and if we were to look this up in the Hebrew, the first place "believe" is used is Genesis 15:6, where Abraham believed and it was counted unto him for righteousness:
Genesis 15:5-6
5
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. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.Now, in the past, we discovered that by looking at the Hebrew word believe, and tracing it out - that it meant to be nourished. The word "nourishment" is in there so I want to write: "believe; #4100 = #539 (from the Hebrew) = nourished". We have seen that there are places where this is translated as "nursing", "father" and so on. From this, we concluded that believe is something more than mental assent. To believe someone is actually to receive the nourishment given; to get something out of what they’re saying - not just simply "believing" it the way we use it in English all the time because there’s more to it than that. This word "believe" (#4100 in the Greek and #539 in the Hebrew) - both of these words are verbs. These are action words. To "believe" is an action word and every action word has a noun describing it. Every action word has a noun. For instance, take the word "running" - the noun for that word is a "runner", someone who "runs". Believing also has a noun - to believe has a noun, and what word do you think the King James used to translate the noun of "believe"? A noun is a person, place or thing, so this is a "thing". The noun for "believe" is faith. I’m putting this on the board. Faith, in the Greek, is Strong’s number 4102. #4102 is actually the root of #4100. #4100, Abraham believed - "faith" is the noun. Could I say that "faith" is what he believed? Faith is the thing he believed - that is your "faith". If you have the books and you look up "faith" (in the Greek Concordance - The Englishman’s Greek Concordance), you’ll discover how faith is used and, you know, it befuddles me to understand how we ever began to look at this as a verb! That is what makes this study hard! We’re going to read a verse in a moment that we have always read while looking at this word "faith" as a verb or as something I’m doing - but "faith" is not something you do, it is something you have as a result of "believing". Faith is something you have as a result of "believing". Now, there is a definition of "faith" found in Hebrews 11:1. This is what I want to read and I want you to consider this word as a noun now, as we go through this. Hebrews 11:1:
Hebrews 11:1
1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.There are two words here that are used to describe "faith": substance and evidence. Both of these words are nouns, not verbs. Now, follow this and really let it sink in - Faith is the substance of things hoped for; it’s the evidence of things not seen. Let me put this in the physical realm for just a moment - let’s look at this in the physical and then move it over to the mental, so that we might more readily discern what we’re talking about here. I’m going to write the word "physical" on the board and, underneath it, I’m going to write a series of events that takes place when we literally eat something physically. If I were to take a piece of bread and eat it, this bread enters into my physical belly and is assimilated. Upon being assimilated, it is moved into my whole body - it is taken into the rest of my body. My belly assimilates this food and, when it is taken into the rest of my body, what would you call that? You can "see" that in my energy level and my weight - you can "see" the amount of food I’m eating and what I’m eating. All of these things manifest my physical eating habits, you see? So, I eat it, I assimilate it, it is moved into my body and it is then recognized - could I not say: as the evidence of what I have eaten? It is the transformed bread - it has been assimilated. You could say that it is the assimilated fruit of what you have eaten. It is what your body has transformed to move into the rest of your organs; it has assimilated it so that it can become you.
Now, put this over in the spiritual realm. When we look at the spiritual realm, we eat food spiritually. How do I eat spiritually? Well, we remember the scriptures where the Lord brings a roll or a book to a person and has the person "eat" it - that means they read it, or they hear it; they receive it. Let’s just say that, any time you’re sitting down listening to a person talk or reading a book or watching television, you are eating - you are bringing spiritual food into the "belly". If you sit down and read a magazine article, you are "eating" spiritually, but you may not be believing it; you may not be receiving it - and that is what "belief" is. Belief means that, when you receive something, you hang on to it; you are nourished by it. For instance, I might sit down and read a computer magazine yet, ten minutes later, you could ask me what was in it and I couldn’t tell you because I might not retain what was in it. I "ate" it, but it went out in the draught - it didn’t stay in me because I didn’t keep it there. So, spiritually, I eat it but it’s only what I assimilate that is what I’m actually believing. You’re only believing those things that are staying there. Remember, your actions show what you believe more than your words do. Let me continue with this. You eat spiritually, and then you believe or you disbelieve. If you believe it, it is then assimilated into your character and that assimilated product, that evidence, of what you have heard and retained (believed) is called "faith". So, let me explain to you now what I have on the board: I physically eat, I assimilate it into my body and the evidence of it is seen in my energy - it is seen outwardly in various ways in my health, you could say. I eat spiritually by receiving things into my mind. Right now, listening to this tape, you are eating at this moment - as you listen to this study, you are eating spiritually. Now, the next step is - are you going to retain what you’re hearing? You might consider it, and that could be a form of assimilation. You’re considering it but part of it you’re going to reject and part of it you’re going to keep. That part you keep is what you believe; it’s what is nourishing you. You believe it, you receive it and what is left - the evidence of what you have believed is called "faith". Now, listen again to Hebrews 11:1:
Hebrews 11:1
1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, [it is] the evidence of things not seen.Let me say it one more time and, I’m telling you, if you are not concentrating, you’re not going to understand this because what I am saying is not something that we think about all the time. It isn’t something that we’ve settled on in the past, automatically knowing what it is. If I say that my faith is a noun, and faith is the transformed thought that has been assimilated into my character, it is evidence of what I have been eating. If I look at it as a noun, faith is the substance of what I’m hoping for; faith is the substance of things hoped for; it is evidence of things not seen. Now, define "seen" for me: It is evidence of things not seen. If you look up the word "seen" in this particular verse, you will discover that it can be either with the physical eye or with the mind’s eye. Faith is evidence of things not seen. Let me give you another verse that uses the same word "seen" but, I think it’s easier to understand what is being said. Hold your place in Hebrews 11 (we’re going to come right back) and turn to Romans 8. We’ve got to keep reading this and recognizing the meaning of "faith". In Romans 8:24:
Romans 8:24
24
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.Here’s the same word "see". Now, what if I used another word for the word "see". What if I used the word realized? I’m going to put this on the board. Let’s read it again and just put the word "realized" in there: For we are saved by hope: but hope that is realized is not hope: for what a man realizes, why would he still hope for it? But if we hope for what we haven’t realized, then do we with patience wait for it. So, this word "see" is not something you see with the mind’s eye because, if you can’t see it, you won’t have faith. It has to be something that you’re going to receive. It’s the fulfillment of what is being told you. Hebrews 11: Faith is the substance of what you’re hoping for, it’s evidence of things not yet realized. Now, let me give you an example - let’s say you’re a child and your parents call from work, saying they’ve bought you a new red bicycle. It has a horn on it and a basket and they describe it, giving you this hope, they give you a promise that you are hoping for. You receive the promise; you eat the message, you receive it, you believe it with all your heart because mom and dad have not lied to you. If they say they’ve gotten you a bicycle, then you know you have a bicycle. Have you realized the bicycle yet? No - but you have it and that is faith. Faith is not belief; belief is what brings you your faith - believing something. So, as far as you’re concerned, you could call your friends and tell them you have a red bike and you could describe it perfectly as it was described to you and, as far as you’re concerned, you’ve got it - even though you’ve never seen it; you’ve never laid your hands on it - you have simply believed what was told you. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, it is evidence of what you have not realized. Now, when we talk about things of God, we are talking about spiritual promises. Now listen: According to Romans 10, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So, the sanctified faith; the faith of holiness; the faith that God is trying to establish in us; the evidence of what He is trying to establish in you; the substance of what He is trying to establish in you - comes by hearing Him. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. You hear the Lord give the promise, you believe your heavenly Father and, as far as you are concerned, that promise is a surety. You are now living in hope of a resurrected life - you are living in hope of entering the Kingdom of God. Faith is the substance of what you’re hoping for; faith is evidence of what you have not yet realized. By God’s grace, that is making more sense to you now - and "grace" is another word I want to cover.
In just a moment, I want to read a chapter out of Romans, and we’re going to talk about faith, we’re going to talk about grace and we’re going to talk about righteousness. By the way, on this board, where I’ve written "spiritual", beneath it - "you eat, believe and it leads to faith": where would you put "righteousness"? Righteousness is that faith that you have. Now, think with me for a moment - Righteousness, then, is the evidence of things not yet realized. We’re going to read a verse in a minute that says that Abraham’s faith was counted to him for righteousness. You see, the verse reads like this: "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness." What is "it"? Looking at Romans, chapter 4, you’ll discover that "it" is not the belief - it is what comes from believing! It was the "faith" that he had. Look at Romans 4:11:
Romans 4:11
11
And he [Abraham] received the sign [symbol] of circumcision, a seal [confirmation] of the righteousness of the faith [this word "faith" is a noun, and is defined in Hebrews 11:1] which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:It was not the "belief" that was righteous - it was the effect of his belief; it was the effect of the nourishment received. It was his "faith"; it was what developed in him from hearing God speak to him and believing what God said. The effect that it had on him is called "faith" - Faith is righteousness. It comes from hearing God because He is the only One who is righteous. As He gives you His thought, and you believe it, and it is assimilated into your character - it becomes yours; and it is your faith. Promises that have not been realized - but the fact that He has promised it, you have believed it, and the effect that it has on your soul (because your soul is the record of who you are) - that record, as it is written upon by the hand of God, is righteousness. By this, He is making us righteous.
Let’s look at the word "grace". When we read Romans 4, we’re going to also be talking about grace. There is a verse here, in Romans 4:4, that has been used over and over to define "grace":
Romans 4:4
4
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.There are other verses that seem to contrast "grace" and "works", so that is about as far as some of us ever went with it: "Well, grace is the opposite of works"; "Look up the word "grace" - it’s unmerited favor" - Those things are true, but let’s fine-tune it. There is another verse that contrasts the word grace with something, and it’s found in 2Corinthians 1:12. I want to read this verse and show you what else it’s contrasted with - we’ve done this many times, but I have to continue doing it. Listen, I will continue to lay out these meanings of grace and righteousness and faith and works until I know, without doubt, that we have it in our hearts - that I can say these words and, automatically, your mind is in that place of understanding the deep things of God:
2Corinthians 1:12
12
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation [conduct] in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward [toward you].Here, "grace" is contrasted with "fleshly wisdom". "Grace" is spiritual wisdom or, what if I said "the wisdom of the Spirit"? The wisdom of the Spirit of God. "Grace" is God’s understanding of a thing. When He gives you "grace", that is what you’re eating. Let’s put "grace" on the board and point it to the word "eat". God will give you His understanding (not "fleshly wisdom) - He will give you His understanding, and that is what He expects you to "eat". That is where grace comes in. You receive God’s grace, assimilate it and it becomes your faith, your righteousness. Now listen to Ephesians 2:8-9:
Ephesians 2:8-9
8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.You see, "grace" is contrasted with "works". By the way, where would you put "works" on your sheet? "Works" is the fruit, or the result, of "faith" - not belief. You believe it, it becomes "faith", and it’s manifested in what you do. Look at James 2:20:
James 2:20
20
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that [the] faith without works is dead?If the Lord tells you something and you eat it, and you believe it, and it becomes "who you are" (it’s assimilated into your character), it’s going to be manifested in your actions. If you are claiming to have a certain faith but it isn’t manifested in your works - that "faith" is a dead faith. You see, you don’t tell people of your faith with your mouth, you tell them with what you do (your works). In fact, this is seen here, in James 2:18:
James 2:18
18
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works [look at your margin: "by your works"], and I will shew thee my faith by my works.It really isn’t what you are claiming with your lips about yourself - it’s what you are living that is manifesting your faith. What you believe is not what you say, it’s what you do. You may make particular claims, but if your works are not manifesting your claims, it’s a dead faith because what you are proclaiming is not true. Just for the record, let’s go to Ephesians 2 also, because I quoted this:
Ephesians 2:8-9
8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.You see, "works" and "grace" are contrasted - but "works" come by a result of faith, which is a result of belief, which is a result of what you’ve been told. You are not "saved" by doing something - you are "saved" by believing what God has said, letting it become you and manifesting it. That is what saves you! You don’t start with the works, you start with the grace - and, on the board, I have them at different ends of the chart here: "Grace" is above "eat, believe, faith and works". Let’s turn back to Romans 4. We have now talked about "faith", "righteousness", "belief" and "grace". We have talked about these things and, what I would like to do now, is read Romans, chapter 4. We’re going to go into some thoughts about Abraham because this study is actually about Abraham. I want to take a look at Abraham. There is a scripture in Isaiah that talks about you people who are following after righteousness. It’s in Isaiah 51, starting at verse 1:
Isaiah 51:1a
1
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness,.….Just think about this considering what we’ve been talking about in this study. Hearken to me if you follow after righteousness - in other words, "receive my grace"; receive my thoughts if you want righteousness:
Isaiah 51:1-2
1
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. 2Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.Now, here is another word, "increase", that I want to talk about for just a second. What does it mean when Paul says: I’ve planted, Apollos watered, but it is God that gives the increase? Where would you put this word "increase" on the board? The word increase, that God gives, is in the "faith", isn’t it? When Paul says: I’ve planted the seed; Apollos has come along and watered it - what does it mean to "water" it? Wouldn’t that be to help you assimilate it? Wouldn’t that be to give you more thoughts on that; to help you understand? Isn’t that what "assimilation" is, in your mind? To assimilate something is to "chew" on it - is to understand it? Listen, if you don’t understand a thing, it isn’t going to be assimilated into your character. If you don’t understand it, it can’t become yours. You may be told something by God, and you may say "I believe it" but, if you don’t understand it, it can’t become who you are. So, to "water it" perhaps means to help keep breaking it down for you. You plant the seed, you water the seed, but God is the One who gives the increase, or gives you that understanding so that it becomes your own. God is the One who gives the increase. So, if you are following after righteousness and you want to understand righteousness - and be part of the last church on this planet, those who will reach a completed perfection, who will receive from God ALL that He is offering them so that they will manifest holiness and be prepared to stand through what’s coming on this world, and to meet the Lord Jesus Christ face to face without ever seeing physical death (I want to be in that place) - if this is what you want, look unto Abraham. That is what we’re going to do. Romans 4, looking at Abraham, is where I want to begin:
Romans 4:1
1
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?You know, when I read this before, I thought "well, is he my father as pertaining to the flesh?" You’re going to discover that, indeed, he is. Not only is he the father of the Jews as pertaining to the flesh - he’s also the father of those who are uncircumcised as pertaining to the flesh. Paul is going to say this in just a few verses:
Romans 4:2-3
2
For if Abraham were justified [made righteous] by works, he hath whereof to glory [or, he could glory]; but [still] not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness [the increase].Now, we’ve covered this so all I want to do is read this and let these words sink in with a deeper meaning than with the surface understanding we’ve had. We know what "it" is, and we know that Paul is going to tell you what "it" is in a moment. We know it was his faith. Verse 4:
Romans 4:4-12
4
Now to him that worketh [is laboring for righteousness] is the reward not reckoned [counted] of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not [isn’t laboring (in the physical)], but believeth [is believing] on him [God] that justifieth [will make righteous] the ungodly, his faith [or, the result of that belief] is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute [charge] sin. 9Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision [those who are literally, physically circumcised] only, or upon the uncircumcision [those who are not circumcised] also? for we say that faith was reckoned [counted] to Abraham for righteousness. 10How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision [circumcised], or in uncircumcision [uncircumcised]? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11And he received the sign [symbol] of circumcision, a seal [confirmation] of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be [this makes him] the father of all them [everyone] that believe[s], though they be not circumcised; [so] that righteousness might be imputed [charged] unto them also: 12And [he is] the father of circumcision to them [now get this] who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which [that faith] he had being yet uncircumcised.You see, that physical circumcision means nothing unless you’re also walking in the steps of Abraham’s faith, which I also want to cover before we close this study. Verse 13:
Romans 4:13-15
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For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but [it was] through the righteousness [that comes by means of the effect of what you believe] of faith. 14For if they which are of the law be heirs, [then] faith [or, that effect of your believing] is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.Let’s read Romans 4:15 again:
Romans 4:15
15
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.And compare this with Romans 5:13:
Romans 5:13
13
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.You see, those two verses have the same concept in them: If there is no law against it, then it isn’t sin. When we look at and read the law literally, we come to the conclusion that if there’s no law against it, then we can do it. Basically, I think this is what he’s saying: When there is no law, there is no sin - but, hold your place here and look at Galatians 3:17:
Galatians 3:17
17
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.The same fellow who wrote Romans also wrote Galatians, and he says that this "law" came hundreds of years after Abraham - and yet, in Romans 5:13, he says: "for until the law came sin was in the world: but you can’t have sin if there is no law." This should tell you that, when we talk about sin being the transgression of the law, this has a different meaning than the way we have been understanding it. "Sin" is to be without the law - Let me explain myself: The verse in 1John 3:4 that we so readily quote to make sure that everyone is going to go to church on Saturday (that they feel convicted) reads like this:
1John 3:4
4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law [commits lawlessness]: for sin is the transgression of the law [lawlessness].You see, before God gave the law through Moses, sin was already in the world - "sin" is to be lawless; is to live in a lawless condition. But what does the law declare? The law declares for you to hear the voice of God - that is His "law". It isn’t this literal thing written in stone. That thing written in stone is a symbol of Him writing it on your heart. How does He write it on your heart? By you listening! Why "Ten Commandments"? "Ten" is the abiding number - that is a symbol, just like everything in the sanctuary is a symbol. There’s no reason to take the "Ten Commandments" and try to make it something literal when the rest of the entire building it’s in is a symbol! Now, think with me - before He gave the law, sin was in the world. Romans 14:23:
Romans 14:23
23
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.Anything that is not of faith is sin. The law is not faith! There’s a verse that actually says that. People who keep the "law" to please God are not experiencing the changes that need to take place - the changes that God is wanting to change in you. God does that by speaking! You believe Him and it changes you on the inside - that is your faith; that is righteousness; that is the change that is going to take place in the remnant church. The law is not faith! This, too, is found in Galatians, chapter 3. I want you to look at Galatians 3:11-12:
Galatians 3:11
11
But that no man is justified [made righteous] by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.The "just" (or the man who is made righteous) shall have life by means of his faith. You see, what he has believed has come into him, has changed him, and is being manifested in what he does. Verse 12:
Galatians 3:12
12
And the law is not of faith [or, out of faith]: but, The man that doeth them [does it] shall live in them [in it]."The man that does them shall live in them." We’ve got to understand that there is no way we can keep that law perfectly and do them - and have life. Life comes by listening to God, believing it, letting it be assimilated into our characters and it becomes our very character - it becomes our faith. The "law" is not of "faith". Back to Romans 4:15:
Romans 4:15-16
15
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 16Therefore [Because of that] it is of faith [that effect of what you hear], [so] that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,Now, it is important that we grasp what he has just said, and I want to paraphrase it for you. If grace is what God is telling you - and it is the wisdom of the Spirit (and I could say spiritual understanding; it is the opposite of fleshly wisdom - it is spiritual wisdom), looking at verse 16, he says: Righteousness is of faith by grace (spiritual understanding) so that all of us can have righteousness. He has just said that ALL of us can understand spiritually. This is how God has designed it! Some of us might be able to keep the law better than others but righteousness doesn’t come that way. Righteousness comes by means of hearing God, and all of us have a conscience. If you are living according to your conscience as God is leading you, then your righteousness is being established by God as you listen to Him; as you believe it; as it is assimilated and becomes your faith. That way, ALL of us can have righteousness and receive all of the righteousness that God is trying to give us. Romans 4:16b: not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,. Verse 17:
Romans 4:17
17
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before [Look at your margin for the word "before"] [like unto] him whom he believed, even God [Abraham was like God in this respect], who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."He calls those things which be not as though they were." I possess a red bicycle - it has a horn and a basket. How do I know? Because God, my Father, told me! I possess it - my faith is evidence of what I have not yet realized. God looks at this remnant church and He sees perfection - He calls those things which be not as though they were. That is an attribute of God. Verse 18, speaking of Abraham:
Romans 4:18
18
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken [according to what God had said to him], So shall thy seed be.Now listen - what you just read in verse 18: "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations", you see, that is what he hadn’t realized. God had said: "So shall your seed be." Verse 19:
Romans 4:19-20
19
And being not weak in faith [the result of what he believed], he considered not his own body now dead [His body was not capable of doing what God had promised him would take place - he could not physically do it but he was not weak in his faith], when he was about an hundred years old, neither [did he consider] yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;How does a person become strong in faith? I eat it, I believe it, it is assimilated into my character - and that assimilated fruit is my faith. I cannot have faith if I don’t have understanding. Therefore, Abraham came to the point where he fully understood what God was saying. Now, before I look at this further (because I want to go to Genesis and read this), I want you to look again at Romans 4:20:
Romans 4:20
20
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;Hold your place in Romans and look at Hebrews 11. I want you to read something about Sara - understanding now what faith is. Faith is the substance in you, making your soul what it is, the substance of what you’re hoping for; it’s evidence of what you haven’t yet realized. Look at Hebrews 11:11:
Hebrews 11:11-12
11
Through faith [not belief - through the result of her belief] also Sara herself received strength [the King James has used the word "strength" but the word is "power". It is Strong’s #1411] to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore [Because of that] sprang there even of one [from one person], and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. [Because the two of them believed God and didn’t stagger at the promise]Let me show you a promise in Ephesians 4:
Ephesians 4:13
13
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God [the Son of God’s knowledge], unto [which will make you] a perfect man [how perfect?], unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:You’re eating that - are you believing that? If you’re believing it, it’s going to be assimilated into your character and you are going to be manifesting the fact that God will have a perfect church on this planet before the return of Christ. Are you counting Him faithful who has given you this promise? Do you ever go to bed at night fearful that the sun won’t be there the next day? Or do you have enough faith in God that He is able to sustain that thing called the sun and keep it there? Well, if He can do that, can’t He bring you to perfection? Can’t you let go of your security blanket long enough to put your whole trust in God’s voice and live, not according to the law of sin and death, but according to the law of the Spirit of life which is found in Christ Jesus? I want to take a look at Abraham. I want to go back to Genesis and just touch on some of the things that happened in this man’s life, then come back to Romans 4.
In Genesis, Abraham comes into the picture at the end of chapter 11. Beginning at chapter 12:1:
Genesis 12:1-3
1
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: [Now, listen to the promise] 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.Evidently, Abraham believe what God was saying because:
Genesis 12:4-5
4
So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.Genesis 12:7
7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Now, here we have God giving Abram a promise and, evidently, he believed it, he received it, it became his faith and it manifested itself in works. He leaves home and he builds an altar to worship God so, even the fact that he built an altar is enough to say "yes, he was receiving what God was saying to him". I want to start reading at Genesis 13:14:
Genesis 13:14-18
14
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an [another] altar unto the LORD.Evidently, he is still believing what God is saying to him - that his seed is going to be great. When you come to Genesis, chapter 14, you have the battle of the kings, Lot is taken, Abram saves Lot, Melchisedec comes into the picture and then you come to chapter 15. Beginning at Genesis 15:1:
Genesis 15:1-3
1
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.Was he saying: "LORD, is this what you had in mind?" In verse 4 of Genesis 15, the LORD says:
Genesis 15:4
4
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.Now listen: The LORD has just fine-tuned the promise, hasn’t He? Abraham was given a promise; he didn’t quite understand it but he was believing what God was saying - he was acting on what God was saying and, here, he brings it to the LORD and the LORD fine-tunes it for him, telling him: "No, it’s going to be out of your own bowels." Verse 5:
Genesis 15:5
5
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. 6And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD [in what the LORD was saying]; and he [God] counted it to him for righteousness.We know exactly what that means after reading Romans 4: His belief became his faith; became righteousness - God gave him the increase. Did God tell him the whole way this would come about? No, He simply told him that it was going to be out of his own bowels. In Genesis, chapter 16, Abraham goes in unto Hagar and he tries to bring this about himself. Sarai isn’t getting pregnant. Sarai tells him to go in unto her handmaid: Let her build me..…let her do this for me. The LORD has given you this promise so let’s bring it about. This is the way it has to be - because it can’t be through Sarai, she’s not having children; she’s never had children. So, he goes in unto Hagar to bring this promise about. In Genesis, chapter 17:
Genesis 17:1-3
1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,God gives him this covenant and fine-tunes it even more, but look at what happens in verse 15:
Genesis 17:15-18
15
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17Then 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? 18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!Question: Did Abraham readily believe this promise? Absolutely not! Question: Is this what God had in mind back at the end of Genesis 11, 12 and 13 when He was giving Abraham these promises? Was this what God had in mind all along - that He was going to accomplish this through Sarah? Absolutely! Remember, the LORD calls those things which be not as though they were. This is what He had in mind all along, but He didn’t tell Abraham the promise. When it finally comes to the place where He explains it to Abraham, Abraham doesn’t readily believe it. If you’ll look at Genesis 18:9:
Genesis 18:9-12
9
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself [in her heart], saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?Sarah didn’t believe it either - not when He first told her. She did not receive it immediately. She heard it, she ate it, but it wasn’t assimilated into her character right then. In fact, what Paul talks about in Romans 4 and in Hebrews 11, talking about Abraham and Sarah - listen to this again, about Abraham:
Romans 4:19-20
19
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;Does that sound like what we just read in Genesis? It doesn’t, does it? In fact, when you go back to Genesis and read 17 and 18, both of them considered their own bodies and the deadness of their spouse! Therefore, what Paul is talking about in Romans had to have taken place after that. There had to have come a time when they quit looking at themselves and started trusting God for all of it. There had to have come a time when they recognized that God can do this - and they were fully persuaded that He could do what He was saying. Therefore, it happened to them - it became their faith; it became their righteousness and was manifested in the fact that they had a son. Listen, Genesis never brings that out. Genesis never shows Abraham as unwavering on this issue of having a child with Sarah! It shows him waver and, in chapter 21, they have the child. The fact that they have the child proves what Paul is stating in Romans 4.
I want to show you how we have been doing this ourselves. We have been doing this ourselves in that God gives us a promise and we go about to make it happen. Take, for example, the promise of a perfect church or the promise of the 144,000 - that there will be such a people and, as we see events take place, we believe that we are living in the last days and this can happen with us. We want that perfection and we try to make it happen. The Lord has given us that promise, so we take the promise and go in unto Hagar. In other words, we go in unto the Egyptian woman: A "woman" is a "city" is a mindset. We go in unto the Egyptian "woman" and bring forth our own thought (our own child) and when the Lord finally comes back and fine-tunes it for us, saying: No, this is how you’re going to do it - at first we might even laugh and say: Let Ishmael live before You; let my other thought live before You. That makes more sense to me and I can see that happening. But the Lord says: No, I will not allow that. How was I going to be perfect before? By keeping the law. That was how I was going to be perfect. That is my "Ishmael" - I went in unto Hagar and I brought forth my Ishmael, then the Lord comes unto me and shows me the folly of it all and fine-tunes it, giving me the abiding truth. Not by works, not by power or by might, but by My Spirit saith the LORD. This is the message to Zerubbabel; this is the message for the last day church: It’s by His Spirit that He’s going to perfect us. He is going to cleanse us on the inside with words (Ephesians 5:26). He is going to sanctify and cleanse us with words and it’s going to change our thoughts and perfect our actions. This is how He is going to do it! Remember, the law is not of faith!
Look at the Sabbath issue again. God gives you a promise in Genesis 2 when He states that the host were perfected and He rested, and sanctifies the seventh day. That’s a promise of a completed church! That is a promise that the day can come when He can rest from dealing with humanity - just like He has done with His only-begotten Son. His only-begotten Son has reached a state of perfection - completed perfection. His faith is perfected; He says: Buy of me gold already tried in the fire. God can rest from dealing with that Man’s mind! The day will come when all of the host are going to be complete. Genesis 2 is the first promise of having a perfected people, but I took that promise and went in unto Hagar, saying: Well, what that means is that Saturday is a holy day; it’s the Sabbath. But, the Lord comes back and fine-tunes it for me, saying that (according to Hebrews 3 and 4) the Sabbath day is an experience. And I laugh before Him, and say: Let Ishmael live before You. Let my own thought live before You - let that be the Sabbath. But He is going to come back with a resounding NO! because the law is not of faith! I’m going to say it again: The "Ten Commandments" were written on stone by the finger of God - All of that is a symbol! A "finger" is a symbol of faith; He "writes" on your stony heart; "ten" is the perfection of divine order - it’s "gospel order", that’s why I call it the "abiding number". He writes on your stony heart ten spoken words (if you look up that word "commandment", it’s #1697 and it means "spoken word"). He writes on there a symbol - that whole tablet is a symbol; it is put in a box (which is a symbol). In the box is a jar of manna, a golden jar (that is a symbol). There is Aaron’s rod that buds (that is a symbol). There is a "lid" on top of the mercy seat, with two cherubim of gold (that is a symbol) - their "wings" are touching (that is a symbol). It’s behind a veil (that is a symbol). On the other side is shewbread, a candlestick, an altar of incense - ALL of that is a symbol!! Everything in that building is a symbol - it is a symbol of abiding in Jesus Christ! Don’t live the symbol - Come out of the shadow and live in the body of Christ. Be in His Body and let Him be the Head!
Abraham was no different than us. He was given the promise - he tried to fulfill it himself by going in unto Hagar. The Lord allowed that, and when it came time for Abraham to know the rest of the story, at first he struggled with it but did come to the place where he was no longer weak in his faith. He didn’t consider his body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old - he didn’t consider the deadness of Sara’s womb. He didn’t stagger at this promise anymore. He became strong in his faith and he gave glory to God; and was fully persuaded that what God was promising, He could do it. That is why God counted that to him for righteousness. Now, look at Romans 4:23:
Romans 4:23-24
23Now it was not written for his [Abraham’s] sake alone, that it was imputed to him [for righteousness]; 24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him [the Father] that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who [Jesus] was delivered for our offences [character traits, faults], and was raised again for our justification [for our being declared righteous].
Now, I want to close with a statement about this last verse. For many years I taught that the resurrection was an answer from God, showing that He had accepted the sacrifice for our sins - and I would use this verse to prove it: He was raised for our justification. In other words, the Father had received it and was saying that it is OK - I accept it and therefore I forgive you. Now, I want to tell you that I think that is Paganism. By the grace of God, I will no longer teach that. In this scripture, he states that Jesus Christ was delivered over unto death for your faults. That word "offences" is translated faults. A fault is not a sin. In James, he says: confess your faults one to another. If you have a fault, that is a character trait. It is that sin nature. He was delivered unto death because of our faults - He died. When He died at Calvary, He did that so I could die. He didn’t do that so God wouldn’t be mad anymore. He did that so that my "old man" could die. Why did God raise Him again? He was raised again so that He could bring us that perfected mind. God gave Him life again, not because He accepted the sacrifice and isn’t mad anymore, but God raised Him again to now give you this thing that He had created in His Son - a perfect mind without a sin nature. He had slain the "old man". Do you believe it? He was delivered for your faults and was raised again to declare you righteous - to give this to you. This is what He has promised us. To Abraham, He said: "so shall thy seed be." To the remnant church, He is saying: Jesus died to do away with those character traits - and He’s been raised again to give you this righteousness. It’s the grace of God (spiritual truth) for you to believe and let God give you the increase! Just as Sarah, by means of her faith, had power to conceive seed - you will have power to overcome and be righteous before God, and live before God in perfect holiness! It isn’t the symbol, it’s the reality!! The sanctuary is in your mind. The finger of God is writing the understanding of His law on your hearts - that is the New Covenant. Enter into that!
Let’s close with Colossians 2:16-17:
Colossians 2:16-17
16
Let no man therefore judge you in meat [eating], or in drink, or in respect of an holyday [yearly, monthly or weekly holy days], or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17Which [Those things] are a shadow of things to come; but the body [casting that shadow] is of Christ.Enter into the body, not the shadow. Lay down your Ishmaels - put them away and let God bring forth the manchild in you, and bring perfection to His church!
Heavenly Father: I pray for Your leading, I ask for Your blessing, I thank Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen