The Law of Faith in Operation

OPERATION of the Law of Faith in action is evidenced throughout the Scriptures in a variety of ways.  The best definition of faith is simply that of, “taking God at His Word.” Sometimes faith seems reasonable–from a human standpoint, in other instances, not so much.  There is no “magic formula” or “sacred incantation” associated with the operation of faith in the lives of God’s dealings with people.

One great Biblical example of the operation of faith is associated with a great Commander of the army of Syria–Naaman who had been victorious in battle with the help of the Lord (II Kings 5:1).  Naaman was afflicted with leprosy–a terrible, disfiguring, skin disease (v. 1) for which there was no known cure at the time.

A “young girl” who is not named in the Scriptures, who had been abducted from the land of Israel, suggested to the wife of the Commander that there was a Prophet of God in Samaria who could heal Naaman of his awful disease (v. 2-4).  A letter was sent from Naaman to the King of Israel regarding the matter and the message reached the ears of Elisha, “the man of God” (v. 5-8), accompanied by expensive gifts from the King of Syria (v. 5).

Naaman, whom the text describes as “a great and exalted man” (v. 1) soon arrived in Samaria with great fanfare with “his horses and his chariot” to be healed by the power of God at the hands of His prophet, Elisha (v. 9) and stood outside the door of his house–waiting (v. 9).  Elisha did not come to the door himself, but instructed his messenger to relate to Naaman what he must do in order to receive his healing:  “…Go, and you wash seven times in the Jordan.  And your flesh shall return to you, and you shall be clean” (II Kings 5:10).  Simple enough instructions from “the man of God,” but not exactly what Naaman was expecting to hear:

“And Naaman was angry, and went on, and said, Behold, I said, He will certainly come out to me and will stand and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and will wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper…And he turned and went on in fury” (II Kings 5:11, 12).

Naaman was apparently expecting a Benny Hinn style crusade experience, waiting for Elisha to perform some kind of mystical ceremony, proclaiming, “this is your day, be healed!” When it did not happen in the way he “thought” (KJV) it should have, he became angry and turned away.  The “great” Commander did not want to bathe himself in the muddy waters of the Jordan river in order to receive his healing from God–it was beneath his dignity (v. 12).  The servants of the Commander reasoned with him, “…if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” (II Kings 5:13).

Naaman just needed to forget his expectations of a “big show” and take God at His Word–follow the instructions of Elisha!  Never mind the lack of “logic” of trying to figure how how taking a bathe in the Jordan river and dipping himself “seven times” would make him whole.  From a human standpoint the instructions made no sense whatsoever–what possible “power” could the water of the Jordan have to make him free and “clean” from his infirmity?  Faith always responds through obedient action in order to produce the desired results (James 2:26).  Jesus told those who came to Him, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matt. 9:29), and “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matt. 9:22).  The obedient action in response to the command of “the man of God” was the dividing line between sickness and disease, heath and healing–no other action or substitution would bring about the desired results.  The choice and final decision belonged to Naaman.

“And he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God. And his flesh returned like the flesh of a little boy, and he was clean” (II Kings 5:14).  Amazing are the results that come from faith when acted on in obedience to the Word of God!  In addition to the physical healing aspect of this account is the heart of gratitude that Naaman has for the God of Israel who acted on his behalf:  “And he went back to the man of God, he and all his company, and came in and stood before him, and said, Behold, now I know that there is not a God in all the earth except in Israel” (v. 15).  The faith of Naaman produced a confession of praise and adoration for the God who healed him and from that heart came the offer to share his wealth with “the man of God” (v. 15).  Unlike Benny Hinn and others, Elisha refused to accept any gift that might resemble “payment for services rendered” and sent Naaman on his way rejoicing (v. 16).

LESSONS FOR TODAY

The experience of Naaman should be enough to convince people of the absolute necessity of taking God at His Word.  Whatever does not originate with faith is sin (Rom. 14:23), and “without faith it is impossible to please God. For it is right that the one drawing near to God should believe that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder to the ones seeking Him out” (Heb. 11:6).  Faith begins and ends where the Word begins and ends.  Those who stand upon the firm foundation of Biblical authority for “all things pertaining to life and godliness through the full knowledge of the One calling us through glory and virtue” (II Pet. 1:3) soon become the blessed recipients of “the very great and precious promises, so that through these you might be partakers of the divine nature” (II Pet. 1:4).  It is impossible to do the one without receiving the other.  The promises of God are the basis upon which the blessings of God either stand or fall.  Failure to receive the promised blessing is as much a matter of choice today as was the case in the instance of Naaman during the time of Elisha.

The rise of newfound “ministries” devoted to the refutation of Completed Redemption (Preterism) find themselves standing alone at the shores of the muddy waters of the Jordan river.  Those once filled with the sense of joyful celebration in the accomplished work of God through Christ have now returned to the place of their former darkness–the systematic confusion of modern-day Futurism.  The former believers (NAMES UPON REQUEST) have unwittingly set themselves in opposition to the very integrity of the Word of God while clinging endlessly to humanly devised “fables” in the form of Creeds, Confessions and Councils–none of which are authoritative as is “the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone believing” (Rom. 1:16).  Like those left behind their convictions during the first century, “For if by a recognition of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they have escaped the defilements of the world, and again being entangled they have been overcome by these, then their last things have become worse than the first.  For it was better for them not to have recognized the way of righteousness than having recognized it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But the word of the true proverb has happened to them: “The dog turning to his own vomit;” also, the washed sow to wallowing in mud” (II Pet. 2:20-22).  Each of these false teachers will, at the end of their journey in this realm of existence, be required, individually to “give account concerning himself to God” (Rom. 14:12).  The fact of the eschatological judgment in 70 C.E. does not absolve one for his individual and personal accountability before the Lord.  There is no “free-pass” for those who willingly “speak perverted things, in order to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30).

Those casting reproach on the reality of Completed Redemption through the use of terms such as Hyper-Preterism have taken a stand alongside all those other Futurists whose only hope is in the meaningless mantra of “wait and see”–more of the same.  Premillennial, Amillennial, Post-millennial, or even PAN-millennial (believing it will all someday “pan out” in the end) have nothing of lasting value to say other than more “postponement” or “non-occurrence of the Parousia”–the words of “liberal” scholarship who deny the authenticity and authority of the Word of God.  A sad company in which to find oneself, indeed!

The Law of Faith must now–more than at any other time in human history–cause men and women to rise up and be counted for the cause of Completed Redemption.  Those who would now announce to the world the message of the established Kingdom of God must step forward and sow seeds of faith into the spreading of this message as never before seen.  The admonition of Solomon rings true:  “Send out your bread on the face of the waters, for you shall find it in many days…Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hand until evening; for you do not know what shall be blessed, this or that; or whether they both shall be good as one” (Eccl. 11:1, 6).  God will bless His people and those who remain faithful to His message with an abundant harvest of “good things” (Psa. 103:5).

The message of “hope deferred” must be erased from the minds of 21st century believers (Prov. 13:12).  The churches who have compromised with the “social gospel” and who have forsaken the “preaching of the cross” (I Cor. 1:18) for some other message less offensive have abandoned “the faith which was once for all time delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).  The power of the gospel and the message of the Cross depends upon one’s acceptance of the fulfillment of all that was promised in the Scriptures–that which occurred in the first century C.E. with those events associated with the destruction of the temple and the establishment of the “everlasting covenant” with God’s people (Heb. 13:20).

Debates over the “finer” points of Completed Redemption–issues such as the individual vs. collective viewpoint, “rapture” theories, and “Covenant Creation” must be set aside for another place at another time.  The Futurist scheme of “divide and conquer” cannot be allowed to prevail.  The basic points of agreement regarding the fact, time, manner, and purpose of the Lord’s coming must be shouted from the housetops as never before.  A new spirit of humility toward the Word of God must rise from deep within the hearts of God’s children accompanied by an uncompromising attitude toward all those who would call into question those basic principles upon which Completed Redemption rests.  “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa. 66:2).

Like Naaman of old, all preconceptions about what one “thinks” should or should not have happened must be discarded, faith and obedience are now the order of the day.  “Seven times” into the muddy waters of the Jordan we go, ever onward in our stand for the truth and righteousness, “for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel” (I Sam. 11:13).

Happy New Year!