This is an article that has been on my heart for a long time. I pray that it challenges your heart to seek HIM until you find that faith that truly pleases HIM! In YESHUA…
“But without faith it is impossible to please (GOD), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Have you been able to reconcile Revelation 14:12 yet? It says “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
Please notice:
These Biblical Christians have a testimony of harmonizing “the commandments of GOD and the faith of JESUS.”
In spite of this, Traditional Christianity has decided that the two (keeping GOD’S Commandments AND living by faith) are mutually exclusive and irreconcilable!
Lets consider the terms “Commandments of GOD” and “Faith.”
What were “the Scriptures” to those in The New Testament?
We must remember that the scriptures that were regarded as “The Holy Scriptures” during the lives of those “starring” in the writings of the New Testament, would have included the Five Books of Moses, (Torah), as well as Joshua – Proverbs, (The Writings) and lastly all of the prophetic writings of Isaiah through Zechariah, (The Prophets).
We must define Biblical Faith and see if there is a breakdown between it’s biblical application and it’s current application today.
The Commandments of GOD would have been considered, by those living during the times of The New Testament, as those Commandments given by GOD through Moses in the Torah. They are the same Commandments of GOD referenced throughout The Writings (see Psalm 119), and they are the same Commandments of GOD that the Prophets were constantly calling rebellious Israel BACK To!
Biblical faith then is believing and obeying what GOD has said as opposed to what any other person has said! That sounds too simplistic doesn’t it? Simplistic or not, it is true! And that simple fact is so enlightening, so life changing, so freeing that it truly has changed how I approach life altogether! JESUS said that it would when HE was talking to some of the most “religious” of the Jews in John 8:31-32 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Notice that HE was talking to Jews “who believed HIM” (Not to unbelievers).
Notice that HE encourages them to “abide in (HIS) Word!” (There must have been a difference between HIS Word and what word they were abiding in at the time).
Notice HE says to them “IF you abide in (HIS) word” (proving yourselves to be HIS disciples), and stop abiding in what someone else has said, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free!”
Whose word were they abiding in at the time? MAN’S! These religious Jews were doing the same thing then that religious Jews AND religious Christians are doing today! They were/are abiding in the non-biblical teachings, traditions and practices of rabbis and sages (then), but now pastors, teachers, etc., who are just well meaning humans that have assumed that abiding in non-biblical teachings are synonymous with believing and acting on what GOD has said! What is the result of this type of religion? NO FAITH / NO POWER!
Paul said it best in 2 Timothy 3:1-7 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Did you catch that? One can possess a form of godliness but all the while deny it’s power! Also one can be “always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth!!!”
This, I believe is the plight of faithless Christianity today. She has left her first love (The Word of GOD) and has followed fables and made up traditions instead. These cannot produce “faith” because biblical faith ONLY comes from believing what GOD has said!
Consider Eve. She believed what the serpent said and rejected what GOD had said. Result; death.
Consider Abram. He believed what GOD had said and was blessed!
Consider Israel. They rejected GOD’S Law and were banished from their land. They also rejected GOD’S WORD who came in the flesh, JESUS and have had a horrible time ever since! It will only change when they finally receive GOD’S WORD (JESUS MESSIAH)!
Consider Christianity. She started off well but around 323AD She became influenced by paganism. The Roman Emperor Constantine resorted to make an official edict to keep true believers (people who believed GOD) from observing GOD’S Sabbath and HIS Holy Days and in their place began to force the practices of sun worship, even changing the biblical Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day “the venerable day of the sun” to promote sun worship!
Consider Christmas. Nowhere in the Scriptures do we see this “holi”day encouraged or practiced! Yet for a professing Christian to NOT observe it, that person is thought (by Christians) to be weird!
Consider Easter. The true time and the true biblical Holy Day is Passover involving the “lamb of GOD who takes away the sins of the world!” And has NOTHING to do with egg laying rabbits! Those elements were introduced by Romanism and it’s fertility goddess Ashtoreth, Ashtarte, Ishtar, Euroster who finally Easter…
I could go on, but I hope that you get my point: You are struggling with “faith” because you have been trying to muster it from a belief system that is based on the word of man. Again, Paul said it best in Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Notice that biblical faith only comes by hearing the WORD of GOD! It cannot come by the word of any other!
Elohim has blessed Pastor Ron with great insight. We do indeed suffer from, as he says, trying to have “faith…based on the word of man.” As Pastor notes in the “Consider Christianity” section, Constantine was adept at playing both ends against the middle.
Edward Gibbon, in the “DECLINE & FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,” wrote, “Now a professed Christian, Constantine nevertheless remained a devout sun worshipper. The sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide & protector of Constantine.” Nowhere in Scripture does He tell us to worship Him on “Sun”day. So why do we? Because. “that’s the way it’s always been done.” YHWH told the Israelites what to do to the pagan places of worship in Deuteronomy 12, warning in verse 4, “You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.” It’s called syncretism, combining Christian & pagan rituals in worship.
Pastor Ron, as you are led by the Spirit, please continue your insightful teaching in His Word.
Thank you brother for the kind words. I am blessed as well by your own insights! May YAH use us as HE sees fit and increase our understanding in order to bless and encourage HIS people!