Faith in the word of God

The essential feature of the process is faith in the word of God. This is the beginning of the new life, the basis of true religion. The Apostle Peter writes of being “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23). This is why so many parts of the New Testament lay emphasis upon the necessity for faith:

“He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name.” (John 1:11,12)

“Without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe …” (Hebrews 11:6)

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:15,16)

Faith or superstition

As faith is so important, it stands to reason that the faith which God requires cannot mean believing in what is false or self-invented. The faith which God insists on is faith in what is true, because faith in what is false is really superstition. The Bible says, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). It tells us that ultimately a man’s actions are conditioned and regulated by what he believes, and therefore it follows that a false belief could result in a false life.

The writers of the New Testament knew this and were constantly urging the believers to hold fast to the truth. Consider the strong words which the Apostle Paul used on this very issue:

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8,9)

These are solemn sentences. Paul pronounces a double curse on those who preach falsehood. This is an example of the ‘intolerance’ already referred to. It is so different from the modern attitude of easy tolerance towards ideas about God which are totally divergent and sometimes mutually destructive. Paul insisted that the Gospel he preached was the truth and anything which contradicted it was a lie. He maintained that there was a definable standard of truth about God and His purpose and those who departed from it were in danger.

It is popular today to say that the Christian faith cannot be defined in propositions. It is supposed to be too personal and too mystical for that. It is this point of view which encourages so many to say that it does not matter what you believe or which church you join. But such a view is manifestly false, measured by the teaching of the New Testament where the church is called “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). There is a solemn duty laid on all believers to ensure that their faith and their church are built on that true foundation, as it is revealed in the Bible.

When Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman about true religion, he used some very significant words:

“The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him.” (John 4:23)

What Jesus meant was that true religion does not consist of mere outward show and external ritual, nor only the performance of certain acts of praise and submission, but rather it is an inward condition, of the spirit and not just of the letter. This emphasises the importance of living according to the way God has commanded. It is possible to praise God with our lips but in our lives to dishonour Him. It is possible to sing songs of submission and bow our heads in humility and yet in our hearts to be as proud as peacocks. We prove the truth of our religion by the obedience of our lives. The need is to discover the truth by humble reference to God’s word, and to apply it in daily living. This is worship “in spirit and truth”.

A matter of life and death

The issue is not just of concern to those interested in theology or who like a religious argument. It is a matter of life and death for all who seek salvation. The question whether it matters about finding the truth can be answered only on the basis of eternal principles revealed in the Bible. The principles which govern our approach to God have always applied; they are ageless.

In Leviticus there is a record of two men who ignored the principles and ended their lives tragically. Nadab and Abihu were priests of the Lord and their lives were regulated by God’s commandments concerning His worship:

“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke, saying: By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’” (Leviticus 10:1-3)

Priests were right to offer incense before the Lord, and the way of doing it was carefully prescribed by God. But these two men ignored God’s commandments. Perhaps it was due to carelessness, or indifference, or just plain disobedience, but God rejected their worship because it was done in a way He had not commanded.

Some people would say that wrong ways ought to be excused if the objective is right. But this is evidently not true when it comes to worshipping God. This story unmasks and condemns the theory that the end justifies the means. It shows that God is not indifferent to the methods people invent for worshipping in His presence. We may claim the right to please ourselves but it may not please God.

The Bible teaches us over and over again that truth is not advanced by false means, neither will it rest upon corrupt foundations. You cannot worship God by disobeying His commands. We cannot glorify God by being indifferent to His will, any more than could Nadab and Abihu. It is no good coming with “profane fire” now any more than it was then. God has not changed in nature or in purpose. Those who stand in His presence for worship must be those who have bothered to enquire about His will and who have a master passion to do it and obey His word. The old principle which Moses reiterated to Aaron is still true: “‘By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified’” (Leviticus 10:3). If God is to be glorified He must be obeyed. Any church which leads men to believe that God’s word is unreliable, or that His commandments can be ignored, or that it is a matter of choice whether we believe in certain fundamental doctrines, must be false because in the final analysis it teaches people to disobey God’s word.

The test of truth

It is no good pleading that we have been misled by other people. In the high court of heaven this is not a valid defence. Jesus said, “If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14). It is no good urging that clever and scholarly people have taught us what to believe and what to do. The test is not scholarship but truth measured by the word of God. Man-made religion is no substitute for God’s religion, be it ever so clever. Jesus made this clear when he took the words of an old Hebrew prophet and reinforced their meaning:

“In vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9)

This is far removed from popular religious teaching of today. There are prominent teachers in some Christian churches today who deny Bible teaching about God and His purpose, who explain away the reality of Christ’s resurrection, who throw doubt upon the authority of God’s word, and water down His commandments. The moral is that we ought not to be too impressed by the credentials of the ‘scholar’. Where scholarship is faithful to God’ s word and helps us to understand it better we ought to be grateful for it. But the Bible never suggests that human cleverness is the passport to divine knowledge. Instead it tells us that the truth unveils most of her face to those who are humble and of a contrite spirit.