Empty Hand Faith
So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 NASB
Hearing – When we first examined this verse (August 17, 2011), we noted that this is Paul’s shema. Although written in Greek, Paul clearly has the Hebrew verb shama in mind. And as we know, shama means both “to hear” and “to obey.” In Paul’s thought, faith is the result of hearing/obeying and hearing/obeying is specifically hearing/obeying the word of the Messiah. Of course, this leaves us with the question, “What is the word of the Messiah?” but the answer is not difficult to find. “All that I have commanded you” coupled with Yeshua’s proclamation of the eternal value of Torah should point us to the same code of conduct that He followed. We are left with the obvious conclusion that faith is doing what God says to do. What could be simpler?
The problem comes with the conversion of the idea of faith as action to the idea of faith as proposition. Converted to Greek thought, faith becomes the mental assent to the truth of gospel proclamations. In other words, once faith was what I did in loyal obedience to my deliverer. Now it is agreeing that the deliverer did it.
Part of this conversion from verb to noun is the confusion of faith and salvation. We should have seen this coming. After all, John uses the word “faith” or one of its derivatives 92 times in his gospel but he never uses it as a noun. It is always a verb. Our problem is not the text. The text is pretty clear. Our problem is that the Greek worldview rests on nouns – people, places and things. And from a Greek perspective, salvation is a thing. It is something granted to me. It is mine. Once received, I own it. Salvation is the gate-pass out of here and as long as I have the gate-pass I am leaving. In this view, salvation is the certificate that guarantees me a place in the afterlife. It was purchased for me on Calvary and I can keep it safe until it is needed.
There’s only one problem. If faith is a verb, then it exists only when the actions it describes are in process. Since salvation is a result of faith, it is impossible to think of salvation as something that exists independently of behavior. If I am not doing faith, then I don’t have salvation either. Oswald Chambers offers a telling remark: “All the great blessings of God are finished and complete, but they are not mine until I enter into relationship with Him on the basis of his covenant.”[1] I have to work out my salvation with fear and trembling, not because God hasn’t accomplished all that was needed for me to be saved but because salvation is found in the dynamic of my interaction with God. If I choose to act as though I possess the certificate but nothing further is required, I choose to abandon the dynamic of the relationship, and that means the relationship stops and my certificate is nothing more than a worthless piece of paper. In Hebrew thought, I have what I do. Salvation exists in the acts of grace produced by God and by me.
Topical Index: grace, hear, obey, shema, salvation, Romans 10:17
[1] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, December 6th.
Dear Skip, I think there’s a difference between the ”salvation” when melek David wrote and the New Testament writtings, isn’t it?
NO, I don’t think so – at least there is no difference in the method and manner by which salvation is accomplished. Both OT and NT rely entirely on hen – grace. Over the next few weeks we will investigate this more, but I have written a great deal about it already. You might consider reading Spiritual Restoration Volume 3 too.
I’ll go out on a limb here and call into question the statement of the Rabbi in the video
It seemed to me that the Rabbi was saying that because Abram did not question God
Abram was more faithful than Moses who did question God
I might argue that as a Jew, Moses was more argumentative than Abram
And that Moses’ relationship was more dialectical than the Android-like behavior of Abram
And that Moses was more concerned with saving the lives of his people than his own salvation
And that it is much easier for to relate to Moses, because his faith is not “blind”
Ah……exactly…….behavior proves where you are in your faith walk. It should show. I agree with ‘I have what I do.’ I know many people, even myself if I’m not in check will consider themselves obedient, followers because they are knowlegible. They in effect carry Torah credentials, biasis toward other believers and ‘do’ a Torah command or so such as Shabbat and tinker with Hebrew items such as prayer shawls, tzit-tzit etc. But, then go and ‘do’ things that they ought not be doing. Afterward excusing themselves or making excuses for themselves. As if those things done in secret where their friends don’t see – do not count and no one knows so they are free and clear…………..ah, but God knows! Then they may feel remorse, try to make some changes for a time only to open the door to the lusts of their flesh or old traditions and habits. It all continues again. Are they walking out their salvation or just plain crazy to keep returning to their vomit?!
Walking it, out I believe, means you keep pressing forward, not walk in circles. If you know you have issues then deal with them. As you renew your mind you become transformed. If you are not becoming transformed I would say your faith walk is about a zero….you aren’t in the Word enough, to the degree that you inparticular need in order to see real changes into the likeness of Christ.
I hear people say that ‘everyone sins, cut me some slack.’ Shoot I may say that some time too but it should be less and less. Never the same degree or more or the bible is just a wasted book at your home. Remember the saying ‘What you do speaks so loudly, what you say I can not hear!’? Our salvation walk is shown in our behavior. I want to turn away from my friends who continue to repeat over and over their folly and yet expect to see different results. They might study the word, but they aren’t reading those scriptures which address their vices. They DO the scriptures that they are already comfortable with and they puff their chest out and say ‘see, I’m an obedient Hebrew Roots believer.’ Then they go out and act like heathens with their rudeness, unforgiveness, harboring judgment, guilt, lies, drinking, frequenting establishments where women aren’t dressed and they pay for sexual favors. They cheat people, women dress wear clothes sprayed on and cleaveage showing because they want to keep up with the latest fashions. They wake up the next day, take a shower, brush their teeth and go to church or synagogue.
I say this because in this society it’s all so enticing to be like the heathens. We know better but the Holy Spirit isn’t flamed by the Word because we aren’t reading it enough. We fil out minds with garbage, even just busy-ness through the day so it leaves no time for the daily flushing of our minds. I have to fight getting caught in those webs. But, I am making a stand for purity for me. It’s not glamorous but I have peace because I choose to stay on the path. I’ve jumped off before and it’s a nightmare when you realize your stupidity. God’s way is so easy and simple and the Shalom is worth it.
Thanks Theresa. Your openness about our struggles is refreshing and challenging. Drives me back to Mesillat Yesharim, where that heretic Luzzatto clearly captured the idea that how I behave says everything about me – often to my shame. That’s the book I could only read a few pages before conviction overwhelmed. Time to go back to it.
So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
~ Therefore faith is from the hearing ear, and the hearing ear is from the word of God ~(Aramaic Bible)
~ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear ~ (Matthew 13.16)
“Shema, O Israel..”
Abraham ‘believed’ God and then? He prepared to DO, to ACT according to the instructions of YHWH.
The very next morning- (did he sleep peacefully that night? -maybe/probably not- IDK) , but he got up to DO, and saddled his donkey. At some point in time during a long, dark night, a decision, a choice was made to DO what God had instructed/requested him to do- “Go and sacrifice your son, your only son (whom you love, BTW) to Me.” I am sure Abraham was more than confused by this…- This made absolutely no “sense” whatsoever to him, but Abraham made a choice,my friends, he made a life-decision, I am going to obey what my God has commanded me to do- even if it costs me the dearest thing to me, my own son. I am going all the way with God and am going to do what is so outside of my own understanding- I am going to trust (batach) God with this one. (Proverbs 3.5,6?) I know God is faithful, for He has always been faithful to me, and I also know God never, ever lies and I also have quite a long history of covenant friendship with Him, therefore even if Isaac dies, (worst possible scenario) I will do all that my Creator-Provider-Sustainer and intimate Friend asks of me. Oh.. and let us not ever forget the “na” God spoke unto His friend. God said “na” or “please.” God asked Abraham? (He did NOT command him!)- Amazing, but this is also a request from a Friend, for Abraham was called, not only the Father of the faithful, but “the friend of God.” (James 2.23)
And we also have these words from the ONE who is our Master today: ~ You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you ~(John 15.14) ~ Love one another..~ – do you “see this” as a command? Seriously? A “command” to love? ~ Husbands, love your wives? ~ Shall we continue? Just how many of these “commands” are there? Ten were written in stone, but how many others have been written upon our hearts? Give, and you will receive. (we have just been “commanded” to give.) (Why?) – Your gift will return to you in full–pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. ~ and when you pray, say “Father.” ~ Have we just been “commanded” to pray, or is prayer an invitation to intimate relational fellowship and blessing?
Every choice, (we have learned) is followed by a consequence. What, (a father inquired) are the consequences of obedient children? One happy father, and one happy (and blessed) family.
It seems to me this thought is supported by Ezekiel 33:12-20.
Also Ezekiel 18.
The question I was really asking myself yesterday was what would I do
If God told me to sacrifice my son
And my answer would most definitely be no!
To stab my son in the belly and burn him on a rack of wood
Would be unthinkable under any conditions
In fact I think sacrificing animals is unthinkably barbaric
Our world seems somewhat civilized by comparison
I don’t know who Rabbi Kook is, but his point makes sense to me
Rabbi A.I. Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Israel, stressed that the climax of the story, commanding Abraham not to sacrifice Isaac, is the whole point: to put an end to the ritual of child sacrifice, which contradicts the morality of a perfect and giving (not taking) monotheistic God.