Steven Curtis Chapman sings “My redeemer is faithful and true. Everything He has said He will do.” What marvelous assurance!  There is an old saying “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” But you know what? It doesn’t matter if we believe it or not. God said it. That settles it. Period. End of discussion. In a past blog we have discussed finishing well. (https://wonderfullyplagued.com/2020/09/04/finishing-well/). With Jesus, we don’t have to worry about that. If we are faithful, we will finish well. We also previously discussed the concept of faith, where we saw Hebrews 11:6 says “Without faith we cannot please God.”  (https://wonderfullyplagued.com/2020/09/28/a-leap-of-faith/).  

Being faithful is a two-way street. God is faithful to us, we are faithful to God. Faithfulness is a characteristic of God that reflects His ethical nature. He is constant in His relations with us. God is faithful and true and is worthy of our trust. God made a promise, a covenant,  to Abram. Despite the unfaithfulness of the Isralite people, God remained faithful. In the New Testament we read that God’s faithfulness, as well as His righteousness, is manifested in the forgiveness of sin (I John 1:9). 

On our side of this street, being faithful involves us living out our faith. There is a point in time when we proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ. Being faithful is a never-ending process in which we live out our faith. If you ask people, many will state that they are Christian. In a number of these cases, what they are really saying is that I used to go to church, I was baptized as a child, and so on. But I don’t go to church now. God is not really a part of their lives now. I am not one to judge but if we have faith we will want to please God. If he is not in our lives, if we are not faithful, I wonder if they really are Christian.

Faithfulness is living to please God. It involves more than our relationship with Him, however. A faithful life will impact our relations with others. The way to a faithful life can be keeping a promise, paying our debts on time, being honest in act and motive. Watch your words – don’t exaggerate or gossip. 

God has promised what is called an afterlife for us. But you know what? If we know Jesus, it’s not an afterlife – it’s a great beginning of a new life. We will awake in a world so wondrously better than this one. We have never really been at our best, our best we will be when in heaven. And it will be forever. For the redeemed, eternity starts now. And because He is faithful and true, we can trust that this will come to be for us.

When I was very young, I would hear sales pitches that included the language “This is a temporary offer.” In my young mind, I thought everything is temporary, nothing lasts forever. But one thing is forever – God’s promise that he will prepare a place for us. This world is temporary. Heaven is forever. Count on it – God is faithful and true. 

Zealous and jealous are two concepts frequently encountered in the Bible. Generally we regard jealousy as a negative emotion. If that is the case, why is God said to be a jealous God? Zealous is usually seen in a more positive light, but we know it can be overdone. As it turns out both words derive from the Latin zelus and from the Greek zēlos. 

Over time, the meaning of zealous has evolved so today it does not really share the same meaning as jealous. You might say that zealous has become the poor stepchild from the common root. 

Today, zealous describes an excessive feeling, meaning “fiercely partisan” or “uncompromising enthusiastic.” We all know someone who fits this category, maybe all of us do in at least one respect. The sports fan whose team can do no wrong and never get a break from the refs is a zealous person. I have a friend who is fond of saying that there is nothing more obnoxious as a new convert to anything. This is where the negative side of zeal rears its head. Being enthusiastic is not bad, but it can be overdone. If we are seeking converts to our side, fierce enthusiasm is not the way to do it and may result in the opposite effect. But we admire individuals who are passionate, zealous about something, as long as they don’t overdo it.

In discussing zeal, Joel Ryan commented that, as Christians, we often long for the adoption of a childlike faith. Buy Ryan suggests that we might better adopt in our faith the zeal often shown by teenagers and young adults. When someone in these groups cares about something they are “all in.” We should be passionate about our faith.

From a Christian perspective we need to be zealous about the Word of God. We are told that we should treasure the Word to help keep us from sin. Read it, meditate on it, memorize it, sing it, study it. If we are zealous for God we will want to be in His presence. When we love someone, we want to be with them. It should be even more so in regards to God. We want a personal relationship with Him more than anything. We do not want to be separated from the love of God.

A zealous Christian will be bold in his or her stand for Christ. We proclaim Christ in a variety of ways. In Mark 8:35 Jesus stated “whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes into the glory of His Father.” There should be no thing as a “secret service” Christian. Not everyone is a gifted speaker. Not everyone can witness one-on-one effectively. But we can all witness. My wife was not a public speaker, she could not mount an effective argument one-on-one. But through her singing and the life she lived, she proclaimed Christ. Her favorite song to sing was Baynard Fox’s “I’ll Tell The World that I’m a Christian.”

Jealousy, on the other hand, is generally seen as a negative emotion. But God is frequently described as a jealous God. This may be hard to reconcile. However, a study of how this concept is used in the Bible sheds some interesting light. It seems that the Hebrew word  qanna is also translated as jealous, but is only used in describing God. Zelus is not used to describe Him. There are three contexts for jealousy in the Bible. Two are positive.

First, God is jealous for the hearts of His people. In  several passages in Deuteronomy we read “I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” God chose the Israelites, they were His people. They agreed to worship, obey, and serve Him. Instead they strayed and worshiped idols. Even to the point where God wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth, but He relented.

Second is the feeling that a Christian gets when others do not give God the glory due Him. When we realize how much God has done for us, that He is the creator of the universe, we hurt when others disregard or disrespect Him. We are jealous that God has not received His due. But we must respond in patience and gentleness. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us “A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Third is the use of jealousy that carries a negative emotion. It is a jealousy, envy, or even covetousness that we experience when we want to have something that someone else has. Or it can be a strong desire to keep what we have. We want to “keep up with the Joneses.” It is hostility toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage. Joseph’s brothers wanted to keep their position in the family and were jealous of Joseph’s ascendency. Jesus showed us that this type of jealousy was not appropriate. Matthew 6:25-34 tells us to not be anxious for material things. Also in Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus tells us not to seek riches on earth but focus on eternal treasures.

Two words: zealous and jealous. Both have good and bad aspects. We would do well to heed Paul’s words in Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Strike a balance in both cases.

Becoming a Christian is easy. That does not make Christianity shallow, there are great depths to Christianity and the mysteries of God. What does it take to be a Christian? A Google search will yield endless results and lists – none of which seem to be the same. Acts 16:31 reads, in part (NASB). “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” That scripture, however, is deceptively simple. 

I think the key here is to understand what is meant by the term “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” It is more than an intellectual belief. I believe that Hitler lived and died on this earth. That doesn’t mean that I am a follower of his or believe his doctrines, I am merely assenting to his existence. James 2:19 tells us “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” The demons know God exists, and it strikes fear into them.

To believe in Jesus (God) we must believe that He is. We must go beyond assent to look to Him alone for life and salvation. We must rely upon him, place our trust in him. We must commit our life and everlasting soul to him. This will not come immediately. After Paul’s conversion he spent three years learning about Jesus. And it was another 11 years before he went to Jerusalem. Paul knew scripture, he studied under the best Jewish scholars. But he still needed preparation and learning. Remember this when your path or learning seems slow. 

I am a CPA. That is not an easy designation to receive. I had years of study in college getting a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s, and a Doctorate. Then I had to meet an experience requirement and pass the examination. I knew accounting through long years of study and practice. It’s been six years since I retired from teaching and there is no way I would step back into the classroom to teach today. Accounting has changed and if it is outside the area of taxation, I no longer know it well. Fortunately, the path to salvation is not so intense. But it is a life-long learning process. 

Fortunately for us, God never changes. What does change is our concept of God and our relationship to Him. As we become transformed, we understand God better. Romans 12:2 reads “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

So back to where we were at the start. The door to eternal life is open, we must simply pass through with our belief in God.  But in going through that door, our lives will change. I would liken it to a marriage. When we first get married, we think we know the person we are marrying. But, as the years roll on, we are constantly learning new things about them and we are changing our beliefs and actions. In the same way, saving faith in Christ also changes us. 

What about all these lists that tell us what is required to be a Christain? The Scion of Zion website lists eight of “God’s Requirements for Christians.” Note that it does not state “God’s Requirements to Become A Christian.” You don’t join an organization and ignore the rules associated with that organization. I have served on the Boards of Directors for numerous organizations. They have rules. One is frequently mandatory attendance at Board Meetings. Fail to attend a certain percentage of meetings and you can be removed from your position. Because we have accepted and love God we will want to do what He asks. We will want to do His bidding. Don’t fear, if you don’t meet all these requirements God doesn’t kick you out – He still loves you. I don’t think God keeps a checklist to see how we are doing. But, if I don’t even have a desire to do what God requires I probably need to examine my faith. Micah 6:8 tells us “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” That’s better than a list of His requirements that no one agrees on anyway. 

I would modify the often stated KISS principle – Keep it Simple Saints. And remember, there is no final exam we have to pass to get into heaven if we are called by His name.

All of us want to know what the future holds. People turn to fortune tellers, Ouiji boards, astrology, psychics, and other things in an effort to predict the future. As Christians, we know these are futile. When faced with a decision, we struggle with which way we should go. We pray about it, we evaluate the alternatives, we consult with trusted friends. All of this helps, but there is still uncertainty. As the time comes to make a decision, we must choose one path or the other. 

In our prayers, we may plead with God; we may argue with him asking him, telling him to guide us; to make it crystal clear what path we should take. While I don’t deny that God may tell us “do this” or “do that,” our guidance usually comes from a relationship with Him. We pray, we weigh the alternatives, we may get a feeling that a certain direction is the right one. Our friends may support our direction but usually we don’t know for certain. And we don’t like uncertainty.  Why doesn’t God just tell us outright what to do? I think the answer is found in Hebrews 11:6 (NASB) “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

This passage does not refer to a blind, gullible faith. I am reminded of the story about a farmer who looked up in the sky and saw the letters “GPC.” He interpreted this as God’s word to him that he should Go Preach Christ. When he was relating this to a friend, the friend responded “Maybe it means Go Plant Corn.” The Book of Hebrews is an exercise in evidence and logic. The writer is focusing on true faith over insincere works.  Robot-like obedience without legitimate trust in God is worthless. Hebrews is a tribute to Old Testament figures whose actions prove their faith. 

Notice the importance God places on faith. If we don’t have faith, we can’t please Him. If we have a complete understanding of a situation, we do not have an opportunity to exercise faith. For me, that is the trouble with blind, robotic faith. If we say “God told me to do this or that,” and we follow that belief, we are not exercising faith, we are obeying perceived orders. It needs to be coupled with common sense. God wants us to have faith in Him, not in our feelings.

A person I know got a very strong impression from God that he was not going to contract the COVID-19 virus. That did not give that person a license to act irresponsibly, congregating in large groups, not taking sanitary precautions, totally ignoring the threat of the disease. He needed to exercise common sense, he needed to take actions to make him less susceptible to contracting the disease. “I have faith that I will not contract the disease if I act responsibly,” should be his attitude. Not “I’m bullet-proof, God told me I am not going to get the disease.”

Faith also requires action. If we pray for a job, we don’t sit home waiting for the phone to ring. We go out searching for a job, submitting applications, taking action. James dealt with this interplay between faith and works. Chapter 2:14-20 (ERV)  “My brothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith but does nothing, that faith is worth nothing. Faith like that cannot save anyone. Suppose a brother or sister in Christ comes to you in need of clothes or something to eat. And you say to them, ‘God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,’ but you don’t give them the things they need. If you don’t help them, your words are worthless. 17 It is the same with faith. If it is just faith and nothing more—if it doesn’t do anything—it is dead. But someone might argue, ‘Some people have faith, and others have good works.’ My answer would be that you can’t show me your faith if you don’t do anything. But I will show you my faith by the good I do. You believe there is one God. That’s good, but even the demons believe that! And they shake with fear. You fool! Faith that does nothing is worth nothing. Do you want me to prove this to you?”

Faith manifests itself in works. Works without faith is mere activity and demonstrates a non-existent, dead faith. Notice too, that belief alone does not save us. The demons believe in God. No works, no faith. Complete understanding, no faith. 

In Mark 9;24, a father exclaims “I believe. Help my unbelief.” This man was being genuine. He desperately wanted his son to be healed. He believed Jesus COULD heal him, but he had doubts IF Jesus would heal him. Doubts do not show evidence of a lack of faith, it shows we are human. The fully-human Jesus expressed doubts “if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” If Jesus had doubts, it’s ok for us to have them too.