Spanish Evangelism Testimony 8.17.13

August 17, 2013

One of my Spanish guitar students and I witnessed for 1 ½ hours today to a family from Honduras. Mrs. C was very friendly and invited us in as soon as we walked up to the fence around their home. Her husband briefly greeted us before we entered the home but did not come in at all to talk with us.

Mrs. C shared how she has had a number of bad experiences with churches and professing Christians in the past. She bitterly decried the hypocrisy of some of the Christians that she has known.

My evangelism partner did most of the talking because he is a native Spanish speaker. He repeatedly tried to steer the conversation away from her complaints about the Christians that she has known but she would keep coming back to them.

As their conversation continued, I was able to understand that she was very upset with what she has seen of Christianity in the past. Sensing that we needed to give her some Scripture that would challenge her about her own need, I asked my partner to read the parable of the Pharisee and the publican to her.

As he led her through the parable and then explained its application to her, there was a marked change in her interaction with us. God used His Word to challenge her about her own sinfulness!

My partner was able to explain to her how Christ was the propitiation for our sins, which was shocking to her. Apparently, she had never heard anyone explain that glorious truth to her before our visit with her.

While my partner continued to witness to her, I was able to witness in English to her 11-year old daughter Y. Her daughter attends church fairly regularly and seems to be a believer.

I was able to help her think clearly about what God has done for her so that her sins have been forgiven through her faith in Jesus. I also helped her think through the main truths of John 3:16 and challenged her briefly about going on with the Lord as a believer.

Before we left, we prayed with both of them about a special need that they have in their family. We are very thankful to have had this excellent witnessing opportunity this morning!

As the Lord brings it to mind, please pray for the salvation of Mr. and Mrs. C.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Spanish, Testimony
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Lo que Dios me está enseñando en estos días*

August 16, 2013

1. Dios me está enseñando a rechazar el pensamiento corrupto que estoy tan propensos.

2. Dios me está enseñando a valorar Su amor por mí supremamente.

3. Dios me está enseñando a los inmensos peligros espirituales que el mundo plantea a un creyente.

4. Dios me está enseñando que Su fidelidad a mí es lo que tengo que descansar para hacer frente a una gran decepción de una manera que le agrada.

5. Dios me está enseñando que Él realmente sabe lo que es mejor para mí en todos los aspectos de mi vida, así que, he de dar de todo corazón a Su plan perfecto para mi vida.

¿Qué le está enseñando Dios en estos días?

* Produje estas frases con el uso de Google Translate  y mi diccionario Español-Inglés.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Spanish, Testimony
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Will We As Christians Give a Future Account for Certain Sins?

August 13, 2013

In Miletus, the apostle Paul earnestly ministered to a group of church elders whom he summoned from Ephesus (Acts 20:17-38). In his address to them, Paul made a statement that raises a crucial question—will we as Christians give a future account for certain sins?

Paul’s Unceasing Evangelistic Ministry in Asia Minor

Paul reminded these elders that they knew the life of serving the Lord that he led among them during his entire time with them (Acts 20:18-19). He emphasized that he had not refrained from ministering to them and to others concerning repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20-21).

He informed them of how he was constrained in spirit to go to Jerusalem regardless of the bonds and afflictions that the Spirit had testified to him would await him everywhere (Acts 20:22-23). Testifying that he was unmoved by any of these things, he explained that he lived his life selflessly so that he might finish joyfully his course and the ministry that the Lord Jesus had given him to testify the gospel (Acts 20:24).

Paul’s Certainty about the Future

Paul then declared that he knew that these all among whom he had been preaching the kingdom of God would never see his face again (Acts 20:25). Apparently, the Lord in some unexplained manner had informed Paul of this fact.

Paul’s Confidence concerning His Freedom from Bloodguiltiness

Because Paul knew that he would never have another opportunity to minister to them personally, he wanted to be certain that he had finished giving them all the truth that they needed to hear from him. He, therefore, testified to them that day that he was “pure from the blood of all men” because he had not shunned declaring to them “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:26-27).

Paul thus asserted his own confidence that he was free from bloodguiltiness concerning all people. He, however, did much more than that because saying these things he implicitly challenged these elders about their own need to be free from the blood of all men by giving them all the truth that they themselves should.

The Profound Implications That Paul’s Statements concerning Bloodguiltiness Seem to Have

What Paul said to these elders about why he was confident that he was pure from the blood of all men appears to have some profound implications. Paul apparently believed that he would not have been free from such bloodguiltiness had he failed to declare all the counsel of God to them.

Did Paul, then, believe that had he failed in that respect, such failure would have been something that he would have had to give an account for to the Lord one day after his life on earth had ended? If so, Paul would be teaching that he believed that Christians would give a future account for certain sins.

Does Paul’s Teaching in Romans 14 Confirm His Statements in Acts 20?

Paul’s teaching in Romans 14 may help us to assess the validity of our understanding that his statements in Acts 20 have such implications. In Romans 14, he cites the future accountability of every believer to the Lord as his Judge to warn believers against judging their brethren wrongly or treating them with contempt (Rom. 14:10-13). Although Acts 20 pertains to a sin of omission of necessary testimony but Romans 14 pertains to sins of commission of treating brethren unjustly, future accountability for the one would necessarily seem to imply future accountability for the other.

Whether or not Paul’s statements in Acts 20 actually do imply such future accountability for certain sins, clearly, he believed that future accountability to the Lord must vitally shape our present behavior. In view of the potential implications of his statements in Acts 20, we should be sure that we have confessed, forsaken, and made any necessary reparations for all our known sins while we still have the opportunity to do so.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Theology
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A Fascinating Account of God’s Working in Human Lives That Should Lead Us to Trust Him in All Our Ways

August 11, 2013

First Samuel 9 presents the account of Saul’s searching for his father’s donkeys that were lost. In a fascinating way, this account reveals God’s working in human lives to bring about His purposes.

Kish Sends His Son and A Servant to Look for His Donkeys

Kish was a prominent man in Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:1) whose son Saul was both the most handsome person in Israel and the tallest (1 Sam. 9:2). When Kish’s donkeys were lost, he sent Saul and one of his servants to seek them (1 Sam. 9:3).

Unable to find them after a lengthy search, Saul spoke to his servant to return to his father so that his father would not become concerned about Saul and his servant instead of the lost donkeys (1 Sam. 9:4-5). Because they were in the land of Zuph and the servant knew that there was a man of God there, he convinced Saul instead to go to the prophet to seek counsel from him about the way that they should go (1 Sam. 9:6-10).

Saul and the Servant Meet Samuel

As they were going to the city to seek out the prophet, they encountered some young women who directed them about where they should go to meet him (1 Sam. 9:11-13). As they were following their directions, Samuel, the prophet, met them because he was going to the same place that the women had directed them to go meet him (1 Sam. 9:14).

Remarkable Information about God’s Working

The next verses in First Samuel 9 record what God had informed Samuel about on the day prior to this meeting with Saul:

1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,

 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me [bold added].

These verses show that God had told Samuel that He would send him tomorrow around the very time of their meeting a man out of Benjamin to anoint as the captain over His people who would deliver them.

When we read, however, the earlier verses in the chapter, we do not find any indication that God spoke to either Saul or the servant to go to the prophet. Nor do we find any indication of His directing them to do so through any means of which they were aware.

Without the information in First Samuel 9:16, we would not have known even to think that it was God who sent Saul to Samuel through the events that took place. In a fascinating way, this passage thus teaches us about God’s working in human lives to direct them to His ends without their having any direct communication from Him about what He wants them to do.

It also illustrates how God uses circumstances and people in our lives to bring us together with other people for His purposes and does so in inscrutable ways that we should not regard as luck, chance, or coincidence.

This account should encourage us to trust God to work in our lives in ways that are “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20), just as He did for Kish, Saul, and his servant, who all had no idea of what God was going to do through Kish’s sending them to look for his lost donkeys!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Theology
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Five Great Ways to Use the Guitar to Accompany Other Musicians

August 9, 2013

Highly skilled guitarists are able to play wonderful solos that are very suitable for preludes, offerings, and other forms of special music in church services. For many reasons, most Christian guitarists, however, will never attain the high levels of skill and musicianship necessary to glorify God with the skillful playing of guitar solos.

By contrast, many people who will never be great soloists can still become highly competent accompanists by learning the following five great ways to use the guitar to accompany others:

Strumming and Picking

Strumming and picking are the two primary ways that the guitar has been used historically to accompany other musicians. The vast array of strumming and picking patterns available to skilled guitarists makes these accompaniment styles two great ways that the guitarist can complement other musicians nicely.

My friend Daniel Hendrix and I have recorded a video Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” that displays the use of the guitar to accompany another musician with these two accompaniment styles. In this video, I strum the chords the first and the third times that we play the piece and pick them on the second time.

In addition to strumming and picking, there are three other great ways to use the guitar to accompany other musicians. Developing skill in these other accompaniment styles makes a Christian guitarist far more capable of richly enhancing the musical ministry of both vocalists and other Christian instrumentalists.

Playing a Single Harmony Part

Most guitarists learn to read notes from the treble clef and play them an octave lower than they are played and sung by other musicians. By learning to read both bass and treble clefs and to play the notes at the same pitches that they are played and sung by other musicians, a guitarist can accompany others very nicely.

I often use this accompaniment style with my students. For example, I often play the tenor part of a hymn while they play the melody.

Playing Multiple Harmony Parts at the Same Time

Another benefit of learning to play from both clefs is having the ability to play multiple harmony parts at the same time. This accompaniment style provides a guitarist with another rich way to accompany a vocalist or another instrumentalist.

For example, the guitarist can strum on stanza one of a hymn, play multiple harmony parts on stanza two, and then pick on stanza three. I often accompany my students in their lessons by playing both the bass and tenor parts while they play the melody.

Playing the Melody and One or More Harmony Parts at the Same Time

Another useful variation is to play the melody and the alto part of a hymn at the same time while another guitarist strums or picks. I use this style often (playing both parts an octave lower than written, as with the traditional guitar method), and I am also developing more skill at playing similarly the melody and the tenor part of a hymn together.

By learning these five great ways to accompany others, a Christian guitarist can still glorify God in music ministry even though God has not gifted him to be a skilled guitar soloist!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Guitar Music, Ministry, Music
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More Insights about the Golden Calf Incident

August 7, 2013

Scripture provides explicit information about the Golden Calf incident in 59 verses in six passages (Exod. 32:1-35; Deut. 9:8-21; Neh. 9:18; Ps. 106:19-23; Acts 7:39-41; 1 Cor. 10:7). Various considerations make clear the profound importance of this information for New Testament believers.

(To profit fully from this article, please be sure that you have read my previous article Toward Fully Understanding the Golden Calf Incident before reading this one.)

Great Men of God Teach Us about This Incident

At least five great men of God (Moses, Nehemiah, Luke, Stephen, and Paul) were directed by God to consider this a vital event in the history of God’s people.[1] Just this fact by itself shows that we should study it thoroughly to learn all that we can from it.

In the two longest passages (Exod. 32; Deut. 9), Moses provides 49 of the 59 explicit verses about the incident. Moses thus highlights this event in the Pentateuch in a noteworthy way.

The unknown writer of Psalm 106 gives us five verses about the incident. Luke records for us three verses about the Golden Calf incident from Stephen’s message that rebuked the high priest and many others about their sinfulness (Acts 7).

Nehemiah and Paul provide us with one verse each. As we will see later, the Golden Calf incident plays a far more important role in First Corinthians (and the NT as a whole) than the fact that there is only one explicit verse recorded about it in the book.

From Moses to Nehemiah to Paul and Luke

Around 1000 years after Moses had written about it twice (c. 1405 B.C), Nehemiah prayed and wrote about the incident (c. 425 B.C.).[2] Psalm 106 was probably written at an unknown time (c. 1410 – 430 B.C.) after Moses wrote his two accounts and before Nehemiah wrote about the incident.

Somewhere around 486 years or so probably elapsed from the reference in Nehemiah 9 to the writing of both the statements in the NT about the incident (1 Cor. [c. A.D. 54-56]; Acts [c. A.D. 61]). Approximately 1470 years thus separate the writing of the first account (Exod. 32) from the last account (Acts 7).

This chronological data shows that God directed writers of Scripture to inform His people explicitly about the Golden Calf incident on at least three key occasions in their history:

(1) Before their entering Canaan after the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (Ex. 32; Deut. 9); (2) at the renewing of the covenant after the walls of Jerusalem had been  rebuilt (Neh. 9); and (3) during the strengthening of the NT Church through their receiving the writings of Paul (1 Cor. 10) and Luke (Acts 7).

We will see later that Paul’s use of the Golden Calf incident actually climaxes divine revelation about the incident in a profound way.

The First Explicit Record of Idolatrous Worship among God’s People

Although a few previous references point to the presence of idols in the households of some of God’s people (cf. Gen. 31:19, 32), the Golden Calf incident is the first explicit record in Scripture of idolatrous worship among God’s people. It is also the first record of their eating meat that was sacrificed to idols (Exod. 32:6; cf. Acts 7:41).

Having just been redeemed from Egypt by an incredible display of God’s miraculous works (Ps. 106:21-22), their doing so in a feast that was supposed to be “a feast to the Lord” (Exod. 32:5) immensely magnifies the sinfulness of what they did on this occasion. In an exceedingly appalling way, the Israelites intensely provoked God in the Golden Calf incident (Exod. 32:10; Deut. 9:18; Ps. 106:23).

A careful examination of First Corinthians 10 will reveal the profound significance that all these points about the Golden Calf incident have for NT believers.

(See the rest of the articles in this series under point 11 here.)


[1] We do not know who wrote Psalm 106. If neither Moses nor Nehemiah was its author, we may have six great men of God who teach us about the importance of this incident.

[2] Approximate dates for the OT books are from charts in The New Open Bible: Study Edition; for the NT books, they are from New Testament Introduction (BJU Seminary).

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Theology
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Is The End of All Things Near?

August 5, 2013

Is the end of all things near? If it is, what should Christians be like and what should they be doing?

Scripture answers both of these questions definitively: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Pet. 4:7). We must heed this teaching diligently!

The End of All Things is Near!

Probably around 65 AD, the apostle Peter wrote to encourage believers who were suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he declared, “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7a).

Even though 1,948 years later, the end of all things has not yet come, what Peter wrote is still as true today as it was when he wrote it. His statement is true because time is different with the Lord than it is with man: 

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8).

Although the end of all things has not yet come, we can be certain that it is near! By faith, we must accept this teaching from God and reject our own ideas to the contrary.

Furthermore, we must not be presumptive and think that the end will not come at least for some unspecified time. Because it is at hand, we must be mindful every day that the end of all things is near.

We must reject as unbiblical any theological viewpoint or teaching that is contrary to what Peter wrote. Because the end of all things is near, our thinking and living must be radically different from that of the world (1 Pet. 4:2-4) and from false teachers in the Church (2 Pet. 3).

We would do well to stress to ourselves daily the reality that the end of all things is near! Moreover, we ought to exhort one another continually with this truth so that we do not relapse into worldly thinking and living that is contrary to this truth to any extent.

What Christians Should Be Like and What They Should Be Doing

Because the end of all things is near, Christians must be sober and watch unto prayer (1 Pet. 4:7b). These commands direct us infallibly about what we should be like and what we should be doing because the end of all things is near.

When we lack sobriety, we show that our thinking is unbiblical. We show that we are not living rightly in view of the end of all things being near.

When we are not watching unto prayer, we are not right with God. We are not living properly in view of the end of all things being near.

The poor attendance in the prayer meetings of many local churches is a telling sign that the Church today is seriously lacking a proper perspective on the end of all things being near. Christians who regularly skip prayer meeting at their church without just cause (such as serious illness, unavoidable providential hindrance, etc.) need to repent and stop forsaking the assembling of themselves together to “watch unto prayer” (Heb. 10:25; 1 Pet. 4:7).

Scripture plainly distinguishes between being at home and assembling as a church (cf. “when ye come together in the church” [1 Cor. 11:18] vs. “have ye not houses” [1 Cor. 11:22]; “at home” vs. “in the church” [1 Cor. 14:35]). Neither staying at home and praying as a family nor leaving church before prayer time to pray at home is, therefore, a valid substitute for assembling yourself together with your church during the regularly scheduled prayer meeting time of your local church (cf. Acts 2:42).

Yes, various people will have extenuating circumstances on occasion that necessitate their missing prayer meeting or leaving before prayer time, but doing so regularly will certainly undercut you and your church’s heeding the teaching of Scripture concerning watching unto prayer in view of the end of all things being near. Apart from truly exceptional situations, every Christian should make every effort to be at his church to pray during the time that his church sets aside for praying in their prayer meeting (Acts 2:42).

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Pet. 4:7).

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Theology
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The Vital Role of Friends in Caring for the Seriously Ill

August 3, 2013

Handling serious illness is one of life’s greatest challenges. The book of Job provides some insights about the vital role that friends have in caring for the seriously ill.

Job’s Friends Team Together to Minister to Him

After God allowed Satan to smite Job with “sore boils from the sole of his foot” to his head (Job 2:4-7), his three friends heard of all the hardships that he had experienced (Job 2:11a). As true friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came from their homes and chose a time when they would go to Job “to mourn with him and to comfort him” (Job 2:11b).

At a time when his family seems not to have cared for him as they ought to (Job 19:13-17; cf. 42:11), these friends came to render vital ministry to him. Even though they faced the tremendous challenge of ministering to a friend who had lost many possessions, all ten of his children, his health, and at least to some extent, the proper care of family, they did not let the fact that they were not family members stop them from going to minister to him in his extreme need.

Wisely, they decided to go minister to him as a team instead of each one seeking to minister individually to him. By going as a team, each of their strengths would have the best chance to offset whatever weaknesses they individually may have possessed so that they might best minister to Job in his time of immense affliction.

Undoubtedly, many seriously ill people today would receive vitally needed ministry if more friends would fill in the gaps where family members are not caring for their relatives, as they should. Moreover, teaming up to minister to them, they would likely provide more comfort to them than they would individually.

Ministering Comfort without Saying Anything

Seeing Job from a distance, Job’s friends were deeply moved by his plight because they were barely able to recognize him (Job 2:12). Weeping aloud, they tore their robes and threw dust on their heads.

Through these nonverbal actions of empathizing with his suffering, Job’s friends no doubt ministered some comfort to him. He could see that they were truly grieved by what had happened to their friend.

Coming to him, they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights without any of them saying anything to him because they saw that he was suffering great grief (Job 2:13). Just by being there with him for a long time, they rendered a vital ministry even without speaking at all with him.

Friends should not shy away from visiting one another in times of serious illness for fear that they might not know what to say to their suffering friends. In ways that often nothing else can, having friends around us for lengthy visits when we are hurting relieves the crushing burden of loneliness often experienced in times of deep affliction.

Exercising Great Caution in Placing Blame on Suffering People

Despite their genuine love and care for Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar ended up greatly undercutting their efforts to minister to Job because they failed to exercise great caution in blaming him for bringing his sufferings on himself (Job 4-5; 8, 11; etc.). Tragically, they became “miserable comforters” to him (Job 16:2) because they spoke wrongly of God to him (Job 42:7-8).

As friends, we can and should minister to one another vitally in times of serious illness. We must be, however, very careful in assigning blame to others for their suffering (cf. John 9:1-2).

We should also be very diligent to speak correctly about God to our suffering friends (Job 42:7-8). The book of Job provides us with a great training manual for doing so (esp. Job 38-41).

We Need to Care Properly for Our Friends Who are Seriously Ill

Many in the Church today are suffering greatly with serious physical troubles. Let us diligently heed the truths in the book of Job about the vital role of friends in caring for the seriously ill.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Health
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A Good Example of the Value of Learning NT Greek

August 1, 2013

Learning NT Greek is a valuable tool that helps a believer understand better what God has said to him. John 4:14 provides a good example of that value:

Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Joh 4:14 ὃς δ᾽ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

But whoever should drink from the water that I (emphatic) will give him will by no means thirst forever [or you could say, ever]; but the water that I will give him will be in him a well of water springing up to eternal life [my literal translation].

Whereas the English text has the promise that Jesus sets before the Samaritan woman as whoever drinks of the water that He will give him “shall never thirst,” the Greek text is stronger because it has both emphatic negation (οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ [“shall never thirst” or “will by no means thirst”]) and three words that the English does not translate: εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

These three words are a Greek idiom that means “forever.” Jesus’ promise to the woman of the water that He would give her was such that whoever would drink of it would by no means thirst forever! [1]

Also, the Greek text has an emphatic pronoun (ἐγὼ) that emphasizes Him as the Giver of this water. Jesus was thus using an emphatic pronoun, emphatic negation, and a Greek idiom to declare that a person who would drink the water that He gives would by no means ever thirst after he drinks of that water!

 

[1] Cf. the NET Bible note for this part of the verse: “NET Notes (Joh 4:14) 35 tn Grk “will never be thirsty forever.” The possibility of a later thirst is emphatically denied.”

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Biblical Greek, Biblical Languages
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“The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith that Works” — Lesson IX (7/28/13)

July 28, 2013

A Faith that Works in View of Both Comings of Christ

Eight weeks ago, we began our study of The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith that Works with four major objectives:

  • evangelistically: explain properly to lost people how faith and works interrelate in how we come to God
  • sharpen our skills in using these passages for personal edification/correction as well as for helping others; counseling self and others, including working with believers who may have lapsed into erroneous thinking about faith/works
  • challenge others to live righteously in keeping with their righteous standing before God
  • motivate ability to address these issues

We ended our first lesson by briefly considering Hebrews 10:35-39. In this last lesson, we will first consider how Habakkuk 2:4 is used in Hebrews 10:38.

We will then conclude our series, The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith that Works, by looking at many other passages that show that the just who live by faith have a faith that works in view of both comings of Christ.

How Hebrews 10:37-38 Uses Habakkuk 2:3-4

Hebrews 10 is the third NT passage that uses Habakkuk 2:4. Note that Hebrews 10 uses not just Habakkuk 2:4 but also Habakkuk 2:3:

Hab 2:3 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.

4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Comparing the wording of these two passages brings out what initially might seem to be a key change made by the writer of Hebrews. Whereas Habakkuk 2 talks about the coming of the vision at its appointed time, Hebrews 10 speaks of the coming of “he that shall come.”

As we have seen, however, the vision that Habakkuk 2:3 speaks of is in fact a prophecy of the Lord’s coming in judgment to destroy the wicked and save the just (Hab. 3:3-15). The writer of Hebrews is not changing the sense of Habakkuk; he is bringing out the truth that Habakkuk was teaching all along!

Hebrews 11 goes on to mention the faith of Enoch, who diligently sought God for 300 years but never saw the fulfillment of the coming of the Lord to judge that he prophesied (Jude 14-15). Both Habakkuk 2-3 and Hebrews 10:37 thus speak of the just who live by faith having a faith in the future coming of the Lord!

From the use of Habakkuk 2:3-4 in Hebrews 10, we learn that the writer of Hebrews was exhorting suffering believers to endure in view of the certain coming of the Lord that had been promised to them. Doing so, they would show that they are just people who live by faith.

Faith without Works is Dead

We have now examined the use of Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1, Galatians 3, and Hebrews 10 to learn more about how the just who live by faith have a faith that works. In order to develop fully our understanding of how faith and works relate, we also need to consider James 2 because it is a key passage about that subject.

Although James 2 does not quote from Habakkuk 2:4, it still has vital teaching about a faith that works. James 2:14-26 has caused many people to have questions about how faith and works relate in a person’s being a just person who lives by faith.

We can summarize the teaching of this passage with three key statements that James makes:

1. A faith that has no works cannot save (James 2:14).

2. A faith that has no works is dead (James 2:17, 26).

3. A faith that has no works is useless (James 2:20).

We need to compare the statements here about Abraham (James 2:21-23) with the closely related teaching about Abraham in Genesis 15, Romans 4, Galatians 3, and Hebrews 11, which all teach us that Abraham was justified before God by faith without works. Through comparing Scripture with Scripture, we therefore understand that James 2 is not talking about his being justified before God by faith and works.

In fact, Hebrews 11 makes clear that Abraham had a faith that pleased God (Heb. 11:8; cf. Gen. 12:1-4; Heb. 11:9) long before he offered Isaac (Heb. 11:17-19). At the same time, we must understand from what James teaches us about Abraham that his faith was perfected through the works that he did (James 2:22).

Key Points about a Faith that Works in View of Both Comings of Christ

We end our series with six key points that summarize what we have studied about how the just who live by faith have a faith that works in view of both comings of Christ.

1. In faith toward God (1 Thess. 1:8), we are to turn to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for the Second Coming of His Son, whom He raised from the dead (1 Thess. 1:9-10).

2. We are to evangelize sinners with information about both Comings of Christ (Acts 10:38-42; 17:30-31; cf. 1 Thess. 5:1-10), including that the Father sent Him to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14).

3. We are to refrain from assessing one another in unrighteous ways because we will give an account to the Christ who died and lived again to be the Lord of both the dead and the living (Rom. 14:9-12).

4. We are to endure persecutions and sufferings by faith in both comings of Christ (Heb. 10:35-39; 12:1-2; 2 Thess. 1:3-12; James 5:6-11).

5. As we fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith (cf. “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel” [2 Tim. 2:8]; “the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” [2 Tim. 4:1]), we must love the Lord’s appearing as the righteous judge who will reward us all (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

6. We are to read, hear, and heed what is written in the book of Revelation, which was given to us by Jesus Christ, “the first begotten of the dead” and He who “washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5). We must behold that “He cometh with clouds” (Rev. 1:7). We are to pray for His Second Coming (Rev. 22:12-21).

See all the lessons in this series here.

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In Sunday School, Theology
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