The Daily Word of Righteousness

Belief and Righteousness, #15

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. (Hebrews 11:10,11—NIV)

Looking forward to the city and considering Him faithful who had made the promise are excellent examples of faith apart from keeping the commandments of Moses. It is this type of true faith from the heart, not a sterile acknowledgment of theological facts, that brings righteousness and the fulfillment of the promise. This is what is meant by "with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness."

So we see that the promise is to be believed from the heart. The commandment is to be obeyed with diligence. Belief and obedience were demonstrated in the life of Abraham and they, working together, resulted in righteousness and the fulfillment of the promise.

The head belief of today, not being combined with obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, does not result in righteousness nor does it bring fulfillment of the promises.

The New Testament warns us that the Israelites, after having been saved from Egypt, died in the wilderness without having entered the land of promise—a type of the Christian who begins the program of salvation and then does not gain the inheritance in Christ because of unbelief and disobedience.

Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:16-19—NIV)

Can you see in the above passage how obedience and belief are related?

There are those who would claim that this warning does not apply to us because we are saved by "grace." If it does not apply to us, why did the Holy Spirit include it in the New Testament? Have we not become willfully ignorant?

Righteousness comes through a heartfelt belief in the promise.

Righteousness, blessing, fruitfulness, dominion, ministry, the rewards to the overcomer, the new man in the moral image of Christ (as we choose to be the servant of righteous behavior and as we nurture the Divine Seed), and entrance into the rest of God as we do God's works rather than our own works, come by doing the works of God rather than our own works.

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these." (John 5:19,20—NIV)

The above is true belief in God, the true rest of God, the belief and rest that bring righteousness and the fulfillment of the promise. (from Belief and Righteousness)