The Just Shall Live By Faith

by Eli Miller

It would be over twenty years before the Lord would bring judgment to the kingdom of Judah. Evil and moral decay was on every hand, and the only disturbance to the mad pursuit of pleasure and idolatry was the occasional cry of a prophet.

Habakkuk, like other prophets of his day, wondered whether his prophecy would ever come to pass. Discouraged and questioning in his heart he mused, "Oh Lord, how long shall I cry and Thou wilt not hear! even cry unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save! Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth." (Hab.1:2-4)

The situation of Habakkuk's day was similar to much of the global society today. Violence is increasing on every hand; Perverse sentences and warped judgments are handed down by the courts; Cunning politicians with slick campaigns sell their personalities instead of sound policy; The social gospel of "modern" Christianity causes the church to be practically ineffective as the unsuspecting masses are lolled to sleep; Scandal, rather than holiness, has become the expected norm in many quarters; Righteousness is looked upon as something from the distant and irrelevant past, while humanistic idolatry and blatant Satan worship are considered to be meaningful alternatives.

There perhaps has never been a time when the words of Isaiah have been more true than at present: "Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment." (Isa.59:14-15)

Western civilization -- as in much of the world -- has become a "throw away" society. Nothing has intrinsic value, and for many, life itself (at least in others) has been reduced to meaninglessness. People are sometimes murdered for a pair of shoes or a particular jacket. Countless innocent children are abducted every year and used for indescribable perverseness.

In many places it is unsafe to walk the streets of even small towns because of the total disregard for the value and sanctity of human life. Assisted suicides fuel the debate of the practicality of "merciful" euthanasia -- from a Greek word for "a good death." Could it be that a generation that sowed in abortion will reap euthanasia?

Society is well on its way to where the following "letter" by a "Mrs. McDonald" could become a grim reality. It is dated January 22, 2023.

"Dear Mom: Gosh, can you believe it is 2023 already? I am still writing 2022 on everything. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in first grade celebrating the century change. I know we haven't chatted since Christmas. Sorry.

"Anyway, I have some difficult news, and I really didn't want to talk face to face. Ted has had a promotion, and I should be up for a hefty raise this year if I keep putting in those crazy hours. You know how I work at it. Yes, we're still struggling with the bills. Timmy has been okay at kindergarten, but he is still complaining about going, and he wasn't happy about day care either, so what can I do? He has been a real problem, mom. He's a good kid, but quite honestly, he's an unfair burden at this time in our lives.

"Ted and I have talked this through and through and finally made a decision -- a choice plenty of other families have made and are better off for it. Our pastor is supportive and says hard decisions are sometimes necessary. The family is a system and demands that one member should not be allowed to ruin the whole. He told us to be prayerful and consider all the factors and do what was right to make the family work. He said that even though he probably wouldn't do it himself, the decision really is ours. He was kind enough to refer us to a children's clinic near here, so at least that part is easy.

"I am not an uncaring mother. I do feel sorry for the little guy. I think he heard Ted and me talking about it the other night. I turned around and saw him standing on the bottom step in his pj's and his little bear you gave him tucked under his arm with his eyes sort of welling up. Mom, the way he looked at me almost broke my heart, but I honestly believe this is better for Timmy too. It's not fair to force him to live in a family that cannot give him the time and attention he deserves, and please don't give me the kind of grief grandma gave you over your abortions. It is the same thing, you know.

"We have told him he is just going in for a vaccination. Anyway, they say the termination procedure is painless. I guess it is just as well you haven't seen that much of him. Love to dad. Jane." (Letter read at a Pro-Life conference and passed on to me. Author unknown.)

One wonders how such selfish disregard for life could possibly be in the human mind. But if we will just reflect on the evil and atrocities that have been committed in the past year by depraved unregenerates, it becomes apparent that society as we've know it is rapidly unraveling.

Surely the word of Ecclesiastes 8:11 is being fulfilled right before our eyes: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."

The Lord assured Habakkuk that He was aware of the conditions in the land of Judah and that He would bring judgment at the appropriate time. The prophet continued pouring out his heart to the Lord, justifying Him and wondering aloud how long such atrocities would continue before He did something about it. His burden released, Habakkuk concluded his complaint, saying: "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved." (Hab.2:1)

Notice what Habakkuk told the Lord: He said he would stand in his watch on the tower. He wasn't going off somewhere to hide, or to just forget about his calling and take it easy if the Lord didn't do something about what was going on around him. He was going to stand in his watch and wait for the Lord to respond to the burden of his heart.

Each of us have a "watch" that we're responsible to stand in, especially with the truth the Lord has poured out to His people in these last days. God will speak to us in the "watch tower" He commissioned us to stand in, not off somewhere else. If we forfeit that place we have no guarantees that we'll hear His word to us. Habakkuk understood this principle and got into his appointed place, and waited. He didn't have to wait very long.

"And the LORD answered me," Habakkuk said, and He told him to, "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Hab.2:2-4)

"Habakkuk, it doesn't matter what you see going on around you, or what judgment will soon come sweeping across the land. It doesn't matter that no one seems interested in the word you're faithfully proclaiming: stand in your assigned place. Write the vision plainly so that those who do hear can prepare themselves for what's coming. And remember, Habakkuk, the just shall live by his faith!"

Judgment was pending when Habakkuk first heard those inspiring and challenging words. A nation that had known slavery in its distant past, and who had seen the Almighty Covenant God remember their plight and deliver them with a mighty hand, would once again go back into captivity to the heathen. The glorious days of becoming a victorious kingdom under a conquering David, and the few peaceful years under Solomon, would soon only be a distant memory. Gone forever were the days when neighboring nations would pay tribute to Israel. A people who had taken a loving God for granted would now be scattered to labor under merciless tyrants.

But wait! Into this dismal prospect thundered a word of hope and a promise that reached far beyond the perilous and uncertain future: "The just shall live by his faith!"

The context places the emphasis in the statement on "shall live." Right in the midst of the surrounding evil and pending judgment coming upon the nation, the Lord gave a promise of life! He said that in spite of the surrounding circumstances, a just one, by his faith, would live. It was a hope that reached beyond the present distress and embraced the eternal integrity and promise of Almighty God.

The same admonition is true for us, wherever our "watch tower" might be. It doesn't matter how much evil and violence is going on around us; It doesn't matter that mysterious diseases are cropping up in place after place; It doesn't matter that morality has degenerated to the point where the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah would likely blush; It doesn't matter that AIDS is an international plague that is beyond stopping; It doesn't matter that over 10 million Americans have tested positive for tuberculosis. The just shall live by faith! Stand in your appointed station and don't allow your confidence in the Lord to be dampened by the intimidating circumstances and chaotic turmoil going on around you.

These few magnificent words, "the just shall live by faith," have brought hope to many in every generation since the Lord first spoke them to Habakkuk. They have influenced writers, composers, and ministers, and have helped shape the history of the world. They are foundational to the message of the New Testament, as well as being the basis of the restoration that began in Martin Luther's time.

While those few words have comforted and helped establish everyone who has placed trust in the God who spoke them, they have also been a source of untold dismay to all who have not understood their claim. Wars have been fought and the blood of martyrs has been spilled because of them. But why?

To understand the challenge of "the just shall live by faith," we need to consider the scriptural contexts where the phase is used. Each text will emphasize a different part of the phrase and help us to see what was intended.

The next reference I'll look at is found in Galatians. Paul had received word that his converts had been seduced by a scheme that called for keeping the Mosaic law, as well as exercising faith in Jesus Christ. He was horrified to think that the Galatian church would be moved from their trust in the gospel so soon after he had been with them. Unable to visit the brethren immediately, he wrote a letter to them.

After carefully giving his credentials and explaining the futility of keeping the law as an attempt to be justified before God, he plunged into the heart of the matter. Didn't they understand that all who were of the works of the law were under the curse of the law, he challenged. The law brought a curse because Moses had said, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (Gal.3:10) He explained that the law was not of faith, but was based on external observance. Then quoting from Leviticus 18:5 he wrote; "The man that doeth them shall live in them."

Paul strengthened his argument further by reflecting on the life of Abraham, recalling that God had promised to bless all nations through his seed. He maintained this course of reasoning and told the Galatians that Christ is the seed of Abraham, and that Christ, as God's fulfillment of the law, had redeemed them from its curse, having been "made a curse for us." (Gal.3:6-16)

Then he contrasted living under the law with being in Christ, quoting the statement from Habakkuk, "The just shall live by faith." When quoting the text this time, he placed the emphasis on "by faith," pointing out how the law had required that one "do" something to have life, but in Christ, life is by faith, therefore the law is fulfilled.

The problem with the law, Paul explained, was that it could not justify or produce life, even when it was kept. If that were possible, he noted, then righteousness would have been by the law and Christ would have come in vain. Therefore, the law could only serve as a schoolmaster until the promise (Jesus Christ) came. It is only by having faith in that promised provision that justification and eternal life are made.

However, this is not to suggest that one can live as one pleases after trust has been placed in Christ. To live by faith, the promise of God must be reached for, believed, and lived by. This is not done to obtain life, but because we have life by God's provision in Christ, we are now to live that life by faith.

The life of faith that we're to live is in a dimension beyond the gift of faith given to us for regeneration. That initial gift was the supernatural ability to believe that God had made salvation available to us through His Son. It was the measure of faith God gave to all of mankind before any of us woke up to our need of regeneration. (Rom.12:3b) (Note that it was not "a" measure of faith, as that would imply that some people received a greater portion than others.)

The Creator took the initiative to impart to everyone the ability to believe enough of His word to regenerate their spirit. As a supreme act of His grace, He placed in man a witness of Himself so that all of mankind would be without excuse. Those who heed the convicting voice of His compelling invitation, and in repentance turn to Him, will experience regeneration. (This regeneration is by grace, through faith -- both the gift of God.) God, being a just and loving Creator, impartially gave all of mankind the ability to respond when He calls them. Consequently, those who won't heed His call and make use of His free gift already have a standard of judgment within them -- the very gift of faith God gave for their regeneration.

The faith the just are to live by is a trust that grows out of the initial gift God provided every person. This important principle of truth is seen in part in Romans 1 where Paul wrote of the power of the gospel of Christ, saying. "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" (vs.17)

This text places the emphasis on "the just" in the statement, referring to those who have placed their trust in Christ through the gospel. These have experienced the good news of salvation and have partaken of the gift of God. Now they're being admonished to live according to His righteousness and progress to an even further experience in faith, i.e., going from a gift of faith to a practical faith.

Perhaps the best way to understand the positive progression in this text is to first consider the negative. The verses that follow present the adverse side:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." (vs.18-19; 21-22)

Here we see that God is not pleased with those who won't allow the truth they receive to work in them. They "hold," or suppress it in unrighteousness, i.e., they won't permit it to accomplish the purpose for which it was given. Although having a knowledge of God, they're not appreciative of that knowledge, and consequently, they don't glorify Him through obedience to the truth they've received. As a result of their hardheartedness, they become vain, and though they consider themselves to be wise, they're on their way to spiritual depravity.

From the time of Adam's deliberate choice against the known will of God, the continuing degeneration of mankind is directly linked to its disregard of the word God gives. Anyone who will not permit the Spirit of God to apply His truth to them is destined for apostasy and ultimate despair.

On the other side of the principle, God reveals more of His will and truth for the purpose of bringing us into a greater knowledge of, and relationship with, Himself. He desires to draw us beyond the personal "comfort zones" of our complacency and into a living vital faith union with Himself. He wants us to experience His righteousness firsthand, going from His imputed faith to a personal living faith.

Understanding the practical side of God's righteousness is the basis of increasing our faith toward Him, and is the reason He delights in giving us a further revelation and understanding of His will. The word He reveals draws us beyond our experience, and once again, interrupts our sense of complacency and comfort. He does this because He knows that after we obey a previous word, that place of obedience can very quickly become the rationale for the next comfort zone.

Second Peter 1:1-4 reveals the basis of having a vital, living faith in God: "Simon Peter, a servant of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God... Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature...."

Seeing that faith is obtained through the righteousness of God, it is imperative that we know from a practical point of view that He is righteous. But how can we really know that He is righteous and trustworthy?

God took the initiative to show us His righteousness by giving to each one of us "the measure of faith" (Rom.12:3) as noted above. He gave that gift to all of us because He knew that when we first encountered the promises of His word, we would have no previous experience to know that He would actually fulfill what He said He would do.

The gift of faith enables us to believe His word when we initially hear it, and for that reason, every person must make a deliberate choice when consciously challenged by the word of the Lord. When we respond in faith to that word, the Lord gives us an unexplainable confirmation that He has fulfilled it -- we begin experiencing a peace that passes understanding! It is His way of letting us know that we are forgiven of past sin and that His promises are true. (Rom.5:1) In giving us peace, He demonstrates the integrity of His nature and the immutability of His word!

After our initial encounter with the trustworthiness of God and His word, our confidence begins to grow in the realization that He'll actually do what He says He will do. As our trust in His integrity increases, we're on our way to learning by practical experience that He is righteous! (See Neh.9:8) Our faith in Him then increases in direct proportion to the confidence we have that He will fulfill all of His word. And as our confidence in Him deepens, He gives us still greater promises. This in turn "stretches" our faith even more as we continue believing He'll fulfill everything He has spoken. We become "fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform." (Rom.4:21) As we allow His word to have its full impact in our lives, we go from faith to faith without being guilty of suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.

This theme is carried further in the letter to the Hebrews. The writer, who I believe was Paul the Apostle, had already presented to his readers that God had provided a better covenant than had been given under the law. There was also a better sacrifice with a better priesthood, as well as even better promises! Based on these promises, they were now to boldly enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus with full assurance of faith.

He also admonished them that they were not to cast away their confidence, but to hold fast to it in patience until they had done the will of God, after which, they would receive the promises. Then, knowing how easy it is to become weary and allow the promises to slip while waiting for their fulfillment, he quotes the statement from Habakkuk to give them an encouragement and a challenge.

"For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man shall draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Heb.10:38-39)

This text places the emphasis on the word "now," which shows that this is the expected attitude of those who have embraced the promises. Present faith is the very substance of the things hoped for, although the evidence has not yet been seen nor experienced.

Faith is not just a passive hope toward the future, nor is it a stagnant reminiscence of the past: Faith is now. It is active energy coupled with the immutability of God's present tense word.

Living by faith is not limited to those who have been called to "full time ministry:" It is the commission of Christ to the whole church! There can be no static relationship to God in our walk in the Spirit because we're either pressing forward to the saving of the soul, or we're drawing back into perdition.

We need to remember that the book of Hebrews was written to "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling," (3:1) therefore, the people being addressed in this text were the "just," i.e., they already had an initial experience with the Lord. However, some were drawing back into perdition while others were believing to the saving of their soul.

Drawing back into perdition doesn't start as a deliberate action on our part, nor is it a conscious change of direction. Neither does it mean that we stop "religious" activity and begin following other pursuits. All that is necessary to begin drawing back into perdition is to stagnate in our active pursuit of righteousness.

The original word used in the text means to "shrink back or slacken the pace" of forward motion. It implies that the word of the Lord is no longer taken seriously enough to continue "pressing toward the mark" set before us. Because of this, our faith becomes complacent and lethargic, and crisis is the only thing that will motivate it.

Only active and aggressive faith in the promises of God will bring about the saving of the soul. This inner process begins when our spirit is regenerated and continues as we allow the Lord to lead us on into a vital union with Himself.

Our spirit was first regenerated when we responded in faith to God's promise of forgiveness and redemption. The faith that enabled us to believe His promise was God's gift to us. Now that we've been justified, we're to allow Him to bring every aspect of our soulish and personal life under the government of His Spirit. This takes place as we deliberately place our faith in, and act in obedience to, the present word He gives us. This then enables us to "be made partakers of the Divine nature." (2 Pet.1:4) Such ongoing response on our part fulfills the purpose of faith in our lives and saves our soul, which in turn brings the Lord great pleasure and satisfaction. It is our gift to Him.

Having introduced the great theme of faith and the call to live by it, as well as describing the consequence of not doing so, Paul now brings to his argument the examples of some who had lived such a life. It was as if he expected his readers to want some proof that such a life of faith is possible. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews was written to verify that it is.

First the nature of faith is explained, giving more of a description than a definition. Faith is trusting in "things hoped for" or expected, he wrote, although the evidence has not yet been seen. It's the ultimate assurance that the "things not seen" are the true realities in life. The expectation of faith is always linked to a current word from the Lord, for without such an "anchor," faith is reduced to meaningless supposition.

While faith is able to trust the unseen, it cannot trust the unknown. Although a promise it has embraced might not yet have been realized, faith is the ability to expect its fulfillment. It must have a word or focal point to reach out to because it is the link between the revelation of the promise and its fulfillment. It stands between the two dimensions and draws them together, bringing the unseen into the visible realm.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Knowing that God fulfills His word, faith reaches beyond the "comfort zone" of limited experience and embraces His infinite eternal promises. Such spiritual "stretching" is the means by which ordinary men and women enter into the extraordinary realms of Almighty God.

Right here is where many people misunderstand living by faith. They think that faith can trust or believe anything they can imagine, but it cannot. Although readily trusting the unseen, because God spoken it, faith can't embrace the unknown. It must have a word from the Lord that reveals His will to place its trust in. Anything other than that is to have faith in faith rather than having faith in God.

Faith in faith is to believe the principles about faith rather than to believe the integrity of God who is the source of faith. It's an attempt to get God to bless what we're doing, rather than us doing what God is blessing. The reason we need to align ourselves with what God is blessing is that ultimately God can only bless and sanction what originates in Him. To endorse anything less than that would be to contaminate His own integrity.

Before rehearsing some examples of people who lived by faith as recorded in Hebrews 11, we might ask ourselves what would be written about us if our life were summarized in 35 to 40 words as the lives of these are? Would we be known as someone who lived by faith, and if so, would there was enough evidence to document it?

The first example Paul gave was Abel bringing an acceptable offering to the Lord. Because he brought a blood sacrifice, "he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts." By his act of faith, Abel was the first man to approach God on the basis of the shed blood of a substitute. Consequently, he, "being dead yet speaketh" that this is the only acceptable means of approaching God. (vs.4)

Let's consider the situation here. Although the recorded details are skimpy surrounding the early days of the human race, I'm not aware of any evidence that Adam ever attempted to approach God after being put out of Eden. Consequently, Abel had no precedent that he could follow for his own approach to God, other than by faith.

Cain had brought a bloodless offering before God, but the Lord rejected it because it was a work of his own hands and of the earth, and therefore cursed. His offering shows that he served the god of naturalism and tried to serve God without blood. In other words, Cain was the first "New Ager." Certainly there is nothing new under the sun!

Able must have known by some communication from God that his own life, as well as the works of his hands, would not be acceptable as an offering. With that word in his heart, he brought the blood of a substitute before God in faith. The Lord accepted his offering and established the blood sacrifice as the basis of approaching Him and entering into a relationship with Him.

Enoch is the next example given. Death was everywhere as mankind continued its downward spiral into sin and depravity. Eat, drink, and be merry was rapidly becoming the order of the day. But in spite of the rampant degeneration all around him, Enoch separated himself from it and walked with God for 365 years.

Scripture doesn't give us much detail about his life, other than he pleased God. We're told that he was married with children and grandchildren, and that some of his relatives were evil. We're also told that he moved in spiritual gifts and prophesied of the Lord's second coming. (Gen.4:17-24; 5:22-24; Jude 14)

As he walked and communed with God, Enoch received a revelation that it was possible to be in this world and not be part of it. He realized that he could live his life on another plain to such an extent that he could refuse to identify with the death and corruption going on around him. He learned that in spite of his environment, he could stay focused on the Lord and live by faith.

As he continued walking with the Lord he became so absorbed with the life of God that no form of death could touch him. One day he "was not" because he had walked so far with God that it was closer to go on to His house than it was to return to his own! Enoch had been "consumed" by the life of God.

We don't know if Enoch had kissed his wife "good-bye" that fateful morning, or if he left a will for his family. Neither are we told that he had a leave of absence from his place of employment! However, we are told that people looked for him, but he "was not found, because God had translated him." (Heb.11:5)

We also know that no precedent had been set for Enoch to follow, and no "translation manual" had been written for him to consult. He demonstrated that an ordinary man who dared to believe the "unbelievable," in spite of living in adverse conditions, could receive what he believed God for by faith because "he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

Yes, it is possible to live a life of consistent faith! Paul continues in Hebrews 11 with a word of encouragement that we too can live such a life, but we must first believe that God is, and that "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (vs.6)

Noah's life gives us an example of faith's perseverance and witness. Having been warned by God that a flood was coming, he began the long task of ark building, being careful to exactly follow the instructions the Lord had given him.

During the years Noah was building the ark he faithfully preached righteousness to the curious onlookers, and at the end of his long project his entire believing congregation consisted of eight people! It might not have been the "fastest growing congregation" in the nation, but it was the only godly assembly to be found anywhere in the world!

(l Pet.3:20; 2 Pet.2:5)

Let's consider Noah's faith. There had never been a flood on the earth such as the Lord told him was coming. Again, Noah had to believe God's word about something that was entirely without precedent! We can well imagine that the ark building project caught the focused attention of the "national media" of his day, and that he became the object of ridicule and scorn among the curious and the "wise."

Scripture doesn't record that Noah received any further word from God until it was time to go into the ark. So, adding to the ridicule that he endured from his contemporaries for decades was the challenging silence from heaven. There was not even a whisper from God to assure him that He hadn't changed His mind!

Neither was there any provision for a trial run to find out if the ark would float or if the pitch would hold. Nor had God told Noah how he was to get the animals into the ark once it was finished, or how he would know when it was time for him to go into it. And to make matters worse, the local Christian bookstore didn't have anything on building arks, or how long such a project should take. But in spite of the questions that might have come plague him, Noah continued building with faith in the word he'd received from God.

Living by faith doesn't mean that we hear the voice of the Lord constantly: It means that we obey what we've heard while listening intently for added instructions. Silence is often misunderstood as disapproval, but this is not always so.

Silence, when accompanied with peace, is God's way of training our faith. It is a discipline to prove and establish our trust in His word. If the Lord continually reminded us of what He already told us, then there would be no need to live by faith. But when we don't hear anything further and we keep moving in the word we've alreadt heard, we're living by faith.

It's during such times of silence that we either believe and continue acting on the word God gave us, or we draw back in unbelief and complacency, and ultimately, into perdition and destruction. When we assume the Lord is not going to speak anything further, or that we're unable to hear what He might say, we often begin adding our own actions to what we've heard from Him. It could be that we relax and become "lukewarm," or that we begin doing something He hasn't given us a word for. Both responses are an expression of our own works and are unacceptable to the Lord.

Noah is an example of one who kept an active faith in what God had said in spite of not seeing the fulfillment right away. Through his faithful obedience he not only saved his house from destruction, he also "condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

Although we're not told it happened, we can imagine that many of the curious onlookers wanted desperately to get into the ark when it started raining. However, God had taken the precaution to personally close the door, therefore ensuring that only faithful Noah, his family, and the animals were inside. The Lord only rewarded those faithful who had diligently sought Him.

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

When Abraham heard the word to leave his family and familiar surroundings and go to a promised land, he responded in faith. He didn't reason with God and request to wait until the conditions were right, or to wait till there others who would go with him. Though we're not told how long it was between the time he heard the word and when he started the 1000 mile journey to Hebron, we can conclude that not very much time passed.

Abraham didn't know where he was going or what he might find once he got there: All he knew was that he'd heard a word from the Lord and that he was to go to a city whose builder and maker is God. He wasn't told what the city would look like, or what requirements might be necessary to enter. Neither did he know how God would provide to get him there, or to keep him once he arrived: All he knew was that he had a word from his God. He simply "went out, not knowing whither he went." (Heb.11:8-10)

I can identify with the word Abraham received to go to a place that unfamiliar to him. In 1972 several brethren and I heard a word from the Lord to move from the midwestern United States to northwestern Canada, a journey of over 2500 miles. We responded to the call of God, sold our possessions, and taking our immediate families, we left businesses, careers, relatives, and familiar surrounding behind. We journeyed in faith, not knowing what would face us when we got to the place the Lord had shown us. But I can testify that in spite of the pilgrimage not always being easy, the Lord met us every step of the way.

Abraham never found the city he was looking for, other than seeing it by faith. (Jn.8:56) Neither did he ever own anything in the land promised him -- though he lived in that land for a 100 years -- other than a burial ground for his family. (Gen.23:16-20) But in spite of what looked like failure to the natural mind, God counted his faith as righteousness and called him the father of all who believe. (Rom.4)

"Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." (Heb.11:11)

Talk about hoping against hope! God had promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son, but now their advanced years had caused both their bodies to be incapable of producing offspring naturally.

Can't you almost hear the neighborhood rumors when Sarah started knitting booties? "Sarah has gone senile and is in denial," people said. "Poor Abraham, what an embarrassment her actions must be to him!"

But Sarah didn't heed the rumor mills, the deadness of her husband's body, nor the dryness of her own womb: God had given His word and she judged Him faithful who had promised. Not only did she believe God to enable her to conceive, she also believed Him to enable her to bring that seed forth in birth! She wasn't going to settle for a miscarriage then say, "Well at least I conceived in my old age." No. Sarah believed God that she would also bring forth the life she miraculously conceived.

In these last days God is telling another woman that she is going to bring forth a son in spite of her years: She is a 2000 year old inconspicuous, spiritual, remnant woman outside of the modern organized church. The many-membered son she will bear is what all of creation has been waiting and travailing for. (Rom.8:19) And God will raise him up to rule (shepherd) the nations with a rod of iron. (Rev.3:21)

It doesn't matter that a precedent has not been set for such an climactic event; It doesn't matter that the woman hearing this a word is not listed in the "who's who" denominational galleries of the world; It doesn't matter that the ministries God raised up for her aren't known "in the streets" and aren't household names around the globe. Neither does it matter that an impotent Christianity leans on the arms of modern psychology and liberal theologians who explain away the word of the Lord. A "Sarah" company of saints will live by faith and dare to believe the word of the Lord to not only conceive the vision of bearing a spiritual manchild, but to also bring that life forth from her "dead" spiritual womb.

Do you have the heart to be part of that remnant woman who will bring forth the greatest demonstration of the life of God since Jesus walked the earth? Or are you still vacillating in your vision and halting between two opinions? God always allows ample time and opportunity to lose faith in the word He gives, but He also provides the necessary grace to believe that His word will be fulfilled at the appointed time. It's a matter of heart whether we'll believe Him regardless of what circumstances we're in.

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:' Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Heb.11:17-19)

Abraham had raised Isaac to fear the Lord and taught him all about the inheritance that would be his when he died. Then when Isaac was about thirty years old, Abraham heard a word from the Lord during one of his devotional times that would shake the faith of most people. The Lord told him to take his son up a specific mountain that was three days journey away and offer him up for a burnt offering! (Gen.22:1-19)

Without apparent hesitation, "Abraham rose up early in the morning," took a couple young men with him, and headed for the mountain. We're not told that he consulted with Sarah, nor that he waited around hoping that God might change His mind. Neither did he search his library for a book that might give a precedent on how to successfully offer up your son. He simply got up, took Isaac and the sacrificial implements he needed, and headed for the mountain.

Along the way, Isaac asked Abraham, "Father, we have the wood and we have the fire, but where is the lamb for the offering?"

How would you have answered your son if you had been Abraham? He loved his long awaited son as much as we love our children today, but without breaking stride or wavering in faith, he answered, "'My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering:' so they went both of them together." (Gen.22:8)

After the mountaintop altar had been built and the wood put in order, Abraham took his son and put him on the altar, binding him hand and foot. One can only try to imagine what Abraham might have seen as he looked into the trusting eyes of his beloved son at that moment, or what Isaac saw in the faith-filled eyes of his father.

But regardless of what Abraham might have seen in Isaac's eyes, or what a multitude of voices might have screamed in his own ears, he took the sacrificial knife in his hand. As he did, faith burned in his bosom that dared to believe that his God would raise up his son even from death, "from whence also he received him in a figure."

How could Abraham possibly believe God for such an unprecedented miracle? Because Sarah's and his own body had been dead and the Lord had brought forth life where there once had been none. Therefore, having already received a foretaste of resurrection life, he had absolute confidence that the same God who gave him the word to offer up his son could also raise him from the dead if He so chose.

Taking one last look into the eyes of his beloved son, Abraham raised his knife to plunge it into Isaac's heart. At that instant, "the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, 'Abraham, Abraham:' and he said, 'Here am I.' And He said, 'Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.'" (Gen.22:11-12)

Many lessons can be learned from this powerful account in scripture. One principle that I want to note is that any true prophetic hope must have a present reality as its premise. Abraham could not have believed God to bring Isaac forth from death if he had not received a touch of resurrection life himself. In the same light, we have no basis to believe that we'll come forth in resurrection someday if we're not already beginning to experience resurrection in our spirit now. Neither can we expect to stand before a future judgment bar of God with any confidence and boldness if we're not already embracing the remedial judgment of God in our life.

Another principle to note is that Abraham was not only committed to doing what God had said, he could also hear what God was speaking right at that intense moment. We're often so committed to doing what God said in the past that we can't hear what He is saying now. But we need to be in such a close hearing relationship with Him that we can hear and recognize His voice at any moment, regardless of the pressing circumstances around us.

If we're to live by faith, we must be able to hear, and be committed to live by, "every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." (Mt.4:4) Nothing in our walk with Him can be based solely in the past: We must maintain a current fellowship with Him if we're to receive a present truth word. If Abraham had argued even for a moment with the second word God gave him, and perhaps followed through with actually slaying his son, he would not have received the commendation from the Lord that he did. In fact, all of history would have been different.

"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones." (Heb.11:22)

The first thing to note about the tribute to Joseph is what the Spirit highlighted in his life. It wasn't that he stood firm and resisted the temptation of Potipher's wife; It wasn't that he remained faithful while in prison for over a decade; It wasn't that he correctly interpreted a dream from the Lord that saved an entire nation from famine; It wasn't that he sat next to the Pharaoh in Egypt or that his word was the law across the land.

The Spirit of the Lord focused on a word Joseph gave his family just moments before he died. Knowing his time of departure was at hand, he told the brethren gathered around him: "'I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'

"And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, 'God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.' So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." (Gen.50:24-26)

Although Joseph would have had a state funeral with all the prestige of having been a household name throughout the Egypt, he did not want to be buried in a land that was not God's promised land. He had absolute confidence that the Lord would yet establish his family in the place He had promised to Abraham. Therefore, he asked that his body not be buried in a strange land, but in the place of his father's inheritance. His family honored his request and carried his remains with them in the exodus. (Ex.13:19; Josh.24:32)

A few years after Joseph's death another Pharaoh began ruling Egypt, and for the next 135 years the children of Israel were slaves. Their backs bled as they labored for long hours under the whips of cruel taskmasters year after agonizing year.

I can imagine bloody, beaten down, and oppressed men coming home from the slime pits with a cry in their hearts: "God, are you ever going to bring deliverance to us?" "God, is anything ever going to change with our situation?"

Then as the cover of darkness falls, I can see a couple stoop-shouldered, broken men slip off to a tent that had been set up to house the coffin and "bones" of Joseph. As they gaze upon that box of bones, faith begins to rise up in their hearts again. "Glory to God," I can hear them exclaim, " You're going to visit us again because those bones are testifying to us. You're not going to leave us here in slavery forever because Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones!" Encouraged to face another day in the brick fields, they return to their homes with a fresh spring in their step and a renewed faith in their heart.

Oh glory! One day soon the trumpet will sound, the "Red Sea" will open, the "Jordan River" will part, our troubles will be over, and we'll cross into that promised land! Though the vision we've been given has tarried for awhile, it will come in God's appointed time.

It doesn't matter what our circumstances try to tell us; It doesn't matter how long we've been "making bricks" for Pharaoh; It doesn't matter how painful the whip of the taskmaster has been: The just can live by faith in spite of it all! And we don't have to look at a box of bones to get our hopes up either: There's an empty tomb and a resurrected Lord that validates the word we've received!

God had sent Moses to Egypt to deliver His people from their Egyptian bondage. But in spite of the various plagues God sent upon Egypt, Pharaoh continued hardening his heart and wouldn't let the people go. The Lord then instructed Moses to prepare a sacrificial lamb for each family and sprinkle its blood on the door posts of Israel's homes. He told him He was going to smite the firstborn in every home not protected by the blood.

"Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest He that destroyed the firstborn should touch them." (Heb.11:28)

All of Israel was aware of how the Lord had brought the plagues upon Egypt, and now that He said every firstborn would die that was not in a safeguarded house, they were a bit apprehensive. None of the older men could recall any precedent like this in all of their history. But Moses seemed certain that the blood would provide the security they needed.

Everything for the expected departure was in readiness as darkness blanketed Egypt and nearby Goshen. In every home a lamb had been carefully prepared as the Lord has instructed Moses, and all the people could do now was wait.

It was a quiet night as the families of Israel ate the Passover lamb--and it seemed darker than usual. There also seemed to be a eerie foreboding presence in the air. About midnight, a wailing cry began to be heard in the distance, faintly at first, then it grew louder as more voices joined in. All across the land of Egypt the firstborn of man and beast had suddenly and mysteriously died.

Tension mounted, especially for those of Israel who lived on the Goshen and Egyptian border. Would their firstborn be spared? Would they really be released from generations of slavery this fateful night?

They were fully aware that the only hope between them and death was faith in the blood over their door posts. As the midnight hour passed and they realized that God's word was true, an enlightenment dawned in their hearts: The just shall live by faith! They waited for an imminent knock on their door that would tell them it was time to begin their journey back to their promised land.

Space doesn't permit me to elaborate on all the examples or on the many more lessons that could be learned from this wonderful eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Example after example is given to encourage us that a consistent life of faith is not only possible, it is to be the expected norm for all who claim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Several notable principles are apparent in each example of those who lived by faith. They were ordinary people who believed God in extraordinary situations -- all of them without precedent. We must remember that they were subject to the same apprehension and human frailties common to all of us, but what set them apart from the masses was their active, obedient faith in the word they'd heard and kept without the benefit of the indwelling Holy Spirit! They would not allow their circumstances to interfere with their focus on the word of the living God, in spite of what might have seemed right to the logical mind.

Some were stoned, some were sawn asunder, and some were slain with the sword. Others were inhumanely tortured, but they wouldn't accept deliverance so that they might obtain a better testimony and resurrection. The people in these examples didn't need a crisis to motivate them into faith: they were motivated because they believed the word they'd received. When their time of crisis came, they were already believing God for the fulfillment of a word that went beyond the uncertainty of the moment.

The lives and testimony of the people in this "roll call of faith" can perhaps be summed up in the words of verse 16: "But 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." These courageous saints weren't satisfied with the experience or level of life they'd attained to, but diligently sought a deeper place in the Spirit. Because of their consistent, burning passion to stay faithful to Him, God prepared an eternal habitation for them and is not ashamed to be called their God.

If we've been "enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," (Heb.6:4-5) and we don't make full use of the truth we've received, how can we expect to live a life pleasing to God? Why would He not to be ashamed of being called our God if we're reluctant to believe and act on the current word He speaks to us? Such a lack of response is a direct insult to the integrity of His character and the immutability of His word.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.12:1-2)

As the age closes and darkness draws its curtain across the world, and as thick darkness descends over the minds of the nations, let's awake out of our slumbering complacency and shun every comfort zone we've slipped into. Let's lay aside every unnecessary weight and the sin of unbelief as we press forward in faithful confidence toward our God.

Regardless of what intimidating headlines might scream at us tomorrow, let's appeal to our Maker that He open our ears to hear His word, give us a heart to obey it, and feet that are swift to walk in all that He speaks. Let's be confident that He who began a good work in us is able also to finish it above and beyond what we could ask or think!

We must settle it in our hearts that we'll not be of them who draw back into perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Even now the Lord causes us to triumph and rise above our circumstances as we learn to live by faith!