Summary and Preview: What Does God Want?

Summary and Preview | Meditation on a Book | What Does God Want? Series | Jesus Christ | Christianity

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Introduction | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Summary and Preview | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

Summary and Preview

We’re rounding the bases and coming down the home stretch of my meditation on the book “What Does God Want?” by Dr. Michael S. Heiser [not an affiliate link].

Before continuing with the final three chapters, in a brief, two-page section Heiser provides some points to ponder based on a phrase he frequently used: “believing loyalty”. He pauses here in the book to reinforce this concept before moving on to:

• Chapter 7: What’s the Gospel?

• Chapter 8: What’s Discipleship?

• Chapter 9: What Does a Disciple Do?

Up to this point, we know that God’s story is all about His wanting a family, His human family. He wants to partner with us human image bearers. What else is involved?

Meditations on Summary and Preview

Believing Loyalty

Almighty God initiated covenants (promises) with His image bearers, and He kept those promises. When I read through the Old Testament this year, I often sat in awe of Yahweh’s faithfulness as He pursued His people. Despite their disloyalty and backsliding over and over into sinful rebellion, Yahweh’s loyalty to both His promises and to His people never wavered. All that the Lord had asked for is our believing loyalty only to Him.

Heiser writes:

The apostle Paul used Abraham as an example of believing loyalty. (Romans 4:1-12) Abraham believed and was accepted by God before he obeyed any rules. The rules were about showing he believed. They did not replace belief. Belief (faith) was the one essential thing. Loyalty to that belief—to that God—is something we’ll talk about later. Today we call it discipleship. Belief and loyalty are two distinct things. They are related but not interchangeable. The same is true of salvation and discipleship.

Page 50, “What Does God Want?”, Dr. Michael S. Heiser.

Believing

As you know, God’s story with His human image bearers all started before Moses, Mt. Sinai, and the Ten Commandments:

Romans 4:1-3 (NLT)
¹ Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? ² If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. ³ For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” [Emphasis mine]

Now, us “crusty (long-time) Christians” need to re-read the verses above and let them sink in, again. Recently, I’ve heard several long-time believers ask: “What is salvation?” They’re going back to God’s word and digging deeply to search this topic. I’m also seeing this question come up on “Christian YouTube” channels. Why?

Times are troublesome right now and they could grow worse. “Crusty Christians” are wondering what’s going to happen next in this spiritual war, and whether they’ll stand firm when very hard times come to them.

They’re also being asked by not-yet believers about their faith. People are anxious in these times, and comfortable crusty Christians are making sure they can share God’s salvation story well.

Both are reasons why I see primarily western believers digging deep into the scriptures to ensure they can stand firm and answer others’ questions: What is salvation?”

Salvation is by God’s grace alone through our faith alone.

Belief, believing. Just like Abraham.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)
⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Believing the gospel, the good news of Jesus, is how we are saved, how we become members of the family God has always wanted.

Believing.

Salvation by grace through faith is the path that God created for us to join His family, and this path is centered completely on what Jesus did.

Hebrews 2:14-18 (NLT)
¹⁴ Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵ Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

¹⁶ We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

This describes Jesus’ loyalty to the path Father God created so we can join His family, so we can be saved. Now, as redeemed partners and children of God, we walk in loyalty only to Him.

And, the good news is Jesus is able to help us when the enemy tests our loyalty (verse 18).

Loyalty

Jesus was loyal to His Father’s plan, even though it cost Him everything, because He loved Father God. Remember, Jesus called the Father “Abba” (daddy), which describes a very close, affectionate, and intimate parent-child relationship.

Mark 14:36 (NLT)
“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Can you imagine Jesus’ agony in the garden of Gethsemane? His loyalty! This brings me to tears.

And, we are encouraged to call Yahweh our “Abba” daddy.

Romans 8:15 (NLT)
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Also….

Galatians 4:6 (NLT)
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

As Jesus’ disciples (followers), we imitate Him. We show Father God that we love Him, and are grateful for His salvation, by walking in loyalty only to Him just as Jesus did. That’s the definition of “discipleship”—our loyalty.

We can’t do anything to earn God’s love and be saved. We can’t do anything to add to Jesus’ salvation. In our believing we walk in loyalty, for even demons believe in Jesus (they’ve seen Him!) and they certainly do not do good deeds. Obviously, their belief has not saved them. They are not loyal to Him at all [read James 2:14-26 (NLT)].

When we as God’s redeemed children do good deeds, we show the world both our believing in and our loyalty to Jesus Christ alone.

As I said earlier, belief and loyalty are two related, but distinct things. They are not interchangeable. The same is true about salvation and discipleship. We believe the gospel for our salvation. We show loyalty to our Savior by being his disciple.

Page 51, “What Does God Want?”, Dr. Michael S. Heiser.

In the final three chapters (7, 8, and 9) we’ll discover some deeper points to ponder regarding salvation and discipleship.

Your Turn

Take a few moments and think about the phrase “believing loyalty”.

How would you describe to another person your salvation journey to Jesus, your believing? And, how would you describe to that person your loyalty to Jesus, how you walk as His disciple (“discipleship”)?

Soli Deo Gloria!

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