FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE FIRST
PRINCIPLES - IV
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of
Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and
of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment.
FAITH
TOWARD IAUE - 1
No
man is justified (declared righteous such that we are acceptable to IAUE) by
the works of the Law; nor by any deeds or works motivated by good intentions to
be pleasing to IAUE. All such works are
empowered by the flesh, and as such, they are dead works and are incapable of
pleasing IAUE.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against IAUE: for it is not
subject to the law of IAUE, neither indeed can be.
8 So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please IAUE.
Paul
declared emphatically that “by the works of the Law
shall no flesh be justified” (Gal 2:16). By the Law, men felt that they
had some measure of control over their relationship with IAUE. The Law was something concrete that they
could do or not do. The Law exercised no
dominion over their hearts. Men could
keep the Law, thinking it was sufficient to maintain their relationship of good
standing with IAUE, while living in any manner they please. Interestingly, that is also a common
perception of Christians, today.
Because
most Christians, today, became “believers” through an “epistle-based” gospel
message, they came to Messiah without genuine repentance; and as a result, they
brought their old man into the relationship…a corrupt life that still thrives
and strives for dominance; all the while allowing lip service to a body of
religious doctrines that define their outward behavior.
Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice,
blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that
created him:
Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Messiah;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as
the truth is in Yahushua:
22 That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after IAUE is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The
problem with the correct gospel message (as far as man’s flesh is concerned) is
that it takes away the power of control from man. Without being able to rely on things he can
control (which never provided acceptance before IAUE; it just made man think it did), man must come to IAUE,
directly. This, historically, has always
been a fairly unacceptable option.
Exodus 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and
the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it,
they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And
they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not Elohim
speak with us, lest we die.
20 And
Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for Elohim is come to prove you, and
that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
“Speak with us…but let not Elohim speak with us.” Letting
someone speak to us the words of IAUE meant being given something we could do
or not do without having a single thought of IAUE. It is not much different
than going to church on Sunday and listening to the pastor tell us what we
should do or not do. At no time do we
actually have to think of IAUE or make ourselves personally accountable to His
will.
Approaching IAUE
directly means having to cope with the fear of IAUE. It means being personally accountable for
your own behavior, your own obedience or disobedience to the Creator of the
universe, and having to deal with an awareness that he chastises His children
to correct their behavior and to produce “the
peaceable fruit of righteousness” within them (Heb 12:5-11). [The second and third
posts of this blog (May 5, 2013 and May 12, 2013) deal considerably with the
concept of the Fear of IAUE. It would be
advisable to read those posts if you have not done so already.]
Hebrews 6:1
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of
Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,
There
is a natural progression from repentance from dead works to faith toward
IAUE. As we have shown above, when we
cease relying on our own works and our own concept of being faithful to
whatever standard of behavior seems right in our own eyes, we become REQUIRED
to deal with IAUE, directly; and to have confidence in His conditions for
acceptance before Him.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please
him: for he that cometh to IAUE must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
It
is genuinely impossible to have “faith toward IAUE”
without both understanding what faith is; and who IAUE is.
WHAT IS FAITH?
Hebrews
11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.
The NASB translates it like this:
“Now faith is the assurance
of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
“Faith” is
translated from the Greek word, “pistis,” and refers to “a strong conviction.”
Its use in Scripture is always in reference to faith toward IAUE or toward
Messiah.
“Substance”
is from the word “hypostasis,” which refers to “something placed
under” in the sense of providing a foundation.
“Hoped for”
is from “elpizo,”
which means “trust” and incorporates a sense of anticipation or expectation.
“Evidence”
is from “elegchos,”
which means “a proof derived from having been tested.”
Now,
faith is a strong conviction that forms a solid foundation of belief that the
things in which we trust are proven certainties. It is this form of conviction in IAUE that is
required in order to please Him.
We
are also told in Scripture, where faith originates:
Romans 10:17 So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of IAUE.
In
context, this is referring to “faith toward IAUE.” It is the faith by which man is delivered
from all that oppresses and hinders his ability to obey the will of IAUE that
he might walk in obedience to Him all the days of his life. It isn’t referring to faith that results in “going
to Heaven when we die;” and it certainly is not talking about the faith to
believe IAUE will give you a new car, a new home or a better job. All faith has as its objective, confident
trust and reliance upon IAUE with a view to obedience to His will.
This
faith comes by hearing “the word” of
IAUE. This is the “rhema,” which is the spoken
word. In context, this passage refers to
preachers going out to speak the word of IAUE that their faith might be
communicated to others that they, too, might have faith toward IAUE, and
receive the righteousness provided by Messiah.
Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of IAUE revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Much
of the current Christian world has made a game of this matter of faith. It has made “things” the objective of faith,
and IAUE the friendly supplier in the sky of those things. It leads men to find
promises in the Scripture that would make their lives easier, better and more
profitable, then hold IAUE’s feet to the fire to do what He promised. All such teaching draws men farther and
farther away from the simple purpose of life---to do the will of IAUE.
We
will connect this concept of faith with its true object, IAUE, in our next
post.
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
Even
though we have moved on to a different subject matter, we can never leave this
basic concept; for this is what IAUE desires more than anything else in all His
creation.
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