unbelieving heart

An ungodly lifestyle

Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians was focused on grounding these Gentile believers in the gospel and giving them the appropriate doctrine to live in a manner that was worthy of God (1 Thessalonians 2:12). Paul told the Thessalonians that the word of God was at work in them (1 Thessalonians 2:13) enabling them to live a life that is pleasing to God. Paul said, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). Paul differentiated the born again Thessalonians from their Gentile past and indicated that God had not called them for impurity, but in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). The Greek word that is translated holiness, hagiasmos (hag-ee-as-mosˊ) is also translated as sanctification in verse 3 of this passage. Holiness is the resultant state produced by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Hagiasmos refers not only to the activity of the Holy Spirit in setting man apart unto salvation and transferring him into the ranks of the redeemed, but also enabling him to be holy even as God is holy (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

The Israelites, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and given possession of the land that God promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:7), were sanctified or made holy by being set apart to God. The Israelites devotion to God was the basis of this sanctification. When Jeremiah began his ministry, he brought God’s charges against the Israelites. Though they had enjoyed a special relationship with God, the people failed to acknowledge what he had done in the past and had turned instead to idols (note on Jeremiah 2:1-19). Jeremiah 2:1-3 states, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD and the firstfruits of his harvest.”’” The Israelites were devoted to God initially, but as time went on, they became more and more corrupt like the people around them and eventually, forsook the LORD altogether. The extreme sinfulness of God’s people is emphasized in Jeremiah 3:1-4:4 as “both Israel and Judah are characterized as unfaithful wives (Jeremiah 3:1-13) and are urged to return to the Lord (Jeremiah 3:14-4:4)” (note on Jeremiah 3:1-4:4). Jeremiah 3:6-10 states:

The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the Lord.”

Israel’s ungodly lifestyle was a result of their unbelief. Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that Israel was broken off because of their unbelief and said, if they do not continue in their unbelief they will be grafted in, “for God has the power to graft them in again” (Romans 11:23). It was also explained in the letter to the Hebrews that the people of Israel had become hardened in their sin (Hebrews 3:13). Hebrews 3:12-19 states, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

Unbelief leads to an ungodly lifestyle because the unbeliever’s heart is attracted to evil rather than that which is pleasing to God. Paul associated sanctification with abstaining from sexual immorality and knowing how to control your own body in holiness and honor (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4). Paul elaborated on the process of sanctification in his letter to the Colossians and described it in terms of putting off the old self and putting on the new self. Paul said believers are to, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:5-15).

God encouraged the unbelieving Israelites to return to him, stating, “Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 3:12-13). Josiah, the king of Judah, who was reigning at the time that this message was delivered to Israel, did turn back to the LORD with all his heart, soul, and strength (2 Kings 23:25; Jeremiah 34:15), but God’s judgment against the Israelites had already been set in motion and shortly after Josiah’s death, Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and the people of Judah taken into captivity (2 Kings 24-25). Jeremiah prophesied about this disaster, stating, “Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles—woe to us, for we are ruined! O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim. Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah. Like keepers of a field are they against her all around, because she rebelled against me, declares the LORD. Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart’” (Jeremiah 4:13-18).

An ungodly lifestyle originates in the individual’s heart. Jesus explained to his disciples that it was not what they ate that defiled them, “but what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person” (Matthew 15:11). When Peter asked him to explain the meaning of the parable he was using to illustrate his point, Jesus asked, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (Matthew 15:16-20).

“The word repent means to ‘turn or to change.’ It is best illustrated by the picture of someone who is walking one way (towards sin) and out of conviction turns 180 degrees in their spiritual heart attitude and heads in the opposite direction of that sinful thought, word, or deed” (Fundamentals, Guilt and Repentance, p. 78). When God encouraged the people of Israel to return to him, he was expecting them to repent or turn from their sin and head in the opposite direction toward him. God said he would not look on them with anger because he is merciful (Jeremiah 3:12). God’s mercy makes it possible for a person to change their ungodly lifestyle into a godly one because it provides a pattern, model, and the strength for the godly person’s life to be directed toward God (H2623). Many of the people that Jesus encountered during his ministry on earth cried out to him for mercy (Matthew 9:27, 15:22, 17:15, 20:30). In his parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus illustrated the difference between an ungodly lifestyle and a godly one. Jesus said:

 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)

Jesus said the tax collector went down to his house justified. The Greek word that is translated justified, dikaioo (dik-ah-yoˊ-o) is spoken of character and means “to declare to be just as one should be, to pronounce right” and is “spoken especially of the justification bestowed by God on men through Christ, in which he is said to regard and treat them as righteous, i.e. to absolve from the consequences of sin and admit to the enjoyment of the divine favor (Romans 3:26, 30; 4:5; 8:30, 33; Galatians 3:8). The tax collector’s statement, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13), is what the LORD was referring to when he told the Israelites, “Only acknowledge your guilt” (Jeremiah 3:13), and then promised, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding…At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart” (Jeremiah 3:17).

The rebellion

Rebellion against God is a common theme throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Beginning with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:2-7) and concluding with the Antichrist’s battle at Armageddon (Revelation (16:14-16), mankind has continually chosen to rebel against God’s authority. The Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was dedicated to explaining certain events that must take place before Christ’s return. After discussing the judgment at Christ’s coming, Paul talked about a man of lawlessness that would lead the world in rebellion against God. Paul said:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

The rebellion that Paul was referring to was described in detail in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Paul told Timothy, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-3). The root cause of rebellion against God is identified as an evil, unbelieving heart in Hebrews 3:12. Hebrews 3:12-14 was a warning to believers about falling away from God. It states, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

The writer of Hebrews pointed to the rebellion of the Israelites after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt as an example of what not to do if you have a relationship with the Lord. Quoting from Psalm 95:7-11, the writer of Hebrews states:

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
    on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers put me to the test
    and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
    they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
    ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” (Hebrews 3:7-11)

The writer of Hebrews indicated that the remedy for a hardened heart was listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When we ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we go astray in our hearts. The Greek word that is translated go astray, planao (plan-ahˊ-o) is a derivative of the word planos (planˊ-os) which refers to “roving (as a tramp), i.e. (by implication) an imposter or misleader” (G4108). Planos is used in 1 Timothy 4:1 to describe the type of spirits that cause people to depart from their faith. The King James Version translates planos as “seducing spirits.” It states, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). The implication of this passage is that there is a competition between God and Satan to influence the minds of individuals who have accepted Christ as their Savior. Believers who go astray in their hearts are those who chose to believe Satan’s lies rather than the truth of God’s word. The first instance of this happening was in the Garden of Eden when Eve believed what the serpent told her and ate some of the fruit that God had told Adam would result in death (Genesis 2:17, 3:1-6).

Paul told the believers in Thessalonica that the man of lawlessness who is also known as Antichrist, was being restrained by the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). “The Holy Spirit is the restraining force in this world, holding back the power of lawlessness and the many ‘antichrists’ existing today (1 John 2:18). Verse 7 does not refer to a departure of the Holy Spirit but to the removal of his restraining power. This will allow Satan and the Antichrist to exercise dominion on the earth, but God will use whatever happens to further his plan in accordance with his own timetable” (note on 2 Thessalonians 2:6, 7). Paul went on to say, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Believing the truth of the gospel is what makes it possible for a person to be saved. Not believing the truth, opens the door for Satan to deceive you with a lie.

Jesus said in his parable of the sower that believers fall away because they “have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Luke 8:13). A time of testing is “a state of trial in which God brings His people through adversity and affliction in order to encourage and prove their faith and confidence in Him (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:2, 12; 1 Peter 1:6; 2 Peter 2:9)…In the opposite way, man ‘tempts’ God by distrusting Him and complaining to Him (Hebrews 3:8)” (G3986). It is this latter way of falling away, when man tempts God, that the writer of Hebrews was referring to when he said that we should not harden our hearts “as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test, and saw my works for forty years” (Hebrews 3:8-9). The rebellion is about mankind’s unified effort to dethrone God and Satan’s attempt to take his place. John depicted the rebellion as a final showdown in which all hell would break loose (Revelation 16:13-14) and every believer would be tempted to abandon God in order to survive (Revelation 13:16-17). Jesus encouraged his followers to stay awake so that they wouldn’t be tempted to give up. Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!” (Revelation 16:15).

Jesus often used the phrases stay awake or wake up when he was teaching his disciples to emphasize their need for spiritual help. The Greek term gregoreuo (gray-gor-yooˊ-o) has to do with consciousness or awareness of things going on in a particular realm. Jesus used gregoreuo in his message to the church in Sardis to emphasize their ongoing need for sanctification. Jesus said, “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you” (Revelation 3:1-3). The Greek word that is translated complete in Revelation 3:2, pleroo (play-roˊ-o) means “to make replete” (G4137) and was used by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians in reference to the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19) and of being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Being complete or your works being complete as a Christian means that you are fully aware of the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in and through you and you are completely conformed to God’s will for your life. This will be especially important in the time of the rebellion because Satan will be doing everything he can to confuse believers and to negate the influence of the Holy Spirit on their minds and hearts.

The end

Jesus’ Olivet Discourse focused on future events that were connected with his second coming. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know when these future events were going to take place, but Jesus told them, “no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Instead, Jesus identified signs that would indicate the end was close at hand. Jesus said:

“See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. (Mark 13:5-8)

Jesus used the analogy of childbirth to describe the events leading up to his second coming. What we know about childbirth is that the labor pains usually come unexpectedly. They might start out as being barely noticeable, but they inevitably gain strength and become more frequent as time goes on. The Greek word that is translated birth pains, odin (o-deenˊ) is “used in the plural when warning of the sorrows that would follow wars, famines, and other catastrophes” (G5604). Odin is similar to the word odune (od-ooˊ-nay) which means “grief” (G3601).

Jesus indicated that “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” before the end would come and warned his disciples that, “brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:12-13). Childbirth is a very strenuous process and a woman may have to go through hours or even days of labor without any food or water. Endurance is necessary to make it to the end of the process and deliver the baby. The Greek word that Jesus used, hupomeno (hoop-om-enˊ-o) means “to stay under” in the sense of bearing trials, having fortitude, and persevering (G5278). Hupomeno is also translated as patient and suffer and is used in Hebrews 12:2 to describe what Jesus went through when he died on the cross. The reason why Jesus said “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13) may have been because every woman has to go through the process of childbirth in order for a baby to be born. Jesus told a man named Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). You cannot separate the process of childbirth from the end result. Although the birth pains may not be felt at the beginning of the process, you will inevitably experience them if you are a child of God.

Jesus set the stage for his second coming with the appearance of a man he referred to as “the abomination of desolation” (Mark 13:14). When this man arrives on the scene, Jesus said, “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back or take his cloak” (Mark 13:14-16). The sudden appearance of “the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be” (Mark 13:14) triggers the final escape of those who expect to be saved (Mark 13:20). Jesus warned his disciples about a last ditch effort to trick believers into abandoning their faith. Jesus said, “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand” (Mark 13:21-23). Being on guard means that you have to pay attention to what is happening around you. It is connect to and dependent on the faculty of sight (G991).

Jesus talked about spiritual eyesight and the ability to discern spiritual truth in the context of understanding God’s word. After Jesus told the parable of the sower he explained to his disciples why he spoke to the people in parables. Jesus said:

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:13-17)

“Jesus spoke in parables to explain spiritual truths, but those who had already rejected Jesus did not have divinely enlightened minds with which to perceive these truths, and no amount of explanation would make them understand (1 Corinthians 2:14). They could watch and hear Jesus with their physical eyes and ears, but they were not capable of understanding the truth in their hearts because they had rejected him (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). Those who accept the true light they have been given will receive even more light, while those who turn away from the light will continue to be increasingly shrouded in darkness (Matthew 13:12). The word ‘for’ at the beginning of Matthew 13:15 should be understood as having the same meaning as ‘because.’ People do not hear and see because their hearts are full of wickedness; consequently, they fail to understand the truth that has been given them. They are so opposed to God’s message that they harden themselves against it, lest they should understand it and ask forgiveness of God. Once they reject Jesus, they also reject the possibility of understanding the parables that Jesus told (Isaiah 55:6-8)” (note on Matthew 13:10-17).

The filling of the Holy Spirit is essential for believers’ to be able to stay focused on the kingdom of God (Hebrews 3:7-11). Believers are warned in Hebrews 3:12-15 to not let their hearts become hardened. It states:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

The writer of Hebrews indicated that our hearts become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. It is not the sin itself that harms us, but the way that we deal with it. Hardening of the heart is basically stubbornness that is left unchecked. The Greek word that is translated deceitfulness, apate (ap-atˊ-ay) means “delusion” (G539) and is derived from the word apatao (ap-at-ahˊ-o) which means “to cheat” (G538). When a husband cheats on his wife, he usually deludes her into believing that everything is alright. He may even compensate by being overly attentive and affectionate to give her the impression that she is the most important person in his life. The more successful a spouse becomes at deluding his or her partner, the more stubborn they usually become in refusing to give up their sin of adultery.

All three of the gospel versions of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) contain the same key conclusions within Jesus’ message: 1) we will see Jesus coming in the clouds (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:26), 2) we will see certain things taking place that will let us know his return is near (Matthew 24:33; Mark 13:29; Luke 21:31), and 3) the day will come upon everyone suddenly and will affect the whole earth (Matthew 24:37-39; Mark 13:36-37; Luke 21:34-35). Luke recorded this depiction of Jesus’ return:

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28)

Luke used the phrases straighten up and raise your head to convey the impact that Jesus’ return should have on believers. Mark’s record of Jesus’ parable of the fig tree emphasizes the confidence that believers should have as they see the evidence of his imminent return. Jesus told his disciples:

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:28-31)

Jesus pointed to the fig tree as evidence of his return. Previously Jesus used the fig tree to teach his disciples a lesson about faith and his final public rejection by Israel (Mark 11:12-14, 20-26). It is likely that Jesus intended his disciples to think about both of these things as they prepared for his return. Matthew’s exposé on Jesus’ second coming linked the event with the flood that occurred in the days of Noah. Noah’s great faith contrasted with the unbelief of everyone around him is an indicator that there will be a stark contrast between believers and unbelievers in the final days before Jesus’ return. Matthew also connected Jesus’ parable of the tenants (Mark 12:1 12) with his account of what would happen in the end. Matthew recorded these words from Jesus’ message:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:36-51)

Jesus’ indicated that no one knows the day or hour or his return, not even himself, “but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Jesus encouraged his followers to “stay awake” (Matthew 24:42), a phrase that is repeated three times in Mark’s brief account of Jesus’ final words (Mark 13:32-37). The Greek word gregoreuo (gray-gor-yooˊ-o) appears to be connected with the activities of a guard who stands watch at night while everyone else is asleep (G1127). Gregoreuo is derived from the word egeiro (eg-iˊ-ro) which conveys the idea of “collecting one’s faculties” and is used figuratively to refer to wakening from “obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence” (G1453). Egeiro was used by Jesus in the context of the authority of the Son and rising from the dead. Jesus said, “For as the Father raises (egeiro) the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will” (John 5:21).

Luke’s conclusion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse suggests that some Christians may go through the Great Tribulation and some may escape. Luke stated, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36). Luke said that believers need to pray for strength in order to escape the things that are going to take place. The King James Version of Luke 21:36 states it differently. It says, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things…” Paul used the same phrase in his second letter to the Thessalonians where he talked about the judgment at Christs coming. Paul said, “This is the evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:5-8).

Paul’s clarification of what happens in the end makes it clear to us that God’s judgment is intended for those who do not know him and for those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Based on this, it would make sense that being counted worthy would mean that you do know God and have obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, but Jesus indicated the real problem was not knowing when he would return. He said, “Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:35-36). The night before Jesus was crucified he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew tells us, “And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41). The issue that Jesus addressed was the conflict between our spirit and our flesh. Jesus said the spirit inside of us is willing to do what God wants us to, but our flesh, the part of us that makes us human, is unable to resist temptation, it tends to vacillate in opinion and/or faith (G772). Staying awake means that you have to be spiritually alert and pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus used his parable of the ten virgins to convey the importance of the filling of the Holy Spirit when it is clear the end is near. Jesus said:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13)

The sudden and unexpected arrival of the bridegroom caught all of the ten virgins off-guard, but the five that had kept their lamps full and were ready to leave when the time came were able to enter the marriage feast before the door was shut. The interesting thing to note was that the five foolish virgins returned after filling their lamps, but they were not allowed to enter because the bridegroom didn’t recognize them. The command to watch suggests that after Jesus arrives believers will no longer be able to rely on the filling of the Holy Spirit to keep them in fellowship with God. The only way believers will be able to distinguish themselves is by not taking the mark of the beast and therefore, being willing to die for their faith (Revelation 13:16-17; 14:12-13).

Overcoming unbelief

One of the primary obstacles that Jesus faced in his mission to save the world was the unbelief of the people of Israel. Mark’s gospel tells us when Jesus came to his hometown, they “took offense at him” (Mark 6:3). The Greek word that is translated offense, skandalizo (skan-dal-idˊ-zo) means to “scandalize.” In a moral sense, skandalizo means “to be a stumbling block to someone, to cause to stumble at or in something, to give a cause of offence to someone. It says in Mark 6:1-6:

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

Jesus’ family, friends, and neighbors saw him as an ordinary man. Rather than accepting him as their Messiah, the Son of God, the people in his hometown associated Jesus with his occupation, and referred to him as “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3). Mark said that Jesus could do no mighty work or miracles there because of their unbelief.

Unbelief is the state a person is in before embracing the gospel, but it can also be a violation of faith or apostasy (G570). The writer of Hebrews admonished the people of Israel because of their unbelief. Hebrews 3:12-19 states:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

The writer of Hebrews associated unbelief with the heart, and also indicated that a person could become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

In his parable of the sower, Jesus identified different locations that the seed could end up after it was sown and explained to his disciples that the seed represented the word of the kingdom or the gospel. Jesus said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). According to Jesus the intended destination for the gospel is the heart, but Satan tries to keep us from understanding God’s word so that it doesn’t have any effect on us. Jesus went on to explain that the seeds that fell on rocky ground are, “the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:16-17). The seeds that fell on rocky ground may have been a direct reference to Jesus’ twelve disciples, who were noted by Mark as abandoning Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark said, “They all left him and fled” (Mark 14:50). After Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish, he came to his disciples in the middle of the night walking on the sea. Mark tells us, “And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:51-52).

The reason why Jesus’ disciples were utterly astounded when he walked across the water and got into the boat with them was because there was no logical explanation for what had just happened, they may have even thought they were losing their minds or were hallucinating. Mark says, “When they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost” (Mark 6:49). Mark’s assessment of the situation was linked to what had happened the day before. Mark said, “They did not understand about the loaves” (Mark 6:52). The Greek word that is translated understand, suniemi (soon-eeˊ-ay-mee) means “to bring together in the mind, to grasp concepts and see the proper relation between them. Hence, to comprehend, understand, perceive” (G4920). At this point in the disciples’ relationship with Jesus, it is likely that they were grappling with the fact that God had become a man, that the man they knew as Jesus, was actually God. In one of Jesus’ final conversations with his disciples, John lets us know that his disciples still couldn’t completely comprehend how Jesus, a man, could also be God. John writes:

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. John 14:8-11)

Jesus told Philip that the Father dwelt in him, that he was in the Father and the Father was in him. Jesus was speaking “of the relation in which one person or thing stands with another…thus to remain in or with someone, i.e. to be and remain united with him, one with him in heart, mind, and will” (G3306). Jesus concluded his conversation with Philip with the statement, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works” (John 14:11). Believing means that you have faith in someone or something. “Particularly, to be firmly persuaded as to something…with the idea of hope and certain expectation (Acts 18:8)” (G4100). The Greek word pisteuo (pist-yooˊ-o), which is translated believe, is derived from the word pistis (pisˊ-tis), which speaks “(of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or the religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation” (G4102).

Jesus’ miracle of feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish was motivated by compassion. Mark tells us about Jesus, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). The Greek word that Mark used that is translated shepherd, poimen (poy-maneˊ) is translated pastors in the King James Version of Ephesians 4:11 where Paul talks about the various manifestations of grace in the context of unity in the body of Christ. Paul said, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, but craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way unto him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16). Paul identified the goal of Christianity to be attaining the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. The role of the pastor or shepherd in this endeavor is to act as a spiritual guide for believers whose faith is being developed as they grow in their knowledge of the Son of God.

Paul said in his letter to the Romans that the Israelites were like branches that had been broken off because of their unbelief, and then added, “But you stand fast through faith (pistis)” (Romans 11:20). Standing fast implies that there is a force that is trying to move you or perhaps, knock you down. The Greek word histemi (hisˊ-tay-mee), which is translated stand fast, is used metaphorically in Acts 7:60 as “to impute, e.g. sin unto someone” (G2476). Histemi is used three times in Ephesians 6:11-14 where Paul talks about putting on “the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Paul concluded his discussion of spiritual warfare with the statement, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:16-18). Paul indicated that we must take up the shield of faith, suggesting that faith involves an intentional effort on our part to protect ourselves from spiritual attacks. Paul said that we can not only use our faith to protect ourselves from the enemy’s attacks, but we can also use our faith to launch a counter attack by praying in the Spirit at all times. From that standpoint, it could be said that prayer is a weapon that believers have at their disposal to overcome their unbelief.

Reviving the soul

The Bible teaches us that God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are considered to be one (Deuteronomy 6:4). Likewise, the Bible tells us that there are three components to human beings, a body, a soul, and a spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “The Scriptures view a person as a composite whole, fully relating to God and not divided in any way” (H5315). When God created man, it says in Genesis 2:7, “the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” The Hebrew word that is translated creature, nephesh (nehˊ-fesh) means “soul” (H5315) and corresponds with the Greek word psuche (psoo-khayˊ) which refers to “the soul as the vital principle, the animating element in men and animals” (G5590). Man’s soul and spirit are immaterial and yet, considered to be real parts of his being. The material part of man, the body is what most people think of as the person, but the Bible indicates that the soul, the inner being is “the life element through which the body lives and feels, the principle of life manifested in the breath” and more “specifically the soul as the sentient principle, the seat of the senses, desires, affections, appetites, passions, the lower aspect of one’s nature.” The Hebrew word psuche is usually translated as soul, but it is also translated as life, mind, and heart. Jesus connected the word psuche with anxiety. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, emphasis mine). Matthew 20:28 tells us that Jesus’ psuche or life was the price that was paid to redeem our souls from death. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, emphasis mine).

The immaterial part of man which is known as the soul is held in common with animals, “However, animals are not said to possess a spirit; this is only in man, giving him the ability to communicate with God…In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 the whole man is indicated as consisting of spirit, soul, and body; soul and spirit, the immaterial part of man upon which the word of God is operative” (G5590). Hebrews 4:12-13 states, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” The author of Hebrews indicated that the word of God penetrates or is able to move through our being and separates the soul from the spirit so that it can expose the intentions of our hearts. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). In this verse, Jesus used the same Greek word in reference to the Holy Spirit and to the spirit part of man and indicated that it is the Holy Spirit who gives life. In this instance, the Greek word that is translated life is zoopoieo (dzo-op-oy-ehˊ-o). Zoopoieo, as a verb, means ‘to make alive’” and speaks “of the impartation of spiritual life, and the communication of spiritual sustenance generally, John 6:63, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Galatians 3:2” (G2227). The soul and the spirit of man can be distinguished from one another in that the soul is associated with sin and death (Ezekiel 18:4) and the spirit is associated with salvation and eternal life. Jesus told a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus, “’Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’” (John 3:3-6). Jesus went on to say, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

The bronze serpent that Jesus referred to Moses lifting up in the wilderness was a cure for the consequences of the people’s sin. Numbers 21:4-9 states:

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Numbers 21:4 indicates that the problem that caused the Israelites to speak against God and Moses was that “the people became impatient on the way.” The King James Version of the Bible states the problem this way: “the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.” Basically, what that meant was that the people began to experience the results of their rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 1:26-32) and it made them want to stop following the LORD’s directions.

Hebrews chapters three and four focuses on the situation in the wilderness with regard to the Israelites’ attitude about God’s promises. It states:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief…Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 3:12-19; 4:6-13)

The author of Hebrews indicated that it was an evil, unbelieving heart that caused the Israelites to fall away from the living God and that it resulted in disobedience. The Greek word that is translated disobedience in Hebrews 4:6 and 4:11, apeitheia (ap-iˊ-thi-ah) refers to the “obstinate rejection of the will of God” (G543). The author’s statement that “the word of God is living and active” and is able to discern “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12) implies that God created man in such a way that his words have an effect on our hearts and souls, but we are free to reject his message.

Psalm 19 begins with a declaration that the heavens speak to us on God’s behalf. King David stated:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
    which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6)

The fact that the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork and yet, their message seems to have no effect on people’s hearts shows that Israel’s disobedience is typical of all mankind.

David went on to explain in Psalm 19 that people need to know more about God than just that he exists and has created us in order to submit themselves to his will. David said:

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)

David indicated that the law of the LORD is perfect and that it is able to revive the soul. The law that David was referring to was probably the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible that were written by Moses. These books revealed God’s plan of salvation under the Old Covenant. “The law of God is that which points out or indicates his will to man. It is not arbitrary rule, still less is it a subjective impulse; it is rather to be regarded as a course of guidance from above. Seen against the background of the verb yarah, it became clear that torah is much more than law or a set of rules. Torah is not restrictive or hindrance, but instead the means whereby one can reach a goal or ideal. In the truest sense, torah was given to Israel to enable her to truly become and remain God’s special people. One might say in keeping torah, Israel was kept. Unfortunately, Israel fell into the trap of keeping torah as a means of becoming what God intended for her. The means become the end. Instead of seeing torah as a guideline, it became an external body of rules, and thus a weight rather than a freeing and guiding power” (H8451).

The perfection that David saw in the law of the LORD had to do with the effect of God’s word or more specifically the effect that knowing God’s will has on a person’s soul. David said that the law of the LORD revives the soul. The Hebrew word that is translated reviving in Psalm 19:7, shuwb (shoob) means to turn back. “The basic meaning of the verb is movement back to the point of departure…The process called conversion or turning to God is in reality a re-turning or a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us, but whose we are by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption” (H7725). The process of conversion is depicted in the Pentateuch or torah through the lives of the Israelites who returned to the land that God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Also, after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the Israelites were brought back to the place of their rebellion and given a second chance to enter the Promised Land. Moses told the people, “This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and rules and will obey his voice. And the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and the he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised” (Deuteronomy 26:16-19).

The certainty of God’s promise is discussed in the sixth chapter of the Book of Hebrews. It says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:13-20). The author of Hebrews talked about God’s promise being guaranteed with an oath and said that we have hope “as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). The Greek word echo (ekhˊ-o) “stresses that one has the means to accomplish a task” (G2192). Jesus demonstrated that our souls can be saved by going before us into God’s presence and interceding with him on our behalf.

James’ letter, which was written to the twelve tribes of Israel in the Dispersion, addressed the issue of hearing the word God versus doing it with regards to saving the soul. James said, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:19-25). James described the law as the law of liberty. The Greek word that is translated liberty, eleutheria (el-yoo-ther-eeˊ-ah) stresses the completeness of Jesus’ act of redemption. “Not to bring us into another form of bondage did Christ liberate us from that in which we were born, but in order to make us free from bondage” (G1657). Eleutheria is derived from the word eleutheros (el-yooˊ-ther-os) which means “unrestrained (to go at pleasure), i.e. (as a citizen) not a slave” (G1658). Jesus told the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free…Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31, 34-35).

James concluded his letter with a discussion about the prayer of faith in the context of reviving the souls of others. James indicated that a person could be converted or saved as a result of the prayer of a righteous person on his behalf, a righteous person being someone whose life is consistent with God’s word. James said:

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:13-20)