The Source of Our Faith

MEMORY VERSE: “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” —Hebrews 1:2

HEBREWS 1:1-3; 2:1-4; 3:12-15

JEHOVAH, the God of Israel, and our Heavenly Father, is the true source of our faith. God has revealed his plan to his people through his written Word. In Old Testament times he spoke through the prophets. The Revised Standard Version reads, “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets.” The New English Bible says that “he spoke in fragmentary and varied fashion through the prophets.”

We could say that in a fragmentary manner essentially the entire plan of God for human salvation is set forth in the Old Testament Scriptures. However, the prophets did not clearly discern the meaning of much that they wrote. It remained for the coming of God’s dear Son, through whom he spoke in a more comprehensive manner, to reveal the meaning of what the prophets had written.

Jesus was highly favored in his Father’s arrangements. As the “Logos”—the Father’s representative—“he made the worlds”; or, as the New English translation reads, he “created all orders of existence.” By his faithfulness in laying down his life to redeem the fallen race he became worthy of high exaltation, even to “the right hand of the Majesty on high.” To us, Jesus is the living Word of truth, and through him and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit which he sent we can now understand even the fragmentary items of truth set forth by the holy prophets.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter explained that one of the great themes of the prophets was “the times of restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:19-21) To the little flock there are also the exceeding great and precious promises of the divine nature. (II Pet. 1:4) We rejoice in the wonderful manner in which the understanding of these “two salvations” sets forth the harmony of the entire Word of God.

Realizing the high and authentic source of the truth, we should give earnest heed to it lest at any time we should let it slip. It is a blessed experience to have God speak to us by his Son and through his Word, but it brings responsibility—great responsibility. This was true in the case of the “word spoken by angels.”—Acts 7:53

When Paul asks, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord,” he is not implying that those who are unfaithful will be eternally tortured. However, continued unfaithfulness does lead to an everlasting cutting off from life.

We are to take heed lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief. Unbelief in any degree inevitably leads to laxness and unfaithfulness in doing the will of the Lord. If we are not sure that the truth of the Bible is really authentic in the sense of having come from God, through his Son, it will not exercise the powerful influence in our hearts and lives which it should. When we look back to the days of ancient Israel we find that their many and flagrant sins against God and his Law was due to their unbelief.

So we do indeed need to “exhort one another daily, while it is called Today”; that is, while there is still an opportunity, and still time to prove our loyalty to God by zealous obedience to the doing of his will. There is always the danger of being “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

Paul wrote, “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” Paul again wrote, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:35-36) Every Christian needs patience, lest he let slip the precious truths received from God through his Son.

QUESTIONS

Who is the true source of the Christian’s faith?

How has God spoken to his people throughout the ages?

How may we be made partakers of Christ?

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