Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Complete commitment to God and keeping faith alive.

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Complete commitment to God and keeping faith alive.

 

The epistle of James states, "Do you want to live with your faith gone dead, or would you like to mature your faith like our father Abraham?" What believer could ignore such an awesome call as that?

 

Faith in the word of God will become action with the word of God. And this will keep your faith alive and vigorous.

 

James therefore wishes his readers to know that works are in fact the vitalizing “spirit” which keeps one’s faith alive in the same way that the human spirit keeps the human body alive (2:26). Whenever a Christian ceases to act on his faith for a relatively long period of time, that faith atrophies and becomes little more than a religious corpse. Hence, we must recover from faithlessness rapidly and in grace. Be alert and sober. “Dead orthodoxy or dead religion” masquerading as the life of Christ has always confronted Christians. Satan brought his schemes into the church very early on, as we would expect him to do. Christians must always heed this danger and we must never become ignorant of the devil's schemes.

 

The antidote is a simple one: faith remains vital and alive as long as it is being translated into the real works of living obedience that God has ordained.

 

EPH 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

 

EPH 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

 

EPH 2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

 

EPH 2:7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

EPH 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

 

EPH 2:9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

 

EPH 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

At salvation, God made us alive; gave us the life that is Christ, and our faith was made alive. We could now put our faith in the things of God, the things of the truth, the things of the Spirit, and walk in good works - all by grace.

 

Before our regeneration, what could we put our faith in? We could only put it in dead things. As believers, our faith can now be put in that which is alive and powerful.

 

1PE 3:17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

 

1PE 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

 

Blessing always follows well doing. Christ died for sins and the result was that we were brought to God. This isn't earning blessing, it is simply that goodness is blessing and results in it.

 

Because of the death of Christ, we have been brought to God the Father. We have an audience with Him.

 

Our Lord died for us and then was made alive. He was forsaken by the Father, but when it was finished, life returned to His spirit. This He did so that we would be alive with Him; resurrected.

 

Finally on this subject of faith gone dead, we look at the analogy of the branches and the vine.

 

JOH 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

 

JOH 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

 

JOH 15:3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

 

JOH 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

 

This word “abide” (Greek: meno) also means to remain in or to continue in. Jesus used it in the temple when calling the believers to become disciples (pupils, learned students).

 

JOH 8:31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

 

JOH 8:32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

JOH 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 

JOH 15:6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

 

The consequences of not continuing as a disciple are dire, but they are not a loss of salvation. There is a loss of relationship (thrown away), a loss of vitality (dries up), and then chastening (burned).

 

The loss of vitality has been our subject.

 

Of course, a believer can recover and abide in Christ again. The metaphor of fire simply speaks of discipline and the reap what one sows principle. If it is literal fire, then no, the branch cannot go back to being a branch, but the fire is not literal, any more than Christ is an actual vine. But Christ is not here addressing the means of repentance and recovery, He is warning us of the consequences of not abiding in Him, and if it is true that all believers will be disciples, then the warning is taken out and the passage loses all significance.

 

JOH 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

 

JOH 15:8 "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

 

JOH 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

 

JOH 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

 

JOH 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

 

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and so is a byproduct of bearing much fruit. Christ's joy made full is a most valuable commodity. It is joy despite circumstances. It flows from His love and produces His peace.