Opportunity to Demonstrate Faith
A while ago my family and I watched the Samuel the Lamanite video from Living Scriptures as part of our family scripture time. One thing that stuck out to me was the divergence of faith among the believers who faced death for their belief in Christ. Even though the depictions of these events in the video were fictional, I still think there is something worthwhile to discuss because it conveys a universal principle that is relevant for all of us.
The bulk of the show takes place 5 years after Samuel the Lamanite prophesied the sign of the birth of Christ. The Gaddinaton robbers have almost full control of the government and the sign hasn’t come. The climax of the show deals with the faith of the followers -- some remaining strong and others choosing to flee or join the Gaddianton robbers.
In the end, as we all know, the sign does appear at the very last minute. The robbers are humiliated and the righteous are saved by god.
But besides the fact that these believers were saved, is the fact that they had an opportunity to demonstrate their faith to God. Having proved their faith, they can show further evidence to God of their faith in him.
The Unfaithful
But what about the believers that didn’t remain faithful? The show depicts the followers consoling these unfaithful believers. While it is true to console all those who need comfort, it’s also important to recognize that these unfaithful believers made a gross mistake -- and one with eternal consequences.
As I plan to discuss more in depth in a blog series, the scriptures teach us that God has an appointed time for everything. God’s works transpire at the time set by God -- and like clockwork. This truth especially applies to our lives. For each and everyone of us, God has appointed certain times in our lives for our growth and progression. And these times are specifically designed for us to teach us what we need to grow and for us to prove our faith to God.
Therefore, if we don’t respond correctly, we risk limiting our ability to progress in the next life as we miss out on the opportunities specifically designed for us to become who God desires for us to be. Even though the believers were consoled, they likely missed out a major -- and maybe their only opportunity -- to prove their faith to the Lord.
When push came to shove they showed that they would rather fear man than the Lord. Accordingly, they can’t go where the elect go because they can’t be trusted by the Lord to faithfully abide in that condition. Their only way of changing that is by showing their faithfulness in a similar situation -- which does not always occur. In fact, the next time something like that occurred was 33 years after the sign. This means the unfaithful believers likely had to wait 33 (or so) years before they could demonstrate their faith again. Some, due to age, may never have had that opportunity again.
Meanwhile, while this group of unfaithful believers had to wait for the next events to show their faith, those who remained faithful had advanced degrees beyond the unfaithful.
In Psalm 25, David remarks: “What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.”
God's Workmanship
The key part in this verse is the “he shall choose.” The “he” refers to the Lord. Thus the Lord will choose our path. This idea is further reinforced in Ephesians 2:10 where Paul, speaking about the destiny of believers, remarks, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
The Greek word for “workmanship” is poiema, meaning work. Our word for poetry comes from the word, poiema. As Tim Keller pointed out, by being God’s workmanship, his poiema, we are his work of art, his craft
Thus our loving Father has a course set out for us to become his artwork -- his craft. Everything about it is designed and is God’s craftsmanship. In short, everything about us is unique and none of it is random. We are here on this earth and this time for a specific reason foreordained by God. Each and everyone us as a work that only we can accomplish based on our talent and traits.
Our circumstances in life were specifically designed to try and test our faithfulness to the Lord in order to refine us into the person God has seen fit for us to become. Faithfulness to the Lord is how we ascend. Lack of faith is how we hinder or even regress our progression.
Different Spiritual Levels
While it is true we can repent and return, we must also realize that there are limits to repentance. Repentance is the means of receiving forgiveness and mercy for our sins. However, repentance is not the means of advancement. We advance through grace and our works according to the laws of justice.
This point is best illustrated in John’s vision of the 7 churches in Revelation.
The seven churches represent the different spiritual levels of God’s people. As you read through their description you will see that each church receives different blessings based on their works.
We inhabit the kingdom to whose law we are able and willing to abide. In fact, it would be unjust to and for us to inhabit a kingdom of glory to whose law we cannot obey. It would be unjust to us because we’d live in a place that would be uncomfortable to us. It would be unjust for us because we’d receive a blessing that we didn’t merit.
As explained in a previous post, we are entering the times where God is releasing his truth in greater quantities than any time before, which we can only access through his Spirit and which Spirit we can only have if we are faithful to him. The lines of loyalty are slowly being drawn. Our faithfulness will be tried and tested -- as with fire -- just like the ancients.
Some will progress, others won’t. The release of truth will coincide with tests to determine who is worthy of the truth. These tests will test our faith and they will have an impact on how far we ascend up the ladder of heaven. They will also shape who we become.
The trajectory upwards or downwards starts with the choices we make -- and who we ultimately become.