“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55: 6-7
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Salvation is by Grace through Faith
Depending on the Bible you read, Genesis 6: 8 says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh” or “But Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahweh.”
“Chen” is the Hebrew word that is translated as “favor” and “grace”. Actually, “chen” means “unmerited favor” or “grace”.
Noah didn’t deserve Yahweh’s favor, but Yahweh extended grace to him because Noah had faith. Yahweh tested Noah’s faith when He told him to build the ark. Noah passed the test despite experiencing ridicule for about 100 years.
Remember, Noah built a huge boat on dry land before there was any water nearby to float it. It took Noah about 100 years to complete the task. Imagine what Noah’s neighbors thought of him. He must have been a laughingstock. Still, Noah pressed on until the rains came. Then, Yahweh sealed him in the ark and saved him.
Ephesians 2: 8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of Elohim.”
Paul was saying that salvation can’t be earned. Yahweh extends His unmerited favor or grace to people who have faith in Him and are willing to obey Him. So, salvation is a gift from Yahweh, but obedience is required. In Romans 8: 14, Paul said, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of Elohim, these are sons of Elohim.”
Being led by Yahweh’s Spirit means obeying Him. In the end, salvation is based on what I call “faith with legs”. Faith with legs is faith that is willing to go where Yahweh says go and to do what Yahweh says do despite the circumstances. It’s faith and obedience without regard for the odds against you.
See The Trilogy.
Genesis 15: 6 says, “Then he [Abraham] believed in Yahweh; and He [Yahweh] reckoned it to him [Abraham] as righteousness.” Believing in Yahweh means to have faith in Him. Yahweh extended His unmerited favor or grace to Abraham, saved him, and declared him righteous, because he had faith in Him.
In other words, Abraham did not earn salvation. His salvation was based on faith in Yahweh and Yahweh’s grace. A while later, Yahweh tested Abraham’s faith when He told him to sacrifice Isaac, and Abraham passed the test.
“You believe that Elohim is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that — and they shudder. O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless? Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected [demonstrated] by what he did. And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed Yahweh, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called a friend of Elohim. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2: 19-26)
Yahweh knows that faith that hasn’t been tested can’t be trusted. If faith was easy, everybody would have it.
Faith isn’t easy, but it is required. Not everyone has saving faith or faith with legs.
When we experience a test of faith, we must obey Yahweh. Every person Yahweh chooses will experience tests of faith. It goes with the territory. Sometimes, those tests can be painful, and sometimes, they can go against every human inclination we have. It doesn’t matter. Obeying Yahweh in the face of obstacles is a must.
The connection between faith, grace, and obedience is fundamental. That connection is alluded to many times and in many ways throughout the Bible.
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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
John 10: 14-18
