Anchored in Truth™ Striving Not to Build 'Great' Churches, but 'True' Churches

3/20/2008

Posted By Pastor Jeff Noblit

The overwhelming testimony from Scripture is that saving faith never stands alone, but is accompanied by lasting fruit. (John 15:16) Faith is not a one time ritual or event that happens in one’s life, but is something that remains present throughout the Christian’s life. Martin Luther and John Calvin are both credited as saying, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone!”

This truth is gloriously seen in the life of Rahab the prostitute. She exemplifies this model of multiplied fruit. Rahab, though not a greater sinner than us, was a notorious sinner. God even chose that the title “the prostitute” be attached to her name in sacred Scripture as a testimony to the power of grace that changed her to a life of fruit bearing faith as a child of God. Unlike the Jews of her day, Rahab, being a Gentile and removed from the commonwealth of Israel, had only a seed of revelation light. She did not have the varied revelations that the Jews had, but unlike many then and many in our day, her seed of faith produced multiplied fruit.

We see the multiplying fruit of Rahab’s faith in Joshua 2:10-11. She had heard of what God had done for Israel: how He dried the water of the Red Sea, and what happened to Israel’s enemies the Amorites, Shion, and Og. This led her to confess, “the Lord your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”(Joshua 2:11)

As we continue to read, we see that Rahab by faith knew that Israel’s God was true, and that Israel was His chosen people, and that He was a God of mercy who would save her. She then hid the spies so that they would be safe and gave them instruction on how to escape back across the Jordon.

Rahab had only a small ray of light, but it produced strong and impacting fruit. Throughout the ages God has amazed us with the works of those who may have been the recipients of less truth than most, yet the seed they received fell on a heart of fertile soil and produced great fruit. This is an indictment on the professing believers of today’s churches. What a deluge of revelation we have before us. Most homes have several Bibles for every family member. Good Christian books are more available that ever before. But the fruit of faith is seemingly weaker then in most previous generations. Thank God for Rahab, who receive only a small beam of truth and produce a thousand-fold crop, while most today seem largely sterile and blinded by the light.