Seventh Day Faith
By Pastor Chad
There is a lie that has been heralded through evangelical churches for at least the last 100 years. In fact, it may be the greatest lie in churches today. It is a lie that many pastors will have to give an account for, and it is a lie that has harmed many.
This lie is that all one has to do to be saved is merely walk an aisle and say a specific prayer. If you do that, so the lie goes, then you are saved from the damnation of hell and your soul is eternally secure. It’s salvation by magical incantation. I challenge you: find such an idea in the pages of Scripture. Search as hard as you like, you will not find it. Now, at the same time, I don’t want to overstate what God requires for our salvation. I want to make sure we get it right. Again, this is not a game. Souls are at stake. Sure, one can walk an aisle and pray a prayer while truly becoming a follower of Jesus, but that is simply a step in the process, it is not the whole.
What must one do to be saved? Though there are quite a few passages that answer that question, I like to use Mark 1:14-15. There the gospel writer gives us some insight into what Jesus was preaching. We read: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” So, in order to be saved, one must repent of his sins and believe in the gospel.
The word “believe” that Jesus uses is the verbal form of the word “faith.” On Sunday morning, we explored several examples of what faith looks like in the life of a believer. One passage we discussed was Hebrews 11:30: “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”
In the book of Joshua, the Israelites cross over into the Promised Land. After doing so, their first great enemy is Jericho. According to Joshua 6, Jericho was surrounded by an impressive wall that protected the city from foreign invaders. The military might and ingenuity of Jericho were greater than what the Israelites possessed. But the Israelites had a secret weapon on their side. As you know, God was on their side. God commanded the Israelites to walk around the city of Jericho for seven days. And on the seventh day, they were commanded to walk around the city seven times. On the seventh lap, the priests blasted their trumpets and the people shouted. When they did so, the walls of Jericho fell, and Israel overtook the city.
The faith of the Israelites was shown in their willingness to follow God with a continual, steady faith in the face of overwhelming odds. Their faith was a lasting one – persistently obedient to follow the Lord’s instructions. Their submissive and unceasing faith resulted in their victory over a great enemy.
Biblical faith is a perpetual, tenacious belief that endures until the end. It isn’t simply a one-time decision made under the compulsion of emotional music and a charismatic speaker. It is a commitment to live a life trusting in the redemptive work of Christ and being faithful to His commands. It is a life of repentance—one that perpetually lives in the forgiveness and renewal God offers.
This is how the Bible describes faith. Faith is an ardent belief in what Jesus did and who He is. And it is an enduring trust that results in obedience.