Will the Son of Man Find Faith on the Earth
Will the Son of Man Find Faith on the Earth
Jesus asked the question, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18.8 WEB) This statement, at least in my experience, is often thought to apply to a secularization of the world’s population in the last days. In other words, there will be fewer religious people and more pagans as the return of the Son of Man nears. However, Jesus was addressing his disciples and a crowd of religious, God-fearing people. People like us!
Jesus was very specifically teaching about persistence in prayer, telling a parable about an unrighteous judge and a persistent widow to illustrate a God concerned for his people. Jesus was addressing people who believed in God and prayed - some true believers and some just religious folk who thought they were okay. But they were people like you and me.
This passage is so pertinent because so many in our world do not believe in prayer, that God answers prayer or in his supernatural involvement with his people. So many grow weary when praying and do not push through until they receive an answer.
This entire passage is within the larger context of a discussion about faith and people of God. Jesus is not asking if there will be any God-fearing people left when the Son of Man returns; Jesus is asking if faith will be found amongst those who claim to be God’s children!
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
Romans has a lot to say about faith - from start to finish. (I would encourage you sometime to sit down and read the book straight through with no preconceived ideas. Who knows, you might just end up leading the next great reformation!) Romans is also perhaps the most-used book in evangelism. Those of you that have been around Christianity for a while are familiar with the Romans Road and know what I am referring to.
I think there are at least two keys to correctly understanding Romans, however:
1. Romans 1.17 - “As it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith” (WEB). Note that the righteous are not only saved by grace but live by faith as well (read Galatians for more on this). This statement seems to be the key that the rest of Romans is written around. Keep it in mind as you read and the whole letter makes sense.
2. Read Romans in context - You cannot take a random section out of Romans and correctly understand it. The letter builds as it goes. Each section is built on the previous section. This letter was designed to be read as a whole and splitting it apart destroys the integrity of the letter. Chapter and verse divisions are not your friend here!
An example: Romans 3.10 - “As it is written, There is no one righteous. No, not one. (WEB)” This is right out of the Romans Road. This passage is frequently used in evangelistic outreach to the secular world. The only trouble is this statement is not intended to be evangelistic to the pagan community. This statement is an evangelistic statement made to a faith community! Back up to the beginning of chapter 3. Paul has just finished ripping apart everything his Jewish readers might have relied on about their spiritual heritage gaining them any favor or standing with God. Paul then begins 3.1 with the question, “Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? (WEB)” (Oh, but much in every way, if they have a personal faith in Jesus Christ!) It is on the heels of this statement that Paul reminds us that “there is no one righteous. No, not one.” All of your religious heritage, all of your spiritual experience profits you nothing if you do not have a genuine and personal faith in Jesus Christ. Look forward with me to Romans 3.19-20 - “Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin. (WEB)” Our popular evangelistic statement (Romans 3.10) is neatly and unavoidably linked in the middle of a discussion to people who have the law and know God’s righteous standards. These are people like you and me who know God’s word!
This is what we now refer to as “evangelism in the pews.”
Faith and Works Must Co-Exist if Faith is Genuine
We live in a day when people think that “my faith is private” is a suitable excuse for a lack of good works. James paints a drastically different picture for us though.
In James 1.22-25 we read, “But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror; for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. (WEB)” James lays it out plainly that we must hear and do. True faith always is accompanied by good works. To those of you that think you can have faith without works James advises that you are deluded. It is self-deception to believe that genuine faith can exist in the absense of works and good deeds. To put it another way, if you want to convince James you are a Christian you must do more than just say it - you must live it.
James continues in 2.14-18 arguing that you are welcome to try and show your faith without works, but he will show his faith by his works. Oh, but you say you believe in God? So do the demons - and they shudder!
The Assurance of Things Hoped for, Proof of Things not Seen
Hebrews 11.1 offers us what is arguably the best definition of faith in the Scriptures: “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. (WEB)” Hebrews 11 continues with a list of great men and women of the faith. These great saints did not receive the promise they awaited, however. They suffered, they waited, but they kept the faith.
One of the problems that modern Christianity does not seem comfortable discussing is suffering. Too often, when the subject is discussed, it reduces to cliches and trite comments. In Hebrews 11.40 though we read that God chose that these saints would not be made perfect aside from later saints after them! Sometimes we wait for the realization of the subject of our faith so that we along with others after us may be perfected together. Our focus needs to be larger than us. Hebrews 12.1 follows on the heels of this amazing statement by encouraging us to run the race well. Those saints who have gone before us are watching and cheering us on. Our story is part of their story! We are indeed living in a larger story that existed before us and will exist after us. Our success is the success of those who have gone before; the success of those who come after us is our success.
Test Your Own Selves
I want to consider 2 Corinthians 13.5 in this section. But first we need to consider the setting the admonition to test our selves comes in. Paul had visited the Corinthian assembly twice before and was preparing for a third visit. Paul has previously written to the Corinthian assembly about sin in their midst. Rather than repenting, there were those who questioned and undermined Paul’s spiritual authority. Paul was preparing to come to Corinth and deal with the sin in the assembly and to exercise discipline as necessary. Consider the text in 2 Corinthians 12.20-13.6:
“For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots; that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and lustfulness which they committed. This is the third time I am coming to you. ‘At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word established.’ I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as when I was present the second time, so now, being absent, I write to those who have sinned before now, and to all the rest, that, if I come again, I will not spare; seeing that you seek a proof of Christ who speaks in me; who toward you is not weak, but is powerful in you. For he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him through the power of God toward you. Test your own selves, whether you are in the faith. Test your own selves. Or don’t you know as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I hope that you will know that we aren’t disqualified” (WEB).
The modern church tends to encourage everyone in the security of their salvation. I suspect sometimes the greatest enemy of the Holy Spirit in bringing conviction on an unbeliever is the church telling the unbeliever they are secure in their salvation based on having “prayed a prayer” or been baptized. To those in the Corinthian assembly living in willful sin - everything from proud thoughts and slander to sexual immorality - Paul offered no such encouragement or assurance. Rather, Paul admonished these church people to test themselves to be certain Jesus Christ was in them. But know this, some of them may discover that Jesus is not in them - that they are in fact disqualified!
To those of you who are living in willful sin of any sort the same admonition stands: test yourself and discover if indeed Jesus Christ is in you. But know this, some of you may discover that you too are disqualified. Testing ourselves now provides an opportunity to correct our error and seek God while there is yet time.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?