Learning Faith Of Noah And Abraham

By faith Noah, being warned of God 

of things not seen as yet, moved 

with fear, prepared an ark to the

saving of his house; by the which

he condemned the world, and 

became heir of the righteousness

which is by faith. 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.

Hebrews 11:7-8

     Faith in the unseen is faith, faith in the unknown, a belief in the unknown for if all is known then there is no need of faith. Faith means that a person does not have all the information but does have, if it is not blind faith, enough information justifying their faith. Why is faith so important to God? First, we cannot see God, we were not there when God created the world, we can only see partially anything about God except what God has revealed about Himself. God revealed in Scripture that He created all things and we can see creation: "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans1:20). God spoke and acted in ways that by His providence His purpose would be fulfilled without destroying His creation that He set forth for man and all things created. Man sinned and God acted to ensure that His purpose would be accomplished so He took Enoch away, away from that which was to come, that which was turning bad and abhorrent to God causing His wrath to come upon the world that He created, but there were those who continued in their faith towards Him and Noah was one such man. God cannot and will not allow sin to continue indefinitely, and though He will destroy sin, His mercy saves. Noah did not see God, but Noah walked with God and when God in His timing was to destroy sinful man, Noah was told by Him, (how I do not know how) and the Holy Spirit gave to Noah the will of God to save mankind that he had formed from the earth, created to by a shining light, a glory to Him. 

     Rain had not fallen on the earth as the earth was watered by a mist having water overhead in the heavens, and water underneath the earth and the mist that gave life to living creatures, plants, so Noah did not know what rain was, but by faith he believe God and the voice that spoke to him to build this thing called: an ark. Are their times when you have heard the voice of God through the Holy Spirit speaking to you to do that which you do not understand? Not some voice that does not have Scripture to support what you have heard for all things are to be examined to be true to God by His word. That voice that told you that you are to go, or to say, or to read more of His word, and you have shrugged it off as only your mind speaking and then in time you have found yourself in some sort of problem that would have been avoided had you listened to that voice of God speaking to you. What if Noah had not listened? You may not be here, there would be no hope for an eternal life that God has determined for those whose faith is in Jesus Christ who came to save His children. To build an ark? Why? What for? How? None of those questions stymied Noah, he got his sons together with him and began to build this thing called: ark. People jeered him, laughed at him, and nothing that Noah could say deterred their lack of faith in God. Then of all things, animals began to enter into the ark. What a sight, but men did not respond to this seeing of the work of God to save man from the coming destruction. Noah obeyed even though he did not have all the information. Noah had faith in God that God would do all that He promised and though the world around him was sinful and full of hatred, he continued to believe in God and his faith held sure. We are here due to the faithfulness of Noah. Noah's faith saved him, his wife, and his sons, and their wives, will your faith save your family, your house? 

     I will write more about Abraham in the next blog, but just think upon this: Abram (Abraham) lived in a land that was pagan throughout and far away from where he was to go, a place that he did not know he was going. Yet, by faith, God spoke to Abram and Abram responded by faith in God and although not having all the information, by faith he left his home, his homeland, and obeyed the voice of God. 

     Are you a Noah, or an Abraham? Is your faith in God, in God revealed truthfully in Scripture that nothing can deterred you, and your faith stand strong even if ridiculed? Only each person can make that decision. What is different about the narratives of Noah and Abraham? We have God's written word that reveals Him and His purpose for His creation so that we have more information than Noah or Abraham. We have no excuse! Listen, pray, study God's word and allow Him to providentially lead you. You will not be disappointed.

I will worship toward thy holy temple,

     and praise they name for thy 

lovingkindness and for thy truth: 

     for Thou has magnified thy word

above all thy name.

               Psalm 138: 2

God will speak to you through His word

Richard L. Crumb

 

     

The Testimonies Of Cain And Abel And Enoch

By faith Abel offered unto God

a more excellent sacrifice than

Cain, by which he obtained 

witness that he was righteous.

God testifying of His gifts:

and by it he being dead yet 

speaketh. By faith Enoch was

translated that he should not

see death; and was not found,

because God had translated him:

for before his translation he had

this testimony, that he pleased
 God. But without faith it is impossible

to please Him; for he that cometh to

God must believe that He is a rewarder

of them that diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:4-6

     The narrative in regards to Cain and Able, Enoch has been the cause of many discussions and yet seems to be hard to understand, and it is if we simply look at the narrative from our natural understanding. I do not claim to have a concrete answer but I will show what I have come to realize by looking at Scripture. Adam and Eve sinned, we all recognize that this is a fact and God was displeased with them. The world would now change sin had entered into the world especially the world of mankind and what was was no longer to be, as in the fact that Adam and Eve were naked without shame but now this too had changed. I can picture that Adam no longer looked upon Eve as before for it was she who had enticed Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit (I do not give Adam a pass for eating this fruit for he did not remain faithful to God), and now Eve was seeing herself differently in this relationship to her husband Adam (she was now seeing that she could be more like Adam and attempt to rule over him as she had done). Now, with this new view God gave them a wardrobe of skins from the death of animal: "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). Life was given to give what Adam and Eve now needed and it was God who gave that life. This was a demonstration that God would accept a sacrifice of a life killed as a sign of what He had done for them and pointed to a time when a sinless life, realize that an animal was sinless, would be given to fulfill the promise: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman (speaking of Satan), and between thy seed (the seed of Satan) and her seed (Eve's seed); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (a death blow to Satan, and a harmful bruise that would not cause a permanent death as a bruise heals). Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply they sorrow and they conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and they desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (Genesis 3:15-16). 

      Having been thrown out and prevented from entering the Garden of Eden Adam was forced to "till" the ground to have substance for life. So, it was not wrong to be a tiller of the ground as Cain was yet it was not the fruit of the ground that God had shown was to point to the one who He would send to save them from their sins: it was shown to be a life for a life. After bearing Able he became a keeper of sheep and when time came to give a sacrifice to God showing his faith in God and in His promise, he killed a sheep and presented it as the correct sacrifice. Cain did not do this but as the first born he would have been told what God had done and what God required and yet this is not what he did, he wanted to do it his way and brought fruit and vegetables. The faith of Cain was misplaced and caused him to do that which was not pleasing to God. Now, Cain knowing that this was wrong had the opportunity to do that which was pleasing to God and ask Able for an animal to sacrifice but this is not what he did, he got mad, so mad towards Abel that he killed him. Abel showed faith in God, and unseen God who had spoken through Adam and he believed, but Cain did not show faith in what God had done or spoken and it was this lack of faith that displeased God. Both Cain and Able sacrificed to God but Abel's sacrifice was more excellent and acceptable to God. It does make a difference to God as to how a person sacrifices his life for him and how he believes upon Him. We have a wonderful picture recorded for us to know what and how we are to sacrifice to God.

    As to the narrative about Enoch who was said to be "Translated" and did not see death may seem at first to be very confusing: is it? Enoch was a man of faith, not just faith, but faith in God. It must be remembered that Adam was still alive when Enoch was on the earth so he would have the opportunity to know from Adam about God. So what does it mean to be "translated?" The Greek word: μτετέθη third person singular aorist 1, indicative, passive from μετατίθημι that means to transport Acts 7:16, to transfer, Hebrews 7:12, and to translate out of the world Hebrew 11: 5, metaphorically, to transfer to other purposes, even to pervert Jude 4. We are not left in doubt as to the meaning about Enoch, he was not required to die for God had translated or transported him out of this world: "And Enoch waled with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Now, do not confuse this with the life and death of Jesus in regards to Enoch not seeing death. The difference is huge, Jesus had to die as in the sacrifice God had given to Adam and to all those who had faith in Him. Jesus was resurrected from death so there is a huge difference between the two events. But, Enoch had faith in God and in a world that was becoming more and more abhorrent to God, God removed him from the coming destruction. Enoch did live 365 five years (Genesis 5:23). 

      What we must obtained for us in these narratives is that it was faith, faith in the true God that pleased God. These testimonies are for our sanctification, that is, it is by knowing that faith, a faith in action is what is pleasing to God and anything else added to this faith is not pleasing to God. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is a rewarder

of them that diligently seek Him" (Genesis 11:6).

     There it is: Faith, and a faith that is diligently seeking Him and to those that believe upon Him. The question is: is your faith causing you to believe and diligently seek Him?

When the righteous truneth from his 

     wickedness, and do that which 

is lawful and right, he shall live whereby.

                    Ezekiel 33:19

Your faith manifests your love for God

Richard L. Crumb 

What Is Meant: Faith Is The Substance Of Things Hoped For?

Now faith is the substance of things

hoped for, the evidence of things

not seen. For by it the elders obtained 

a good report. Through faith we 

understand that the worlds were

framed by the word of God, so that 

things that which are seen were not 

made if things which do appear. 

Hebrews 11:1-3

     I do hope that your New Years Day was a good day, a day, to enjoy that even though January first is just another day in the calendar of days. We put emphasis on that day as it is the first of the next year. This first day of a new calendar year is a day when we take time to reflect on the past year see what was good and what was bad, and then plan to make the needed changes to make this year better than the last. 

     This blog is all about making changes from the Inside/Out, to change our belief in God to a conversion to God. Belief is one thing, conversion is another and that other is to make the needed changes in ourselves to conform to Jesus Christ our God manifested in the flesh. To change is not an easy thing to do for change from a certain belief or action to another is not always understood because there are things you wish to do but do not see how this could be possible. This is true of our changing from the Inside/Out. Our natural inclination is to do what we will to do, those things we want to do and when our spiritual life is confronted we find ourselves fighting any change, especially if there is no, or little, understanding about God and His desires to change us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. 

      Sometimes, due to our not understanding the will of God for us we pause our going forward in our spiritual life, or we begin to do things that make us feel as though we are doing the will of God. We fight this lack of understanding and not knowing the will of God and our minds are blank as to know what to do. It is in these times that God is taking time to teach us about sanctification, or to show you what service with God means so that what is done is according to the will of God and not due to our natural inclinations. We run ahead of God in these dark times and we run before knowing the guidance of God. Are you now in doubt? STOP? DON'T GO FORWARD! WAIT! 

      God will clearly show you the way, that is, He will if you are looking to Him to show you the way. First business is to build your relationship with Jesus Christ. Second business is to examine from Scripture what God is teaching you and what you are to do: severance of a relationship that is outside the will of God, or, a business relationship that must be severed. Whatever it is, wait upon God and find His will for you and if you are looking you will be shown His will for you. If you do not do this then you will make decisions that will end up in difficulties that might take years to make right. Wait for God's providential will and He will move you to be a witness for Him that you could not be without being in His will. Natural devotion will deny Jesus and be placed upon some other thing, and somewhere you will deny Jesus. 

      So, we come to this famous recognized chapter in the Bible, Hebrews chapter 11, the faith chapter as it is so called because it speaks of faith throughout this chapter to teach us about this thing called: faith. There are two kinds of faith, one is to just believe without having a foundation for faith. Example: tires on a car that are made by men and factories that we have possibly never seen or know much about and we believe or have faith that they are made so well that a person can travel at high speeds safely. Yes, there are examples by others showing that they travel at high speeds without a problem, but this is not to say that you will not have a problem with a tire that might have been made poorly, but with faith we travel at high speeds. The second faith is one that has a foundation, a foundation based upon truth. Even though we may not have seen the beginning of this world, how God made the world from nothing, we have by means of His revelation that He did do this and that He is in control of all things that occur in this creation. Our faith is not in the creation, or that it exists, we see it, our faith is in the One who created the world. The foundation of this faith is by the truth of His word whereby God has revealed to us Himself so that we can have a sure foundation for our faith. 

      The Greek words are better to aid us in our understanding about faith: "ύπόστασις," meaning assurance, understanding, a quality of confidence which leads a person to endure, or undertake anything, and "έλεγχος" meaning conviction, although this conviction does not mean a person will change, but there is assurance, confidence, understanding so that by the use of both words a person can understand the substance of faith, confidence and conviction based upon the truth of God's word. We have Faith in the unseen thing that things were made of things which appear, appear to be made by the unseen God. 

      This faith, this faith based upon a sure and true foundation can only be secured if one will take the time to study, pray, and put into action this faith that leads a person to follow the will of God with assurance that even in this thing called creation, unseen, is the same as our faith in the unseen God, a God who has revealed Himself so that our faith has substance.

In the beginning God created

     the heavens and the earth.

                   Genesis 1:1

Grow in faith: Faith in God

Richard L. Crumb