Rewarder

Hebrews 11:6
Post 245

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Hebrews 11:6.

How familiar we are with this simple verse, many of us have even memorized it. We generically understand that it promotes a need to believe in God and determine to live the Christian life. This verse is most often used on the unbelieving in an attempt to encourage them to enduring faith and on rare occasions is even used on weary Christians who need encouragement to continue in that faith with determination. These of course are not wrong uses per se, but there is foundational depth here in this verse that usually goes unexplored and therefore unheeded.

* * *

Let’s take a moment and investigate the treasures found here:

I will restrain myself as much as possible from starting at the beginning of chapter 11 to explain in detail the incredible buildup to the topic of our present study verse, but will note that those previous verses declare what faith is:

It is actually substance as shown in verse 1.

It is the acceptable faith without the law, as reveled in verse 2.

The scientific secret door to the creation of the universe is contained in v. 3.

The mystery in righteousness of the law before there was the law, to them who are righteous, is shown in verse 4.

The prophecy of the supernatural shredding of temporal rules reveled by the rapture of the faithful friends of God, is found in verse 5.

And all these deep gems of wisdom and insight are hidden behind the simplicity of faith, just as all the law and prophets are hidden behind the great commandment;

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” Matthew 22:37-38 (+40).

Do you need to know more than that to be saved? No… if you can do that fully and honestly.

But can you know more than that if you wish? Yes; the scriptures are far richer than mankind has the ability to spend (Proverbs 25:2, Daniel 2:47).

But if fallen man had the ability to understand and successfully adhere to Matthew 22:37-38 then all the rest of scripture is a waste of ink. No, the rest of scripture is provided to us as the means to access the needed understanding to fulfill Matthew 22:37-38, that understanding is summed up in the name of Jesus Christ.

And so we find ourselves at Hebrews 11:1-5 teaching us just what faith is and what it can do, before it continues to verse 6 which begins;

“But without faith it is impossible to please him…”

Impossible.

That’s quite a confident word.

And by looking up the original Greek it means exactly what it seems to mean; Impossible.

But that’s no big deal, we assume we already have faith and so we quickly skip over that part as no longer relevant;

“I already have faith, let’s get to something I need.”

Really? (asked wryly *1).

So just which of the previous verses accurately describes your faith?

Is it the substance and evidence, or just the hope, of verse 1?

Does your faith evidence that you will receive a good report as in verse 2, rather than simply the hope that you will? (Matthew 25:21).

Does your faith provide the understanding that the universe was simply spoken into existence by the word of God and so enable you to give an intelligent reply to science, or does godless science persuade your faith to compromise with the “facts of known reality” to think that perhaps God used billions of years of evolution to make the tangible things? Is your faith suddenly shaken in doubt when the latest “science” “proves” the creation narration wrong? (verse 3).

Does your faith provide the understanding of the law without the need of the law; that results in a sacrifice acceptable, or does your faith in ignorance of the principle of the law get frustrated with God for rejecting your no-law sacrifice of Cain’s kind of faith in verse 4?

But at least we can all confidently relax (rest?) in our trump-card of faith; that we will, as Enoch, participate in the Last Days translation of verse 5 that we affectionately call the rapture; “That is faith you can’t argue with”, you say.

Really? (again) Finish that verse 5 you trust so much; “…for before his translation he had this testimony (3140), that he pleased God.”, is that honestly you or do you just hope it is you? Enoch’s translation was not a surprise; his testimony (evidence) was the reserved ticket for that trip *2.

Hebrews 11 is not about hope; it’s about faith.

But having great hope, we tend to read that first verse with the focus on hope and so all we can see is the hope;

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1.

But this verse is not about hope; it’s about faith, otherwise the verse would read;

“Now hope is the illusion of things hoped for, the imagination of things not seen” Webruised 11:1, but it doesn’t read that way.

Can you see the difference? Faith is actually substance and evidence for our hope of something sure but not yet acquired, while hope without faith is just a foundationless imagination of something only desired but no real steps to reaching that acquisition;

“I hope Bill Gates sends me a million dollars”.

Hope is a nice sentiment and provides encouragement to take action but is not the action itself. But now we see that faith is not the action either; the action is works!

Hebrews is just getting started describing the value of hands-on faith that actually achieves its desire at the end! This is why James tells us;

“…faith without works is dead” James 2:18,20.

Faith CANNOT stand alone without works (James 2:26), anymore than hope can stand alone without faith. Hope needs a vehicle, which is faith. Faith needs a vehicle, which is works (read the rest of Hebrews 11).

But did not Cain perform works by his sacrifice? Yes, but not in right faith.

In essence Cain’s works were done in hope, which is where most modern Christians find themselves. This is dangerously close to the strange incense burnt unto God by Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3) when God slew them for it.

The one defining difference between them and Cain is that they did what they did in clear knowledge having just received the fresh relative laws in the previous nine chapters; they knew better, and the written law provided to them made that fact unarguable. Cain did not have such written law, but was still held accountable, to a lesser degree. (This is a mystery worth exploring perhaps later).

This is what makes the Jordan River Decision so permanent. This is the grave danger of playing games with God’s mercy again and again while “trying to learn” his ways; eventually you will have been given all the instruction you need, all the wasted opportunities to seal your conviction, and then accountability is called due swiftly (Proverbs 29:1).

The clear comprehension of this grave danger should motivate a more diligent (serious) learning while the manifold grace remains extended for that purpose! Without THAT faith, it is impossible to please him:

And all that was just the ground-work; the foundation of our present study verse that many say; “I already have faith, lets move on to something I need”.

* * *

OK, moving on:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Hebrews 11:6.

After the colon the verse explains why the need for faith to please God, but again it is common to assume;

“I believe that ‘God is’, so I’m good here too. Let’s move on.”

We naturally assume this passage is written for “non-Christians”, but while it is true that we can use the scriptures to reach the non-believers, the scriptures were written to us not them.

So why would Paul declare the obvious? Don’t all believers believe that God is? By definition it would seem so, but the verse uses that basic fact to support the next part of faith;

“…and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Believing in God is NOT enough, just like following Moses was NOT enough. Sure you have faith to believe that God exists, so what?, the demons do too (James 2:19)! So did Simon. So did the first generation Exodus people, but they did not enter in.

The rest of this verse explains the “so what”; the key is that we must have faith that believes God is as big as it gets, so that nothing can thwart his intended action, and THAT God is a rewarder of the diligent seeker.

But before you blurt out with; “I am a diligent seeker!” step back and review the previous thoughts of similar confidence in general that we tended to shred by simple specific exploration (I honestly am not trying to be mean here, we are exposing the wound for salve!), So are you really a diligent seeker?

Now don’t get frustrated and throw up your hands with the cry;

“It’s never good enough!”, THAT is a cry reminiscent of the Exodus people that brought God’s displeasure.

If you have crossed your Jordan then this is war; it’s supposed to be hard but you prepared for it. Stick with it because we are making progress! Doesn’t a tree surgeon prune apparently healthy limbs to produce better fruit? Don’t be defensive but rather learn what is needful, this is no longer criticism to chastisement but instruction for further improvement. This is conquering the Promised Land little by little! Bear with it without resistance, we are nearly to the point.

Yes, you have long been a diligent seeker, and frankly it has worn you out. Right? So how much diligence is needed to be good enough? (this part will really get you) IT’S NOT ABOUT THE DILIGENCE!

“Oh common!” You moan in confused and exhausted disbelief; “of course it’s about the diligence!”

But honestly it’s not, anymore than it’s about works, or the law.

This verse is about belief, not in the diligence but in the faithfulness of the Lord;

“… that he is a rewarder…”.

Now this is profound so think about it. It’s about the expectation (hope) that should result from the diligent search. But what have you spent years training yourself to expect from the Lord? Resistance, tribulation, trials? Isn’t that what you usually get from the Lord, by the truckload?

And so in “faith” we actually attempt to defend the Lord’s honor by mentally reinterpreting scripture to accommodate receiving these things from the Lord! I know it’s crazy but it’s true; We do that! Your EXPERIENCE has shown that God is not actually a rewarder but a heartless taskmaster! So how are we to possibly reconcile that, other than to accuse God of lying?

We have to take the whole passage in context rather than fixate on a single word in a single verse. The whole of chapter 11 is not about the diligence it’s about the faith, and frankly we have already shown your history of faith has been less than acceptable.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him”… diligence or not!

You have believed your experiences and logically concluded that God is NOT “a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. This is the same confusion of the diligent scientist whose “facts” prove God did not make the earth in six days. But instead of outright calling God a liar, we simply cover for him in “faith” and thereby make the fault his not ours! How’s that for confusion!?

* * *

So what’s the right answer at this point?

Since scripture has often and repeatedly declared God to be the active resister of iniquity, then IF I am finding resistance from God and not blessing, I should conclude that I AM ACTUALLY INIQUITOUS even while I am diligently seeking him!

God IS a rewarder of the diligent seeker… of both right and wrong variations! *3.

“…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth (498) the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” James 4:6, I Peter 5:5.

Resist 498 antitassomai; from 473 and the middle voice of 5021; to range oneself against, i.e. oppose.

5021 tasso; a prolonged form of a primary verb (which latter appears only in certain tenses); to arrange in an orderly manner, i.e. assign or dispose (to a certain position or lot).

This word resist describes a military type organized resistance! There is nothing passive here. God does not just refrain from helping the proud; he strategically moves against the proud, regardless if they are believers or not!

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you” I Peter 5:6-7.

So here is the tough part:

(aren’t you glad we finally came to the tough part?).

We have long been on the wrong side of God as every sinner is, but as Simonized Christians we have an extra burden that must be shed;

our perception of our experience!

In order for a geologically studied Evolutionist to actually believe God, he must struggle to shed the error of lies he has been taught and still firmly believes is unquestionable fact! The many missing link fossils now in possession, the geologic column, the evidences of micro evolution, the billions of years, the star dust, etc., etc., all are very compelling facts… of something, just not evolution. They are facts of deception and misdirection, which takes an open mind to discover.

And so are your experiences with God.

Now once you have crossed your Red Sea in faith, all the evidence can tell you that God led you into the wilderness to destroy you… or you can “believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” in spite of the apparent evidences to the contrary. The evidence is there on both sides depending on how you chose to see it, but it’s most naturally seen from the wrong view due to our predisposition that needs to change.

And the longer we spend in his Rehab program fighting against his design, the stronger we build our case against him until we have enough “evidence” to call him a destroying liar and untrustworthy.

But there is another way (I didn’t say easier).

The very moment that we stop resisting God’s program for us, and turn to him in treason against our former commander the Devil, God stops resisting us and uses the same program that once caused us pain, to begin the intended healing:

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” Jeremiah 33:3

(you really need to read on to verse 9!).

The tough part is to actually learn to trust that God has indeed stopped resisting you after you get right with him! The years of failure and struggle and loss as a Christian are quite a record to stand against in new faith expecting different results. This is far harder than a new convert who has no such history in confused faith; they know plainly that they once served Satan and now serve the Lord and so expecting different results is a no-brainer.

Not so for you, whose delusion masqueraded as faith in the Lord. The years of diligent but misguided struggle have indeed worn you down till there is just nothing left to give to the diligence of a corrected faith, and God knows that too; He used the wilderness rehab journey of hardships and miraculous provision and rest to retrain and strengthen Caleb! And he will do the same for you, if you let him.

Yes, there is diligence required as it were; “…Rewarder of them that diligently seek him”, but it’s nothing like what “wore you out” that you always thought was proper diligence! This is not the diligence of laboriously doing, but of waiting (6960);

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait (6960) upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” Isaiah 40:30-31.

Wait 6960 qavah; a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect:- gather, (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, upon).

* * *

The point of this post is to encourage the renewed believer who has far too long been prisoner to the doctrine of Dirty Grace but has now seen the light dawn on the true faith.

Don’t fall back into the repetition of comfortable old diligence that produced no fruit. Yes, there will be a period of confusion and awkward application attempts in a faith so different that it just feels wrong, therefore, like the apostle Paul, you must count all your past religious experiences and knowledge as dung (Philippians 3:4-8), and only listen to the voice of God through his word. That voice is not your familiar mind that determines an interpretation “feels right”, you have proven that one flawed; You must begin to listen to God with your spirit (John 4:24).

Learning to distinguish the difference is not a weekend adventure, but with new faith that believes God is actually a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, you should have confidence to sort them out, even by trial and error.

* * * * * * *

*1 Wry;…[Middle English wrien, from Anglo-Saxon wrigian to turn, go, move] To twist; writhe; contort… 1. Turned to one side; twisted; contorted; also, made by twisting the features out of shape; as, a wry face or smile. 2. a. Marked by perversity or contrariness; wrongheaded; as, wry notions. b. Distorted; warped.

*2 Testimony 3140 martureo; from 3144; to be a witness, i.e. testify (literally or figuratively):- charge, give [evidence], bear record…

A false testimony is declaring you saw or experienced something that you did not actually see or experience. Many Christians today are Simonized (Acts 8) and yet fully willing to provide testimony to the power of God which they have not personally seen or experienced. Enoch’s productive testimony was given by his life that evidenced he pleased God! His translation was but a by-product of that testimony. Does your life provide that kind of testimony? It can and should! The success of a first battle having crossed your Jordan River in faith is just such a beginning testimony.

Welcome to the War of Rest!

*3 A rewarder of both good and bad:

Deuteronomy 28 is a very clear and detailed example of this concept that is literally bursting from every passage of the entire scripture. God is The Supreme Judge. Judges pass sentence for both the innocent and guilty. Today’s error of the faith is to miss this entire point! Moses, as the type of Christ, makes this very, very clear as he speaks prophetically from the mouth of Jesus:

“For I know that after my death (crucifixion) ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will be fall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands” Deuteronomy 31:29.

There can be no doubt that we as Christians have fulfilled this prophecy since Christ, and that the path of our Christian faith has become twisted in scoliosis. Now in clear recognition we must repent, for the kingdom of heaven is again at hand!

As a last days onion layer of the second generation of wilderness wanderers, we have finally returned to the Jordan River, can’t you smell it in the air just ahead?, let’s not disappoint our Lord, lets make ready to go in and boldly possess the land IN THE NAME (likeness and manner) OF THE LORD!

*