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ABEL – Knowing the works pleasing to the LORD God (Lesson 5)

Now it’s time for application of the “Faith of Abel” into your own spiritual walk with Jesus Christ! What can present-day, faithful Christians learn from the “Faith of Abel” that will change the way they approach the LORD God forever more?

Simply put, the “Faith of Abel” allowed him to know the works pleasing to the LORD God. That same faith principle can be applied to your offerings to Him, guaranteeing His pleasurable acceptance of your righteous worship and praise!

Where does that “faith of acceptable works” come from? Cain certainly didn’t have it. He was a intelligent as his brother, and had a higher status in the family, yet the works he offered the LORD God came from the cursed ground. Rather than learning the deeper things of God through a contemplation of spirit, he relied upon the work of his own hands. Cain’s hands presented gifts to the LORD God that reflected his efforts to produce fruits from the cursed land of the world.

Cain did not want to displease the LORD God. He was surely proud of his works that he had wrestled from the cursed ground with his own blood and sweat. He took that old ground that barely could grow food, and was able to make enough crops of good things to offer God. He did not approach God with a harsh heart; on the contrary, he was giving God the best he had produced with his own hands. Sadly for him, he did not reflect the spiritual nature of the LORD God, nor understand the will of Him, and he created a blunder that many make today.

This terrible mistake is made every time someone believes that the efforts made in this world by their own hands is worthy of offering to the LORD God. Those poor but good folk trying to make a living out of badland dirt; surely their efforts of living the hard-working, blood and sweat life, doing more good than bad in their time in this world must count for something in God’s judgment. Sadly for them, God is offended by the offering of gifts produced with the hands of man from the cursed ground.

Forget the honest offerings of a hardworking but poor and pathetic people. How about the millions and millions of dollars that the rich donate to build the temples and governments and hospitals and charities that bring a higher and better good to the lives of people within this world? The hearts of these benevolent people are real and true in their desires to bring the best of life to people with less to live for! Surely these offerings are accepted by the LORD God as worthy and give Him reason to pronounce them righteous saints!

Clearly, the offerings of Cain show us that these offerings to the LORD God are still offensive! If the works derive from the cursed world, and are accomplished through man’s efforts, they are NOT worthy to be offered to the LORD God.

What about the quiet efforts of simple cultures, who refuse to take life of even the smallest creatures, who walk with soft feet and try to leave as little evidence of their presence on this world while making it a little bit better for others to live? What about the “we are the world” crowd that joins hands across the oceans and gives serious effort to becoming one with all people, protesting war and big governments that separate the people, and supporting one world order united in common cause?

Let’s not forget the brave who fight for the just cause, who die for a nation’s beliefs, or join a group to protest wicked controls; their efforts must surely glorify God! What about the monks and the priests and the religious and the devout church goers who do good everyday with their charities and their prayers?

How about the complicated works of educated masses! Surely all the technology created by man has brought attention to them from an admiring LORD God, who sees them approach His Glory, with their own! Nope to all of them again! God is not interested in the fruits of mankind that come from their effort through the growth obtained in the cursed world!

It is a trap that Lucifer set from the beginning, for people to be tricked into thinking the efforts of human beings were restricted only by the heavy hand of the LORD God. Remember the encouragement the serpent gave Adam and Eve to reach out for the fruits with their own hands. While some truth lay in the potential of mankind to become godlike in their efforts should they ever obtain the ability to achieve eternal life on their own, the LORD God prevented it by placing a guard upon the Tree of Life. Yet, Lucifer has done everything in his power to encourage man to produce and discover and challenge the cursed ground, and make fruits prosper to man’s glory. Often, this message seems to be the only one embraced, as mankind drives harder and faster to figure out how to create life itself without the order established by God, while at the same time destroy the babes in the womb created by Him to live.

So, it should not surprise you that the offerings of mankind will be received with the same offense that the offerings of Cain were once received by the LORD God in the beginning. Either the works of man demand worship from the LORD God, or the LORD God demands the worship of man. It can’t be both ways! The “Faith of Abel” knew this well, and supplied the only offerings that glorified the LORD God fully. Abel was confident that the works must be created, directed, encouraged, placed, established, brought forth, charged, grown, and made fruitful by Him.

If the LORD Gods hands did not create the works, then it was dead, and unworthy to be returned onto Him!

Hebrews 9:14
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:14)

The living God can only be served by living works! Only the LORD God can create life! Only those with the “Faith of Abel” that have confidence in this absolute truth, and trust in Him to direct their ways, can have works created through them by Him! That is the “Faith of Abel” – to confidently know and be moved by the Living God to do the things He wills, even when there is no understanding or no knowledge of the outcome to be. It is through the “faith like Abel” that a Christian brings fruit back to the LORD God that was first planted by Him; and it is that faith that declares a Christian’s efforts righteous before the most Holy LORD God!

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ABEL – How did Abel know the perfect offering (Lesson 4)

Genesis 4:1–5 (KJV 1900)
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Two brothers with two different gifts brought to their LORD God as offerings to honor Him. We already have seen how Cain’s gift was offered to God from the fruits of natural life labor from the cursed ground. Abel, however, brought a totally different type of offering to Him. His offering was the “firstlings” of his flock; the choicest of the herd of sheep that Abel watched over.

Abel was just as intelligent as his brother Cain. They were brothers, and they received the same amount of smarts from their parents. Yet Abel figured out the best gift to offer the LORD God, while his brother Cain figured out the absolutely worst gift to give to Him. What was the difference between the gifts? Abel’s gift was life created by the LORD God; Cain’s gift was fruit created by man from cursed ground.

When the offerings are defined as life from God in Heaven vs. fruit from man in cursed ground, the differences are profound! “No intelligent man would ever offer fruits from a cursed ground, when the choicest, most perfect gifts of God-created life are available. Yet that is exactly what happened (and something we see happens even in the offerings today!) One brother figured out what a perfect offering to God would be, and the other had a completely wrong idea about what would please God.

Since Abel and Cain both used intelligence to prepare their offerings to Him, and both desired to bring offerings to the LORD God, and both sought the LORD God’s pleasure, then what difference in their thought processes changed the offerings? The motive is apparent:

While Cain brought his personal works as a present to Him; Abel brought the works of God. Cain knew the LORD God as an oppressive master who had condemned mankind to toil and labor; his fruits came from the toil of his hands and were given in the most stubborn and arrogant way to his God in order to keep punishment away.

Abel knew the LORD God intimately. He knew the LORD God in his interior parts. Abel knew that he could not do one work, or create one thing from the cursed, dying ground that would be pleasing to the LORD God. Abel knew that it was only the creations of life by the LORD God that could honor Him. Products of the cursed, dying ground would never be worthy of a gift given to Him. Abel confidently knew that it could only be the purest forms of life, created by Him, that would magnify His glory, and be accepted as a blessing.

While Cain thought of the LORD God as an oppressive master who kept His thumb upon mankind to make their life tough, Abel looked upon Him as all-knowing, all-powerful, always present Creator of all things, filled with glory that mere man could never duplicate. Abel was filled with humbleness, awe, love, worship and respect toward the LORD God, while Cain’s heart flowed with resentment, fear, arrogance and entitlement.

Don’t ever be fooled with the nature of the gifts offered to the LORD God. Abel’s gift and Cain’s gift were purposely chosen, with full intelligence and intent. Abel chose to offer the only gift worthy to be given to the LORD God; it was only the perfect creation of life by the LORD God that was worthy to be given.

Abel did not assume all life to be equal in worth and glory, however. He chose from the “firstlings of the flock and the fat thereof.” It was the untainted, pure first creations of life that held the most potential to worshipful offering, and it was the first creatures of the created flock which were given back to God in awe-filled worship of Him by Abel.

This confident knowing of the offerings pleasing to the LORD God defines the “Faith of Abel.” There is only one way that anyone can have this type of faith. A true worshipper of the LORD God must worship Him from the inward parts, and know His nature intimately. Offerings given to the LORD God must always reflect His glory; only life works created by Him have this potential. Those with the “Faith of Abel” know that the gifts derived from the curse land and handiwork of man will never please the LORD God.

Hebrews 11:4
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” (Hebrews 11:4)

It was this perfect offering to the LORD God, a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, which proved to the LORD God that Abel was righteous. Abel sacrificed the best of life given to him by his LORD God, by offering it back to Him in worship, and God knew him through his gift.

Abel loved the LORD God without promise of eternal life. Abel worshipped the LORD God with the awe and respect of a righteous man without regard to entitlement or promises that would benefit him. He worshipped God through his offerings of the best of life without expectations of anything to follow. Unlike Cain who expected reward from God for his hard work in the cursed ground, Abel gave back to Him because he intimately worshipped the LORD God.

It is that same “Faith of Abel” that gives believers today the ability to confidently offer the fruits of His works that will please the LORD God. It is these faithful offerings that reveal the righteousness of those whom offer the most excellent sacrifices, and offer the shadows of deeper faith that we will explore next.

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ABEL – What could Cain have been thinking? Lesson 3

Genesis 4:1–5 (KJV 1900)
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:1-5)

There are several good hints to the state of Cain’s mind at the time of his offering. Let’s take a look at the deeper meaning of the words surrounding the offering, and see if we can reach the mind of Cain even deeper!

Cain was a “tiller of the ground.” English readers often picture Cain as an honest and hardworking farmer, producing crops that feed the masses. After all, farming is one of the noblest efforts made by working man that provides sustenance for all. Present day, it is an honorable profession with the Salt-of-the-earth good people of the land, participating in a task invaluable to society.

Take care with that literal interpretation that applies today’s definitions! A “tiller” is a lesser work that is indicated by our English word “farmer.” The Hebrew word for “tiller” is “abad.” This word describes a tiller as one that is a “servant to the land.” This land is the same ground that the LORD God cursed for the disobedience of Adam.

Cain was a servant to cursed land!

What does a servant to cursed land do?

The Bible tells us exactly his duties and the fruit of his effort. He will sorrowfully labor in trying to produce crops with the land, but it will be unsuccessful. No good fruits would come from cursed ground! The only crops from the land will be thorns and thistles and herbs. That’s exactly what the LORD God said would come from the cursed ground!

Genesis 3:17–19 (KJV 1900)
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:17-19)

The product of the cursed land would be an inferior product from that which was possible. No longer would the perfect fruits of the LORD God grow into the magnificent trees providing the spiritual needs of mankind. Now only thorns and thistles and herbs will come out of the ground, and barely supply the natural life needs of mankind.

What could Cain have been thinking to bring to the LORD God the inferior fruits of thorns, thistles, and herbs from the cursed fields that he labored as a servant? Why did he offer a gift of the imperfect produce fit only for a servant of the cursed land for natural life consumption? What must he have been thinking? Again, the Word of God reveals a portion of exactly the motive behind the offering given by Cain. The evidence is revealed through his emotional reaction to the LORD God’s disapproval of the offering Cain brought.

Genesis 4:5
“But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4:5)

The LORD God saw the offering that Cain brought to Him, and he looked away from it. It was not worthy as a gift to the almighty LORD God. It offended Him. Cain’s reaction to this rejection was an extreme anger toward the LORD God. Cain reacted with angry offense that the LORD God would dare reject a gift produced by his servant labor on the cursed land! The Hebrew word for this anger is “charah.” While “wroth” describes his reaction perfectly in old King’s English, a newer use of the word would be “wrath.” Cain was INCENSED and HOT and ANGRY; the Word described his action as “very wroth,” and the “very” says it all!

Cain’s anger led to his countenance falling. He had once looked upon the LORD God in a favorable way. However, the moment his offering was rejected, he turned away from the LORD God. His countenance was no longer seeking the approval of Him, but rather, focused upon the unfair treatment of God toward his effort. Just as today’s wicked interpretations of the account of Cain’s offering suggests, Cain surely argued that God was unfair and treated him poorly, and as a result was a God that was unworthy of his attention.

Even in the midst of extreme anger and rejection, the LORD God tried to bring Cain to understanding. He tried to teach Cain.

Genesis 4:6-7
“And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (Genesis 4:6, 7)

Cain would have nothing to do with the teachings of the LORD God. He was angry, and he purposely turned from Him because he did not get approval for his offering.

What could Cain have been thinking? Evidence strongly suggests that Cain thought the fruits of his servant labor from the cursed ground were more worthy that the fruits of God’s creation from above. Unless the LORD God accepted Cain and his offering, unless God bowed to Cain’s will, there would be no relationship between them forever more.

That is what Cain was thinking.

Genesis 4:8–16 (KJV 1900)
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. (Genesis 4:8-16)

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ABEL – What did the first family know? (Lesson 2)

We can’t begin to know all they knew, since perfected intelligence has gone downhill from the first sin, and the Word of God records a limited account of these things. However, we have enough smarts left inside our 21st century minds to surmise some pretty accurate knowledge of what the first family knew, when the evidence within the Word of God is examined.

Adam and Eve knew the LORD God, and His expectations for them. They were able to speak to God, and hear His Words, and be in His presence before they betrayed Him with their disobedience. They were intimately associated with His walks in the Garden, and knew His nature and His will and His love for them.

Genesis 2:15 (KJV 1900)
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it… (Genesis 2:15)

Genesis 3:8 (KJV 1900)
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

They knew the LORD God’s expectations for them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue, and have dominion over the earth.

Genesis 1:28 (KJV 1900)
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28)

Adam knew the names of all the Creations of the LORD God, because he named them as the LORD God brought them to him. They lived in the most beautiful of all created gardens, and walked among all of the perfection that God made.

Genesis 2:19–20 (KJV 1900)
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:19-20)

Adam knew the woman that was created from a rib of his body by the LORD God. He recognized that the woman was part of him, and named her woman, because she was taken out of him.

Genesis 2:21–23 (KJV 1900)
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:21-23)

They knew how to multiply the earth by knowing each other intimately. Adam knew that the child conceived by their union was actually given to them by the LORD God, and not just the father and mother’s creation alone. While the parents union formed the fetus, it was the surge of God’s power within the womb that created life given by Him.

Genesis 4:1
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.” (Genesis 4:1)

Adam and Eve knew that there were two trees whose fruit was prohibited to eat. Scripture records these were the fruit that gives knowledge of the difference between evil and good, and the fruit that gives eternal life. One tree, the fruit revealing evil and good, was eaten by Adam and Eve at the tempting of Satan in the form of a serpent. After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve understood their nakedness and separation from the LORD God as a result of their disobedient actions.

They also knew that the Tree of Eternal Life was barred from them by guarding Cherubims and flaming swords, preventing the eating of that fruit.

Genesis 3:24
“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

At that point, Adam and Eve had perfect intelligence, knowledge of good and evil, and only needed to have eternal life to become gods.

Genesis 3:22
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” (Genesis 3:22)

The knowledge that Adam and Eve possessed as a result of their lives moving in the midst of God’s perfect creations, does not stop as a result of their sin against Him. In fact, it was their sin that gave them new understanding of the LORD God, their Creator. At the time of their disobedience, they saw His anger, judgment, and punishment come to bear upon them.

All participants in the sinful acts against God were punished by Him. Eve’s sorrows were multiplied in childbirth, and her husband was placed as head over her.

Genesis 3:16
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16)

The serpent was made to crawl upon his belly, destined to eat dust all the days of his life, and enmity placed between the serpent and the woman, and his seed and her seed.

“And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 4:14, 15)

However, it is the specific punishment given to Adam for his disobedience that becomes an integral clue to the account of Cain and Abel’s offerings to God; it gives the key to understanding the motives of both boys’ motives later on.

Genesis 3:17-19
“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Note the words “cursed is the ground.” No longer was the ground a producer of the best fruits by the moving of the LORD God. From that moment on, the cursed ground would produce thorns and thistles; it would take the sweat and hard work of the man to bring forth food fit to eat. Death would be brought to man as a result of his sin against God, and he was cursed to become the same dust that he was created from!

Adam heard the punishment meted out by the LORD God. He had perfect intelligence, he knew he had done wrong in his disobedience, he knew the power of God, and he knew the punishment that was given. Moreover, he heard the cursing that was placed upon the LORD God’s creation!

What first was created in perfection was changed to imperfection by the Creator with His curse. The ground would no longer feed mankind with enticing flavors and fruitful growth without great effort. THE GROUND WAS CURSED!

Genesis 3:17-19
“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Which brings us to the point of this part of the lesson…it’s time for you to make an assumption. Here are your two choices:

1. Either Adam and Eve told their sons Cain and Abel about their experiences in the Garden of Eden, and how they came to be kicked out of the Garden as a result of their disobedience, and the resulting punishment by the LORD God. In other words, they passed on their knowledge, gained by experience, as all other forms of life pass survival knowledge to their offspring.

2. Or Adam and Eve chose to keep Cain and Abel in the dark concerning the things of God, and never spoke about the “curse” that was placed upon the earth.

Only one assumption, however, comes with support in the Word of God. If Cain and Abel are presenting offerings to the LORD God, they must surely have knowledge of His Things. Therefore, it is apparent that Adam and Eve had shared the knowledge of the LORD God with their sons, and all parties were familiar with the past punishments given by God to those who approached him with sin. If they had not been made aware of the past experience of their parents, then Cain and Abel would not have offered gifts to the LORD God. Their offerings to Him are strong evidence that their parents had told them of their intimate relationship with the LORD God before and after the fall as well as His will for the boys to serve Him.

In direct words, Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel were fully aware that the LORD God had “CURSED” the ground, as punishment for sin. Cain and Abel were intelligent human beings, and knew the accounts of the beginning Creation of the LORD God. They were raised by their parents to honor Him and offer gifts to Him because He was their God. It was the possession of this intelligent knowledge of God’s will, passed on to the boys by their parents, that reveals the awful and arrogant sin of Cain, and the righteous and glorious offering given in faith by Abel.

Genesis 4:3-8
“And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”

“And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” (Genesis 4:3-8)

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ABEL – Knowing the Works Pleasing to the LORD God (Lesson 1)

Hebrews 11 is known by both serious and casual Bible students as the “Faith” chapter. The words flow into meaningful moments of past examples of Biblical faith in a profound capture of past faith. The reader can’t help to recognize the awesome display of faith development without any need for deep interpretations to realize this effect.

Hebrews 11 has deeper meaning, however, than first meets the casual reading. It contains a map for serious and mature Christians to lead them to a deeper faith in their natural and spiritual lives. It is multi-layered and has deep path that is going to take us into many different areas that will add to our knowledge of faith. More importantly, it promises to prepare our souls to meet these troubled times with a confidence of knowing the things we know conform to the Truth of God.

The secret to learning the deep things of Hebrews 11:1-40 require us to travel throughout the Word of God. It is the entire Word of God that frames faith:

Hebrews 11:3 (KJV 1900)
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3)

Hey! Why does this verse speak of “worlds” in the plural? Let’s look at the definition of the Greek Word:

Worlds – 172 αἰών (aiōn), ῶνος (ōnos), ὁ (ho): n.masc.; ≡ DBLHebr 6409; Str 165; TDNT 1.197—1. LN 67.143 era, a unit of time as a particular stage of history.

The use of the word brings our attention to time periods (ages). Throughout the history of mankind, the LORD God has brought forth His creation, His Will, and His Way in steps. Each period He has revealed more of Himself than the one previously; however, that revelation does NOT come from anything that can be seen! And, if it can be seen, then can stir false faith.

Imagine for a moment that you are among the first people created by the LORD God in His Image. During the beginning of civilizations there were probably more false gods than there were people. They had a god for everything, and centered their lives superstitiously upon pleasing their false idols for good luck in their life. Over the years, these false gods were credited with great powers and most everybody believed in at least one of them. Cultures and civilizations were formed by the belief in these false gods and mankind flourished. Their false gods were worshipped in statues, idols, carvings, and pictures.

The LORD God was God over all things, including the false gods that man had created. He was unseen, yet HE WAS CREATOR! Only the Creator of the worlds could have dominion over those worlds, that that was our LORD God!

So, if you’re still imagining yourself back in those days, think of what it must have been like. The LORD God moved His Spirit through you, and you knew that there was an all-powerful, all-knowing LORD God, that was more powerful than any other that your neighbors and friends worshiped, but, He was unseen. Belief in the LORD God, Creator of all worlds, required a believer to have faith:

Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

The early believers had evidence of the Creator within themselves, but it could not be shown to others. Either you were created by God, and implanted with His image, or you were not. Those who did not have God could not have faith. Those that were created in His Image knew Him, without seeing Him.

It should not surprise you that the first proof of faith in Hebrews 11:1 speaks of the Creator and His Creation, and the forming of the various ages of belief, through the Word of God. Philosophically speaking, that is the basic beginning of faith; for a Creation to exist, there must be a Creator. For ages of belief to have evolved, there must have been a Director. Isn’t it interesting today, how they are trying to remove the LORD God and Jesus Christ from the creation process! Why? Because their false gods have no power over one who creates and directs all things in existence!

Cain and Abel – Sons of the Most Intelligent Parents

The Lord wants the mature Christian to learn the details of each of these faith situations accounted in Hebrews 11 deeply. When these deeper things of faith are applied to a mature believer’s walk with Christ, the path will become more easily navigated regardless of tough times.

That is the secret to the study of Hebrews 11! How do we practice our faith? One doesn’t think about faith in those terms, do they? Either you have faith or not, and that is dependent on God whether He gives it to you!

WE ARE NOT USING OUR FAITH FULLY! If faith of a mustard seed can move the mountain to the sea, then surely the works produced from the great faith given to us is unlimited! Yet, we often stand with the babes in Christ and walk with Him in the same manner as they do.

What if the LORD God has given you an extra dose of faith in your maturity? What if the LORD God is now teaching you how to use this extra faith, to bring greater works and glory to Him? What if these different studies of our elders, is not so much study of the old guys of past, but rather, as a key to open up that extra faith He has blessed you with?

It is that deeper understanding of the strong faithful walk of those in the beginning that will lead to our own lives being touched with deep faith. Our study of Abel will begin that process, as we look at each of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 with an eye toward emulating His faith.

Adam and Eve were NOT monkeys. They were created by the LORD God in His Image, possessing their souls formed by the breath of God (Genesis 2:7). They were living examples of created perfection, with an intelligence that far exceeded de-evolution of mankind that followed them as a result of the sinful nature.

If one were asked to name the most intelligent person that ever existed in mankind, scholars might name Einstein, Newton, Archimedes, Aristotle, Plato, Franklin or DaVinci. Present-day intelligent thinkers might include Jobs, Hawkins, or Gates; yet, all of their brain-power put together was not as perfected as the first brain of the first man and woman that the LORD God created.

Evolutionists form their conclusions that man “evolves” into a greater being through a series of unproven acts of life adapting to their environment in ever-increasing improvements. Evolutionishs are wrong. Mankind is not evolving, but rather de-evolving!

The mind of Adam was perfect in every way. He possessed the highest level of intelligence that any man would have on this earth, because it was perfectly created by God. From the moment that Adam and Eve chose to sin against God, and were cursed to a natural life away from the LORD God, de-evolution of the intelligence potential of mankind began. Generations to follow would be lesser smart, as the perfect mind was watered down by sinful natures.

Developed intelligence of our present-day world has always relied upon knowledge given before, as building blocks of thought are stacked, one upon another. Misguided philosophers point to this process as proof of increased intelligence; in fact, it merely points to increased development of knowledge based upon knowledge as it is revealed and unfolds. It is “cleverness” of some notable men and women that lead to advanced developments; while a measure of intelligence is observed in these clever people, it does not offer proof of increased intelligence. Rather, it is evidence of the Creator moving increased attention to new ideas, not an increase of intelligence that is being expressed. How great the mind must have been in the first created people for de-evolution to still allow the development of the technology we have today!

Before you can understand the faith of Abel, you must first realize the perfect intelligence that his parents, Adam and Eve possessed.

1. Man was created to have dominion over all other life created by the LORD God.

Genesis 1:26
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

2. Man and woman were created in the image of the LORD God. (Genesis 1:27)

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

3. God blessed them.

Genesis 1:28
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)

These three facts are solid proof that Man and Woman were created highly intelligent with a likeness to God Himself. Then God commissioned them to be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the earth. The LORD God had given the intelligence to be able to do these things He assigned them to do. Adam and Eve understood completely the works God gave them to do. They knew that God required more than their peaceful existence. He expected them to take the things in their environment, and produce fruits from their efforts. They knew their duty to multiply mankind, and they knew how to subdue the earth. God DID NOT tell them to subdue the earth, and expect them to figure it all out on their own. He knew He had given them the intelligence to know exactly how to do the things He Willed.

Then God gave them every food they would need to feed their effort upon this earth. He provided for their spiritual and natural well-being. He had given them perfect intelligence, a perfect environment, and a perfect life. It was good.

Genesis 1:29-31
“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:29-31)

The LORD God gave the intelligent Adam the responsibility of dressing and keeping the most perfect Garden ever created in Eden.

Genesis 2:15
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

The LORD God formed a perfectly intelligent Eve out of a perfectly intelligent Adam as a helpmate.

Genesis 2:18
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

In fact, the smartest of all men to have ever existed, Adam, was given the privilege of naming every other life form that the LORD God had created. It wasn’t just because God was telling Him what to name them. He was that smart!

Genesis 2:19
“And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” (Genesis 2:19)

There was only one thing that their perfect minds lacked, that prevented them from being like a god themselves. They did not know the difference between good and evil. That one piece of knowledge was kept from them by a loving LORD God, who delighted in giving His perfect creation the best of everything, without the knowledge of the worst of all.

Genesis 3:1-5
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

The dumb act of a very blessed and perfect man and woman was their disobedience against the LORD God, when they ate of the prohibited fruit of the tree.

Genesis 3:6-7
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” (Genesis 3:6, 7)

It was a result of that moment of stupidity, that mankind was forever cast out from the perfect life, in the perfect garden, with the perfect intelligence and the perfect works to glorify God.

Genesis 3:16-24
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:16-24)

Adam and Eve were on their own, thrown out into the world, still beholden to the LORD God to be fruitful, multiply and subdue the earth. Though their perfection was marred by sin, and de- evolution of mankind initiated into the genetic code of future generations, they still remained very smart. In fact, they were smart enough to begin the works the LORD God had commissioned them to do, in spite of His rejection because of their disobedience.

Cain and Abel were born from their union in the first acts recorded after their expulsion from the Garden. That is how intelligent people think, you know. When you anger the powerful LORD God, you do everything you can to please Him once again. The smart parents of Cain and Abel begin to multiply the earth. Their perfect intelligent genes, tainted with the sin of their parent’s actions, were passed genetically. Cain and Abel were the second most intelligent people in the entire Creation of the LORD God, in the past, present or future!

This one fact, the extra-ordinary intelligence of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel is usually NOT applied to the interpretation of the beginnings of mankind. Rather, a cynical view of created mankind as monkey people have been developed with the “Evolution Theory” mixed together with the taunting of carnal pretend smarts, and a decidedly prejudiced view taken concerning these things. These false theories have been exploited for so long by so many, that certain assumptions are made in the study of the beginnings of mankind as it is related to Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel.

These FALSE assumptions include:

1. Adam and Eve were barely more than monkeys. This theory wrongly concludes that whether the “evolution theory” can be proven or not, there is enough genetic likeness to conclude that Adam and Eve were more beastlike than developed 21st century man. Thus, Adam and Eve had the intelligence of lower beasts, and were unable to discern the things of spirit and nature that intelligent evolved man is able to do today.

2. Since Adam and Eve were on the lowest rung of thinking man, their offspring were dumb like them. Many wrong theorists point to the stupidity of the first generations of Adam and Eve as the reason behind so many of the mistakes they made toward the LORD God. They suggest that no matter how hard Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel wanted to please the LORD God, their intelligence was so limited in a monkey-like reasoning, that there would be no way for them to know the will of Him.

3. This wrong assumption then proceeds to bring man-curses to an arrogant God that makes his people jump through hoops, without giving them knowledge of how to do it. “How could Cain have known that his sacrifice would be displeasing to the LORD God?” they ask as they attempt to prove their point that God is uncaring. It pleases Lucifer well for these charges to be brought; it is the same charges leveled against the LORD God by the serpent in the Garden of Eden that led to the fall of mankind!

Genesis 3:4-5
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4, 5)

These false assumptions must be removed from the understanding of a serious Bible student that is searching for the Truth. The LORD God did not create imperfection, and rely upon mankind to develop it into perfection. On the contrary, God created perfection, and it has been de-evolving since the first disobedient acts of man. Thus, Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel were the most intelligent human beings to ever live upon this earth. When that fact is applied to the study of the Faith of Abel, the deep things of God begin to reveal themselves to those searching for the Truth of Him!

Footnotes:

Swanson, James. 1997. In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

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SARAH (Sarai, Sara) A Tiny Typology on Tents!

Our study on Sarah is concluded with this tiny typology on tents!

From the moment that Abram and Sarai left their permanent home in Ur to claim the inheritance of the LORD God by following Him, tents became their shelter. They were no longer tied to the world with permanence, but rather made homeless in the world while at the same time, occupants of the Kingdom of God.

That change in their status is significant; while once grounded into the predictable life of middle class society, their circumstances changed overnight into the place of wandering in foreign lands. Typologically, a tent is a “temporary dwelling place for the accomplishment of works directed by the LORD God.”

Our Christian houses are sitting solidly upon the foundational rock of the Lord Jesus Christ, and can survive any story. However, in the deepness of typological representation, tents share the idea of housing as a “temporary state to complete works” rather than a fully protective, permanent structure.

Realize the significance of Sarah moving from a house to the tent for the rest of her life. Recognize that every supernatural event that happened to her and her husband occurred while they dwelt within the tents in the foreign countries that they were moved to by God. Sarah heard the angels speak to her husband at the tent door, and she was heard to laugh from the same place. Tents were a major part of Sarah’s life, which makes this a perfect time for us to look at a tiny bit of the typological concept that goes deeper in its representation.

Throughout the Bible, men of the LORD God “pitched their tents” in places that the LORD God led them. When they pitched their tents, you can be certain that they were moving again at God’s direction. It is a temporary stay; the situation will change (even if it takes forty years), and God WILL move them again.

Symbolically, as we do works for the LORD God, we “pitch our tents.” Christian workers should know that most jobs directed by Him last for a set, designated time, requiring them to move on as He sends them.

The first Tabernacle of the LORD God was made in the wilderness after the pattern of a tent. While the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, it would not benefit them to make a permanent structure for the dwelling place and worship of the LORD God. Their journey was temporary; even though it lasted through a couple of generations, it would one day come to an end, and they would be allowed into the Promised Land. Until that time, the tabernacle of the LORD God housed Him within a temporary tent that held His Ark. (Exodus 16-40)

Numbers 24:1-9
“And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.” (Numbers 24:1–9)

Examine this Scripture carefully to realize the fullness of Israel’s blessings as they dwelt within their tents.

Israel abided in their tents according to their tribes. There was a strict order for the erection of the tents around the Tabernacle of the LORD God. Even when Christians are in temporary places to do the works of the Lord, there are rules and standards established by Him for perfect order.

Pitching tents and standards in camp around Tabernacle
and order of march

East
1. Judah (First Rank)
2. Issachar
3. Zebulun

South
4. Reuben (Second Rank)
5. Simeon
6. Gad

In the middle
7. Levites

West
8. Ephraim (Third Rank)
9. Manasseh
10. Benjamin

North
11. Dan (Hindmost)
12. Asher
13. Naphtali

The temporary tent constructed to house the LORD God within the Ark of the Covenant was sufficient. Solomon built the LORD God a seemingly permanent house in Jerusalem. The LORD God reminded Him that all of His dwelling places are built by Him, even the ones made by human hands.

Acts 7:44-50
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. 45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; 46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him an house. 48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these things? (Acts 7:44–50)

The tent in which the Spirit of God resides is called the “Tabernacle” in the Word of God, and is just as significant to Christians as it is to the Israelites!

2 Corinthians 5:1–11
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (2 Corinthians 5:1–11)

Hebrews 8:1–5
“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. 4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” (Hebrews 8:1–5)

The Lord Jesus Christ is the true tabernacle, pitched by the LORD God. He is the container of the LORD God that is permanent and eternally everlasting. While the tents and tabernacles built upon the earth were temporary, and one day ended, the tabernacle of the Lord Jesus Christ is sure and forever!

It is the tents of the strong and faithful Christians that protect them in a destructive world while they accomplish the works of the Lord. The temporary structures provide the surety of the Holy Spirit’s presence that travels with the journeying workers. Whether in the protected place of the body, or extended outside the body to accomplish the works of the Lord, Christians can be sure that a tent will contain and protect them as they do His things.

How blessed we are that our Lord has provided for our protection in the midst of the wicked and worldly, by giving us temporary dwelling places for our works to accomplish His will!

Praise Be to God!

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Baptism Fundamentals

Baptism: Bringing Death to a Christian
through Christ’s Baptism of Redemption

Lecture 111-2
By Kathy L. McFarland

Introduction

To help you understand this lesson, we are going to give you big clues of how the lesson will progress. That piece of knowledge should then begin your journey to understanding God’s Truth about the Doctrine of Baptism that the Lord has revealed to us through His Word.

There are exactly three places that are the starting point for eternal life that a saved Christian can leave from:

1. The Physical Grave – Faithful Christians in the salvation of Jesus Christ, but that die without the Baptism of Christ, lie in their physical graves for awhile until Christ raises them up from their sleep in those graves at the beginning of End Times, and given eternal bodies as they are received in Heaven.

2. The Baptismal Grave – Christians that have repented of their sin, accepted Christ as their Savior, and have faith in His Resurrection can have the opportunity to release the hold of original sin in the Baptismal Grave and Resurrect into eternal life as they arise from the Baptismal Waters. Christians that have received the Baptism of Christ will not lie in their physical graves; upon their physical death, their unneeded bodies will decay in the grave, while their soul will be released and guided to Heaven and clothed with a new eternal body.

3. The Rapture – Alive Christians, at the time of Christ’s return, will rise up and meet him with their physical bodies. They will be given eternal bodies sometime after that inside the Heavenly Gates.

Romans 6:1–11 (KJV 1900)
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:1-11)

Romans 6:1–2 (KJV 1900)
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

1. The Grace of the LORD God forgives sin for followers of Jesus Christ. However, Baptized Believers become DEAD to sin. Original sin can no longer dwell within the Baptized.

2. The Baptism of Jesus Christ causes death to come to a Believer, thereby releasing the hold of original sin upon the body.

Romans 6:3 (KJV 1900)
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

1 Corinthians 15:54–57 (KJV 1900)
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Original sin corrupts every human being born

4. Only death, through grave or Baptism, can release original sin’s hold upon a body

Romans 6:3–5 (KJV 1900)
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

5. When a person has been called forward to the LORD God, his ears are opened. Those that can hear must be told the things of Christ before Baptism can happen.

6. It is important that the Pastor ensure the new Christian has full understanding of Christ and what it means to be a Christian and the realities of Baptism.

7. The Pastor prepares the Baptismal pool by ensuring a prayerful, sacred place and a blessed, running-water-filled container. It is best that the pool be deep enough for dunking the full body.

8. The repentant sinner is called to the Baptismal Pool. The Pastor instructs the sinner to kneel in the pool, as the nose and mouth are covered to prevent choking.

9. The Pastor stands and supports sinner’s shoulders. The sinner is laid in the Baptismal water, and words explaining the actual death to the sinner as the baptismal grave envelops.

10. The Pastor then raises the redeemed Baptized from the waters in the memory of Christ’s Resurrection “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

11. When the Baptized go under the Baptismal waters, their death is brought upon the body. Original sin releases. When they rise up from the Baptismal Grave, they are brand-new people that will never have original sin attached to them again unawares. When they physically die, they will NOT ever have to be in the grave; their souls will go immediately to Heaven.

Romans 6:6–9 (KJV 1900)
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

12. When the resurrected Baptized rise from the Baptismal Grave SIN HAS NO MORE DOMINION!

13. The powerful, sacred spiritual rite of Baptism is also effective in establishing a deep spiritual connection to the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as preparing for Holy Spirit Baptism.

14. Sometimes, Believers are not certain they received an effective and correct Baptism in Christ. This confusion often comes from past doctrinal practices of different churches.

15. The Pastor of the Baptism can know with surety if the Baptism of Redemption through Christ has taken place by witnessing the Holy Spirit’s presence within the Christian.

16. There is NO Holy Spirit Baptism that inserts God into a Believer, unless the Baptism of Christ has been fully accomplished in the manner prescribed by Holy Scripture.

17. Pastors should never baptize an already Baptized Christian. However, if the Believer has not received the Holy Spirit, it is acceptable to rebaptize to ensure the assumption of the grave.

18. There is also confusion about Baptisms because some Church doctrines allow for childhood baptism. Becker Bible Ministries, Inc. support the doctrinal position of NO Baptism of Redemption until the child has reached the age of accountability (Twelve-years-old or with special exceptions), based upon the Scripture account of Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter (Mark 5:21-43). (A special study of Mark 5:21- 43 will follow your study of Baptism).

Romans 6:10–14 (KJV 1900)
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

19. It is critically important that Pastors of Baptism ensure the Baptism of seekers understand the principles associated with the Baptism of Redemption.

20. All saved Christians are promised eternal life through the acceptance of Christ as Savior and confidence in His Resurrection.

21. Death comes to all people because of original sin. But the LORD God’s provision is that those that live to Him will only experience one death.

22. Baptized Christians one death takes place in the Baptismal Grave. Unbaptized Christians must sleep in their graves for awhile until Christ comes and raises them up to join Him in Heaven.

23. ONE DEATH ONLY! Eternal life always for those that are saved through their faith in Jesus Christ.

24. Original sins are cast off with death. But BEWARE! Worldly ways will have ample opportunity to cause you to sin in your lifetime. You must NOT let further sin to have dominion over you.

25. The Baptism of Redemption through Christ is one of the most amazing graces promised by the LORD God to the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The institution of this most Holy Baptismal rite equips faithful Christians to receive the Holy Ghost Baptism and to remove and prevent further sins from having control over their lives.

Romans 6:15–20 (KJV 1900)
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

26. Servants of sin keep sinning. The Baptized followers of Christ are freed from sin and can become righteous. But righteous can become servants to sin by yielding to uncleanness and iniquity.

27. When the Believer declares faith in Christ the hope is for salvation.

Faith = Salvation and eternal life.

28. When the Believer is saved the hope is in Baptism for the release of original sin.

Baptism = Release from original sin

29. When the Believer goes under the Baptismal waters, the hope is for Resurrection into eternal life from that point on, without the need for the grave.

Baptismal waters= death

Rising out of Baptismal waters = Resurrection and entrance into eternal life without further need of the grave.

30. When the Believer resurrects out of the Baptismal waters, the hope is for the Holy Spirit.

Resurrection out of Baptismal waters = Eligibility to receive Baptism of Holy Spirit.

31. When the Believer receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the hope is to remain sin free and accomplish enduring works of God.

Holy Spirit = Sin free and enduring works of the LORD God that will bring glory to Him.

32. Believers Resurrected in the Baptism of Christ can walk with Him in the newness of life, sin free. They will have eternal life. They become eligible to receive the Holy Spirit and once that Spirit is within the Believer, great works of God will become manifest.

33. But first, the Christian journey begins with faith in Christ, the most important grace of the LORD God given and the only one needed for salvation and eternal life.

John 3:1–8 (KJV 1900)
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

34. “Born Again” is the condition when a believer dies in the Baptism of Christ then is Resurrected into the new life in Christ. Believers must be born of water and the Holy Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God.

35. The Baptism of Christ makes Believers flesh clean. The Holy Spirit Baptism makes the soul clean.

36. The LORD God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit Baptism as reward to those that follow Christ through His Baptism with Him.

Eight Requirements for the Baptism of Christ (John 3:1-8)

1. Be called forward to Christ by the LORD God and receive a desire to know Him
2. Hear the Word of God
3. Be repentant of sin
4. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for your sins and was Resurrected, with all your heart
5. Confess outwardly that you know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
6. Be baptized by water (signifying your death) in the name of Jesus Christ
7. Come out of the water (signifying your resurrection) in the name of the LORD God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.
8. Receive the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost

Conclusion
The Baptism of Christ causes death to come one time to a Believer, and Resurrect in Christ’s example, granting eternal life from that point on when rising out of the baptismal waters.

Baptized Christians do not sleep in their graves!

Unbaptized Christians sleep in their graves until they are Resurrected by the Lord Jesus Christ; they then assume their eternal lives.

The grace the LORD God gives followers of Christ MUST come through faith, and faith can only come through a personal response of a living person. Faith cannot be assumed by another in proxy.

Simply stated, the connection between Christ and Believers is completed through Baptism and allows the relationship between the Lord and His Followers to be steady and sure. It only takes
faith in the Lord to receive salvation; but once faith is realized and repentance is at hand, Believers are eligible to receive the Baptism of Redemption through Christ, to establish that intimate relationship between them as original sin’s grasp upon Believer’s is extinguished.

Thanks be to God!

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What does it mean to be saved?

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE!

In all of my travels, in remembering all of the words spoken by Preachers, Teachers and Evangelists of the Word of God, that is the meaning they understood. DELIVERANCE! Every Christian Church, every Christian Leader, every Christian Faithful believes that Salvation means DELIVERANCE!

It is not the definition of the word Salvation that causes the chasms to develop, to misdirect the focus of the Word of God. We all agree on the meaning of Salvation; the disagreement amongst our faithful brethren lies with the things we are delivered from, what results after we are delivered and why we need deliverance in the first place!

What do we need to be DELIVERED from?

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23 av)

1. Our souls are not condemned because we do great sin. We are condemned because of our sinful state!

2. All unsaved do bad actions because their heart, their core, their complete being is sin that originated from Adam’s transgression against the Will of God.

3. Some unsaved do really terrible sins, and some unsaved have no sign of the terrible condition of sin. That does not mean that some are greater sinners than others. Every living human being has the sinful nature inside him. Some may well be able to subdue those basic instincts, while others are controlled by the same sinful natures to do grievous harm to others, both the noble and the derelict have the same nature inside them. If an unsaved person does not sin, self control may be present, but the sinful nature still exists. The actions of the unsaved may well differ in degree, but not in guilt or cause!

4. Unsaved sinners must understand that they have sinful natures, and are unable to save themselves.

5. All human beings begin life with the sinful nature, and fall short of the glory of God. The LORD God is not present in the sinful realm. Sin is offensive to God. It doesn’t matter how much good people do in the world, if their works were done while they harbored their sinful natures, the greatest of works in humanity, religion, science, art, medicine, education and government are made null by the presence of sin. Those who come from families of “good stock” in the Midwest, those who are well educated and able to advance the human condition to rightful places, those who do good daily and give all they have to others, and those who struggle daily to live an honest life, are all short of the glory of God, because they have the natures of sin.

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM SINFUL NATURE!

“For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 av)

6. Sinners die, no matter what they do in this lifetime. The wages that come to the unsaved is death. Until death is brought to that sinful nature, then it remains inside the unsaved, leading them toward their promised destiny.

7. It takes more than the death of the sinful natures to give the unsaved hope, however. Unsaved people that die and are placed in their graves, are dead unsaved people. Eventually, the unsaved people will be resurrected to face the Judgment of Jesus Christ to answer for the things they did with their sinful natures, but until then, the unsaved lay dead in their graves.

8. The LORD God gives eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to those who seek deliverance from their sinful natures.

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM ETERNAL DEATH!

“And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3 av)

9. The unsaved people with their sinful natures walk according to the course of the world. The “course of the world” encapsulates all of the degrading, grotesque, ugly things that have developed and become perilously established within our world today. They include those very things spoken of in 2 Timothy 3:1-7…

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:1-7 av)

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM THE WAYS OF THE WORLD!

10. The unsaved who are entrapped by their sinful natures, are led by the prince of the power of air. The prince of the power of air is Lucifer, also known as Satan, the Devil.

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM THE CONTROL OF SATAN!

11. People with the unsaved and sinful nature are children of LORD God’s wrath.

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM THE WRATH OF THE LORD GOD!

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 av)

12. Salvation can only be received through FAITH. FAITH is the gift of God, through his wonderful and undeserved Grace.

13. The Unsaved cannot give FAITH to themselves. If they could, they would boast of their godly ability. Only the LORD God gives those He Wills the faith to turn toward Him, reject their own sinful natures, and reach toward the righteous and holy nature of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM THE LACK OF FAITH AND BELIEF!

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15 av)

14. Everyone will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of the Lord Jesus Christ and be judged according to their works.

15. Those works done by the unsaved are nullified and void. They are vanity. Works are not measured living and righteous when done while the workers had the natures of sin.

16. If the Unsaved maintained their status in their lifetime to their death, then they have no living works that can be measured.

17.Those with dead works, those who chose to go to their grave with their sinful nature and reject the Grace of the Lord God and the salvation through Jesus Christ, will be judged guilty and sentenced to eternal damnation and be cast into the lake of fire.

SALVATION MEANS DELIVERANCE FROM ETERNAL DAMNATION AND SENTENCED TO HELL!

How does Salvation come to the sinners?

“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12 av)

18. Through the belief and acceptance of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and His Resurrection from the dead, the unsaved can receive salvation. Acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the only salvation can come to them, free them from the sinful nature, and make them whole.

SALVATION COMES TO BELIEVERS THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST!

How do the Unsaved receive the gift of Salvation from the LORD God?

19. Salvation is a two step process. The first step is one of belief, and the second step is one of action. If the Unsaved believe, but do nothing, they remain unsaved. If the Unsaved do not believe, but go through the action of a repentant sinner, they too remain unsaved.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10 av)

STEPS TO SALVATION

1. Know that you are a sinner, and cannot save yourself.

2. Confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior

3. Believe that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to atone for your sins.

4. Be confident that Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead.

SALVATION COMES BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST ONLY!

What are the results of Salvation?

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 av)

21. The confessors of Jesus Christ as Savior are crucified with him. (Note…Our Crucifixion is joined to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ through our Faith. Our Burial is accepting the Baptism of Jesus Christ, which we will speak of in a few more paragraphs)

22. Our crucifixion with Christ allows us to receive more faith and the love of the LORD God.

SALVATION BRINGS MORE FAITH AND THE LOVE OF THE LORD GOD!

“For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” (Colossians 1:19-23 av)

23. Salvation establishes peace with the LORD God.

24. Salvation makes Faithful Believers holy, unblameable and unreproveable in the LORD God’s sight.

SALVATION MAKES THE SAVED HOLY, UNBLAMABLE AND UNREPROVEABLE IN THE LORD GOD’S SIGHT

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 av)

25. Everlasting life is given those who believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the LORD God.

SALVATION BRINGS ETERNAL LIFE

“For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:4-5 av)

26. The Power of the LORD God is with all saved Faithful through Jesus Christ.

SALVATION BRINGS THE POWER OF GOD TO YOUR LIFE

What is NOT Salvation?

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].” (Hebrews 4:2 av)

Salvation does not come to the Unsaved by simply the physical act of uttering words in prayer form! Their heart must be in it with a solid faith.

If the Unsaved receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ and hear with their heart and agree, then their confession will be heard. Without the understanding and repentant heart, the prayers of the Unsaved are worthless.

Salvation is NOT the physical act of walking down the church aisle following an invitation from the Pastor. The Unsaved can be anywhere, at any time, and receive salvation through their belief and confession in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t take a church, and it doesn’t take people. It just takes a sincere and repentant heart to accept Jesus Christ and be saved!

Salvation is not contingent on great emotion (or lack of) during the conversion experience. Some feel great elation, some a quiet piece, and some don’t. It is a uniquely individual experience, and varies with the experience surrounding the conversion.

Salvation does not come to a person just because they want to be saved from going to Hell! The question of whether someone would prefer Heaven to Hell is stupid. Anyone would readily choose Heaven if given the ability to discern the differences. Salvation comes to those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior; it does not come to those just trying to hedge their bets and cover all bases “just in case”.

Does Salvation guarantee Heaven?

Your belief in Jesus Christ brings salvation to you, and you are guaranteed eternal life. Your faith alone is all that is necessary for eternal life.

One of the major conflicts among believers is their confusion over Salvation, Heaven and Baptism. Thankfully, the answer lays solidly in the Word of God…

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:1-18 av)

Do you remember a few paragraphs back, in point 21 concerning Galatians 2:20, where we learned that we are crucified with the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ through Faith, and Faith alone, and as a result receive Salvation?

All of the benefits of Salvation are given to a Faithful Believer the moment he accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

But there is one more step a believer must fulfill to see Heaven. A Faithful Christian must also be baptized into the death of Jesus Christ, and be buried with Him also. Our Faith allows us to share His Crucifixion, Our Baptism allows us to experience His Burial.

27. When we are baptized with the Baptism of Jesus Christ, we go to our grave in the baptismal waters. When we rise out of the waters, we are resurrected into the NEW LIFE, with a NEW BIRTH. Baptized Believers will never go to the grave again!

CRUCIFIED ONCE, BURIED ONCE AND RESURRECTED ONCE!

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21:1-7 av)

Heaven is a temporary dwelling place, until His chosen Time, when a new Heaven and a New Earth will be established according to His Will.

The unbaptized Believers, who were faithful in the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but failed to complete the process of going to the grave in Baptism, will go to an earthly grave for a short while. The Unbaptized but Saved Believers will be resurrected from their graves, in His Time, and given Eternal Life through His Grace of Salvation.

Through their belief and confession of Jesus Christ, the UNBAPTIZED, BUT SAVED BELIEVERS will go on to Eternal Life after their resurrection from their graves.

Through their belief and confession of Jesus Christ, the BAPTIZED, SAVED BELIEVERS will go to Heaven for awhile, and then on to Eternal Life on the New Earth, where all Believers will begin a new and blessed life under the rule of their King Jesus Christ.
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Updated Mar 25, 2024 1:22:02pm

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Sarah (Sarai, Sara) Fear, Faith, and Laughter (Lesson 6)

Genesis 18:1–15 (KJV 1900)
And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. (Genesis 18:1-15)

The beginning of faith is fear of the LORD God. A person can have NO faith in something that is NOT superior and more powerful than them. Think about it! Would you ever place faith in a person that has lesser power, prestige, work-ethic, moral fortitude, or ability to keep promises more than yourself? Of course you wouldn’t. You would trust yourself, instead. But, if there came one more powerful than yourself, you might develop a faith based upon the reliability of His Word.

At this point in Sarah’s life of motherhood, she had yet to develop a faith in the LORD God that would cover the supernatural ability that would be required for His promise to her. But he had proven to her that He indeed was her LORD God, and she feared Him appropriately for the power she knew He held.

Abraham saw the strangers approaching in the heat of the day. He quickly instructed Sarah to prepare bread for them to eat. While the bread was cooking, Abraham butchered one of his most tender and good calves, gathered some butter and milk, and sat the meal before them, underneath the tree.

The location and the food were highly symbolic for the spiritual nature of the visit, and should be noted in deep interpretation and consideration of this event. The bread, meat, and milk would develop into typological significance later on in the ministry of the followers of Jesus Christ, as they are connected to His teachings. The Milk, Bread, and Meat measure the spiritual nourishment for Babes, Children, and Mature in Christ that brings comfort and growth. (Hebrews 5:11-14; Matthew 15:26 [Typology])

Therefore, the three men that came to Abraham and Sarah in that day were on a spiritual mission. It should also be noted that Abraham recognized that they were delivering the message from the LORD God. His bowing, as well as his preparation and serving of food leaves no doubt that Abraham knew exactly whose message these three men were delivering. The location, under a tree, further typologically designates the spiritual life that was represented by these three men. The importance that this meeting cannot be mistaken; the movement of the LORD God chose that time and place to begin the fulfillment of the promise He gave to Abraham in a Covenant earlier.

The three men were recognized by Abraham as being the LORD God. It should be understood that the opening line “And the LORD appeared unto him” in verse one, has a very special combination of Hebrew words that give a deeper meaning than the English words portray. The use of these combinations of Hebrew words seems
familiar and brings to mind the fullness of time through the expression of the Word made flesh later recorded in John 1:14. The Hebrew for this account is “va yera Elohim,” which literally says “And he saw the face of the LORD God.” (The formal and Holy name of the LORD God is used in place of the more general name of Lord; because of the holiness of the LORD God’s name, we choose to express this special name as LORD God, in tradition of Orthodox Judaism. While it is sometimes necessary to use His Holy formal name, in this case, unnecessary to make this important point.)

These three men addressed Abraham and asked the location of Sarah. Note the usage of the word “they” asked; yet, the speaker is identified as one person. This may well be another symbolism that addressed the Triune LORD God, where three speak as one; this adds to the view that Abraham recognized these men as speaking for the LORD God, and were much more than common angels as some interpretations suggest. They spoke with the voice and message of the LORD God, and they sought Abraham’s wife, for they had come to Sarah and her husband for a purpose. The LORD God announced that when they returned later, the time of life would be completed, and Sarah would have a son.

Sarah heard the LORD God prophesy that she would have a son from behind the tent door. She laughed within herself. Now, remember, she had a great deal fear of the LORD God by this time; she respected Him as being the all- powerful LORD God, and knew the appropriate honor and respect due for His omnipotence. So, she laughed inside herself and attempted to conceal her incredulous disbelief. She was an old woman, and stricken with age. She no longer had a menstrual cycle, and she was a weak and infirmed old lady, quickly approaching her end of life in her analysis. Not only that, but Abraham and her were probably long past sexual intercourse because of their advanced age.

It seemed impossible to Sarah, and the thought of that impossibility caused her to giggle within herself. Until she heard the LORD God ask Abraham why she laughed that is. Suddenly, she realized with horror that her thoughts were known to Him, and she denied thinking the thoughts of disbelief. The LORD God firmly spoke to Sarah, and made it clear that He had heard her thoughts. It is that giggle that gives a certainty that Sarah did not have full faith in the LORD God to that point. While she feared Him and called Him her LORD God, to this point in her life, she had not developed the faith that she would one be known for and exalted in Hebrews 11.

Genesis 21:1-5
“And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. (Genesis 21:1–5)

It is only after the conception of her son, that Sarah gains the notable faith that is recorded in Hebrews 11. Suffice it to say, Sarah was in a spiritual place of immature relationship with the LORD God; the mature development of her faith was due to be born at the perfect time of life, as her son is brought forth as God said.

Genesis 21:6-7
“And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. (Genesis 21:6–7)

And that was the day that Sarah’s faith in her LORD God was complete. There would be no other time in her life where she would doubt the impossible. Her LORD God had shown her that all things are possible with Him. Once this is realized, a limited belief to His power formed within believer’s inner being is an indication of a lack of faith that is known to Him.

Sarah laughed! She laughed in delight and happiness and joy that the LORD God had be faithful to His promise to her and her husband. She held her beloved son Isaac, just like He had said; the LORD God had done the impossible, because all was possible with Him. She laughed so others would hear and be able to join in the laughter of delight, that the LORD God was faithful and sustained her and made her fertile and conceive a good and righteous man of God that would emulate her husband’s faith in Him.

Hebrews 11:11-12
“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Hebrews 11:11–12)

Sarah had notable faith in the LORD God, because He kept His promise. He had told her what He would do, and He did it! The LORD gave Sarah strength to become pregnant and deliver a child in her advanced old age. She not only received the LORD God’s promise as expressed in His Covenant agreement between them, but her husband was given generations to follow, that were impossible to number. What a testimony of faith Sarah had to share with everyone who could laugh in delight with her as they received the opportunity to have great faith in Him and His promises!

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SARAH (Sarai, Sara) The Covenant between the LORD God and Abraham

Genesis 17:1–22 (KJV 1900)
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. 15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. (Genesis 17:1-22)

Up to this point in the account of Abram and Sarai, the relationship between them and the LORD God was a real exchange of words that required no faith at all. It was basic. The LORD God told Abram and Sarai to go to a foreign place, and He expected them to go. He watched as Abram took things into his own hands, and rescued him from the trouble of that mistake. He watched as Sarai took things into her own hands, and rescued her, Hagar, and Ishmael from the trouble created by that mistake. It’s important to note that He allowed both Abram and Sarai to make critical mistakes in their relationship with Him; yet, their relationship continued as the LORD God gently led them to the places He willed.

Up to this point, it was a conversation between the LORD God, Abram, and Sarai. There was nothing formal about their shared words. In fact, at this point, the LORD God had not made their relationship binding. Proof of that is found by realizing that both Abram and Sarai disobeyed the LORD God fully, yet He remained their LORD God, and they remained His planned works. Even when they tried to do things their way, He rescued them as a Father would rescue a young, unknowing child from danger. One can almost sense a Father/child relationship, where the Father has great patience and the child is innocent in his understanding of how to behave in front of his Father. But then, why should Abram and Sarai know how to act? Their background came from a society of worship to false gods that had a little god for every situation in their lifetime. It was a new concept to have one LORD God that controlled every aspect of your life!

Abram and Sarai had been chosen from all others alive on the earth to begin the works of their LORD God. These works were to establish a holy and true people that called the LORD God their one and only God. The LORD God was certain that Abram and Sarai worshipped only Him, and knew He was more powerful than any false god they had ever seen worshipped by others. If only He could get them to believe Him fully, and have trust and faith that He was able to create life itself and therefore, well above their human being requirements! He knew one way that faith in His promises could be fully developed, and that was through the trusted covenants that man had developed among themselves to enter into contract with each other.

So the LORD God made a Covenant between Him and Abram. A covenant is a formal agreement that is made between two parties that is legally binding. The LORD God had made one with the earth through Noah that promised to not destroy more flesh by a flood, sealed by the sign of the rainbow. (Gen 9:12-17) And now, He chose to make a formal agreement that Abram and Sarai could understand to be binding to both Him and Them.

It was that promise presented within the covenant, that Sarai was able to obtain faith. Remember Hebrews 11:11-12?

Hebrews 11:11-12
“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.” (Hebrews 11:11-12)

IT WAS THE PROMISE! She was able to judge the LORD God to be faithful to them, because of the promise He made them! IT WAS ABOUT THE COVENANT! The agreement that the LORD God made with Abram and Sarai that gave Truth to their relationship in a way that Sarai could understand. Thus, to understand the faith of Sarai, as well as the faith of Abram, we must examine that Covenant fully, and see what exactly they agreed to do for each other forever!

Take a moment and read the entire covenant of the LORD God that He made between Him and Abraham (Genesis 17:1-22), then let’s tackle it bit by bit, so we can make sure we understand the promise made between the LORD God and Abram/Sarai perfectly!

While we go through each of the promises, make sure that you distinguish the Promises of God to Abram and Sarai, from the requirements of relationship that the LORD God expects of Abram and Sarai. Without both parties agreeing, there can be no promise given and no covenant enforced. When you have found all the parts of the agreement in this first section, go to the next slide and compare your answers to ours.

Genesis 17:1–2 (KJV 1900)
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
(Genesis 17:1-2)

(Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the LORD God formalized the promise within the Covenant)

1. I am the Almighty God – The Lord God identified Himself formally and fully to Abram, establishing the legal requirements that was traditional in the culture of formal promises made in contract with each other in that time.

2. Walk before me and be thou perfect – Abram was given the requirements of the LORD God to ratify the contract between them.

3. And I will make my covenant between me and thee – Next the LORD God promises to make the covenant with Abram, provided he walk and is perfect, and acknowledge the LORD God as His God.

4. Will multiply thee exceedingly – Promises of future generations to come from Abram is given formerly by the LORD God.

How did you do? Now let’s try a bit more. The next part of the agreement reads:

Genesis 17:4–6 (KJV 1900)
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. (Genesis 17:4-6)

5. The covenant is established officially between the LORD God and Abram

6. He promises Abram that he will be a father of many nations.

7. The LORD God changes the name of Abram to Abraham

8. The LORD God reveals that Abram was created specifically to be the father of many nations. It is at this very moment in the Word of God that it is revealed that Abram was not a man who stumbled into belief in the LORD God, but was created specifically for the work of the Lord.

9. The LORD God to make him exceedingly fruitful, with generations of nations and Kings

How are you doing with these statements of facts? Let’s look at more of the Covenant, and see if you can pick out the different points!

Genesis 17:7–9 (KJV 1900)
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. (Genesis 17:7-9)

10. The LORD God promises this covenant to carry through the seed of Abraham to all generations of his FOREVER!

11. The formal promise of the LORD God is made to Abraham and his seed for everlasting eternity. There is no expiration date.

12. The LORD God promises to give Abram and his seed the foreign land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. (The land of Canaan is part of today’s Israel, although its borders have been shrunk by conflict among many nations. This means that the land of Israel today was given to His people in a formal, binding, legal Covenant by Him, and does not belong to any other people or any other nation).

13. The LORD God promises to be the God of His Chosen People that come from Abraham, and who are given the legal title to the Land of Canaan.

I’m sure you’re doing great in your statements of fact! Now let’s continue and find more details in the Covenant between the LORD God and Abraham.

Genesis 17:9–14 (KJV 1900)
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. (Genesis 17:9-14)

14. The LORD God made Abraham and his seed responsible for keeping the covenant between Him and them

15. To show that the covenant that was made between Abraham and the LORD God, He commanded every man child of the covenant to have his foreskin circumcised at eight days old. This includes every man child of all generations, and any servant of the house that is bought with money. Circumcision is the token of the everlasting covenant that the LORD God made to Abraham and his seed.

16. Any uncircumcised male child that is not circumcised will be cut off from the covenanted people, and will break the promise given to him by benefit of birth from the generation of Abraham.

Now the Covenant focuses upon Sarah! Pay close attention, because this begins the foundation that lays her faith, and gives reason for our study!

Genesis 17:15–16 (KJV 1900)
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. (Genesis 17:15-16)

17. The LORD God changed the name of Sarai, to the name Sarah.

18. The LORD God promised to bless Sarah, and give her a son

19. The LORD God promised to make her a mother of nations, with kings coming from her people.

That was the promise that Sarah remembered. That was the promise that strengthened her in her old age. And once she conceived, it was the promise remembered that gave her full faith in the LORD God!

But, the promise did not stop there! Look at the rest of it, and make your statements of facts.

Genesis 17:19–21 (KJV 1900)
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. (Genesis 17:19-21)

20. The LORD God named her son Isaac

21. He promised to establish the covenant with Abraham with his son also and continue through the generations.

22. He also promised to remember Ishmael by blessing him, making him fruitful, and multiply exceedingly.

23. He promised twelve princes from Ishmael’s generations, and that they would be made a great nation.

24. HOWEVER, the covenant would be established and continued through Isaac and not Ishmael.

25. Sarah was promised to bear Isaac at a set time in the next year.

This concludes the agreed upon Covenant of the LORD God given to Abraham and Sarah.

Hebrews 11:11-12
“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.” (Hebrews 11:11-12)

This is the promise that Sarah’s faith was built upon. Her faith did not come immediately, but rather developed as she saw the LORD God protect and bless her family. When she became pregnant as an old lady, her faith was confirmed to be valid and valuable, and she believed on the LORD God from that moment on. The Faith of Sarah became part of the foundation that all faith in the LORD God is based, as recorded in Hebrews 11:11-12.

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