Grace for Doubting Believers

Reading this morning from the Scriptures in Genesis 15, I found it a little odd that Abraham (Abram at the time) immediately believed God when He promised him a male heir, a son of his very own...and yet, Abraham did not immediately believe God when He promised him the land that his descendents would inherit. And we know that he didn’t because he asks the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” (Gen.15:8). In vs.6, the Bible tells us that, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” But then he turns right around and doesn’t simply take God at His word about the land. Very curious.
Yet, God is so kind and gracious, rather than rebuking Abraham for his unbelief, God instructs him to bring the elements to him so that He can make (lit. cut) a covenant with Abraham. God graciously stoops to Abraham’s unbelief and gives him a formal sign, a ceremony that assures Abraham of the unconditional promise about the land. Besides from being good, loving, and gracious, why would God do this? Why didn’t the Lord simply give Abraham His word and let it be it? Why did He lower Himself to Abraham like this?

I believe there are a couple of reasons, one being to satisfy Abraham’s doubts… although I still admit to not understanding how or why Abraham believed God about the son, but didn’t about the land, unless of course the “land promise” was a much bigger “promise” and therefore Abraham doubted God’s ability to fulfill. Though I must admit, even to me this seems unlikely. And yet the question remains.

Another reason I believe God allowed this and even graciously went through this ceremony was not merely for Abraham’s sake, but for all of his descendents… for the nation of Israel that was to come. Israel would endure much suffering and heartache, not only what God revealed to Abraham concerning their stay in Egypt, but even later at the hands of the Babylonians. What would be more encouraging to later Hebrews than to look back on the promise that God made with Abraham? Future generations would be continuously told about how the Lord Himself appeared to their Father Abraham and literally made a covenant with him to give his descendents the land. Therefore they would not give up or lose hope. They would continuously look to the Lord their God to fulfill His promises.

I believe it is also a great encouragement to even us today, as New Testament believers, as we think about all the promises that God has made to us, especially those concerning salvation through His blessed Son, Jesus. God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham, He swore by Himself because there was nothing greater for Him to swear by that assured Abraham and his descendents that one day they would indeed inherit the land. Likewise, we too can be assured and confident that the Lord our God who has promised us eternal life through faith in Christ will indeed keep His promise. Thank you, Lord for your graciousness and patience with doubting believers.

Practical Universalists

Sometimes it seems like the even the best of Christians can become “practical universalists.” What do I mean by “practical universalists?” What I mean is, we know what the Scriptures say, we know the clear teaching of Christ when He said, in Matt 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

We know that with our mind, but emotionally it seems like we can’t accept it, because deep down in our hearts we think everyone is going to make it to heaven somehow someway, especially when we’re thinking of people close to us. It doesn’t seem to matter how people live. It doesn’t seem to matter whether they openly deny Christ. Deep in our hearts we still believe that when they die, somehow they will go to heaven. Of course, this is what universalists believe, that everyone is eventually saved and no one is judged. But of course, this is NOT the message we read in the Bible, God’s word. The fact is, there is a judgment coming and there is a time when the patience and mercy of God will run out and we will be left to His justice and wrath. In fact, I was reminded of this truth this morning from my reading in Genesis 7. In a very populated world at the time of the great flood, 8 people were saved; Noah and his wife, and his three sons and their wives. Out of the thousands and thousands of people on the earth, possibly even millions in the days of Noah, God saved 8 people.

This should remind us that as much as He dislikes to do it, God will judge wickedness in perfect holiness and righteousness. To allow ourselves to become “practical universalists” means that we allow mere emotionalism to rob us of the seriousness of God’s holiness, the certainty of God’s truth, and the urgency to proclaim the good news of Christ to a dying world. If we are to truly remain faithful, we must not allow ourselves to give into “practical universalism.” We must always bear in mind that judgment is coming and man’s only escape is repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. May God in grace by the power of His Spirit keep us mindful of this reality, that it might greatly effect how we live!