Faith’s Conviction

 

 

 

By Faith -11

TITLE: Faith’s Conviction (Contra Mundum)

TEXT: Hebrews 11:31; Joshua 2:1-24

THESIS: In exploring the narrative of Rahab, her journey reflects the essence of informed, confessing, courageous, and obedient faith despite her marginalized status as a Gentile prostitute in a corrupt city. By faith, she lived against the world.

 

TRUTH: Students of church history will be familiar with the phrase contra mundum (against the world), which the early church father Athanasius used to describe his situation in the fourth century. Athanasius was born in Alexandria, Egypt, about AD 295, and he died in AD 373, full of years and honors. His life was not easy. These were the years of the great trinitarian controversies, and for much of that period, Athanasius was almost the sole defender of what today we recognize as orthodox Christianity. Essentially, Athanasius defended that he was fully God.

 

Athanasius was opposed on every hand. Emperors denounced him and frequently exiled him. He was exiled from his bishopric five times. The church turned against him. For decades, it really was for the sake of the true God, and God preserved him and gave him a total victory in the end. For decades, it truly was Athanasius against the world. – (James Boice, Joshua).

 

This is how I view the story of Rahab: she stands against the world. What kind of faith is required to live contra mundum? Before we answer that, let’s examine Rahab in more detail.

 

First, she was a Gentile. Second, she was an Amorite, a people known for their corruption and depravity, including the horrific practice of child sacrifice in their religious rituals. Third, she was a prostitute. I believe Rahab may have converted before the arrival of the two spies—her language suggests this—but she is still identified as a prostitute. Perhaps that is why the spies went to her. I do not imply that they went to her for immoral reasons. Rahab was no worse than any of us; yet we are all saved by grace through faith. She was like many of her sinful sisters in that heathen land -a woman who had departed from the path of chastity and was living a wicked, unclean life. Yet, God, in His infinite mercy, sent His messengers to her.

 

What type of faith enables us to live contra mundum?

 

 

 

 

I.                            Informed Faith

Explanation: Living in Jericho, she had undoubtedly heard the stories that preceded the arrival of the Israelites’ spies -tales of miraculous crossings and devastating plagues. Her understanding of these events reveals a faith that is not blind but informed.

 

As she speaks to the spies, she recounts the stories she has heard of the Israelites’ journey, particularly their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and the defeat of kings beyond the Jordan (Joshua 2:10). She perceives not just the fear that has gripped her city, but the reality behind that fear: the living God possesses ultimate authority over all the earth. This testimony strangely moved her soul. This informed faith ultimately leads her to align herself with the Israelites at great personal risk, marking a critical turning point in her life.

 

Bridging the gap to contemporary application, Rehab’s informed faith serves as a model for modern believers seeking to navigate a complex world filled with competing ideologies and worldviews. Today, where information is abundant and easily accessible, the challenge is to discern truth from misinformation.

 

Faith is the response of the heart to the character of God. -Adrian Rogers

 

When the child of God loves the Word of God and sees the Son of God, He is changed by the Spirit of God into the Image of God for the glory of God because He has found the truth of God. -Adrian Rogers

 

 

II.                        Confessing Faith

 

Explanation: In a pivotal moment, she identifies herself with the Israelites, turning her back on her life in Jericho. This declaration of faith is not simply personal; it’s public and profound. Her voice, once a whisper among the walls of Jericho, now becomes a bold proclamation of salvation, underscoring the power of testimony in the lives of those around us.

 

Rahab’s past did not redefine her identity. Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

 

Illustration: Earlier, we learned about Athanasius. He openly confessed Christ through several key actions: The Council of Nicaea, held in 325 AD, was a significant gathering of Christian leaders convened by Emperor Constantine. Its primary aim was to address the Arian controversy, which revolved around the nature of Christ and His relationship to God the Father. Against the heresy of Arianism, Athanasius stood, proclaimed His faith, and the council produced the Nicene Creed, which affirmed the divinity of Jesus and established a unified Christian doctrine.

 

 

III.                     Courageous Faith

 

Explanation: When the king of Jericho learns of the spies and their presence in her home, she is faced with grave danger. Choosing to defy her king, she risks her life to protect these men of God. Jericho was not a nice place. It was something of a military outpost, and we are not wrong to think that Rahab’s life would not have been worth much if her deception had been discovered.

 

Rahab chose faith over fear. She took an immense risk to protect the spies because she believed in a God greater than her situation. True faith prompts bold actions even in the face of danger.

 

Rahab put her life on the line. She risked her own life and the lives of her family for the spies. Jericho was not a nice place, even her family is at risk. This was a military situation, and Rahab knew, as the other residents of the city also knew, that when the Jews attacked the city, no quarter would be given. If the Jews succeeded in overrunning the city, everyone would be killed, just as the inhabitants of Jericho.

 

Rahab identified with the Jewish people. She was not a Jew. But since she believed in the Jewish God, she now instinctively understood that her place was with these new people rather than with her own.

 

Illustration: Athanasius, despite fierce opposition from powerful figures such as Emperor Constantine and many bishops who supported Arianism, remained steadfast in his commitment to affirming Christ's divinity.

 

 

IV.                    Obedient Faith

 

Explanation:  Rahab’s eventual rescue depends not only on her initial confession of faith leading her to seek God’s mercy, but on her continuing obedience to the instructions that the spies give her about the scarlet cord. Her obedience was evident in her meticulous adherence to the spies' instructions. She is asked to hang a scarlet cord from the window, a vivid symbol of her faith and obedience. This cord would mark her house during the impending destruction of Jericho, a powerful reminder of God’s protective covering in response to her faith. The life of faith is always expressed through obedience.

 

Rahab’s actions illustrate the principle of faith leading to obedience. In Hebrews 11:31, we see that she is commended for her faith: “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

 

This highlights that her faith was not merely belief but translated into action -her haven was tied to her swift response to God’s commands. This act of obedience aligns with the broader biblical theme of the intertwining of faith and works. James 2:25 underscores this connection, stating, “And in the same way, was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way.”

 

Illustration: Athanasius’s obedience led him to endure five exiles throughout his life, as he continuously spoke out against Arianism and advocated for the truth of the Gospel. He stood firm regardless of pressures.

 

Adrian Rogers once said, “Obedience is the greatest proof of devotion.”

 

 

V.                        Saving Faith

 

Explanation: It may have seemed strange to tie a red cord in her window, but she did it to symbolize her faith and obedience to Israel’s God -Yahweh. Many commentators see the connection between the scarlet cord and God’s deliverance from Egypt via the Passover. Back in Exodus 12, it was the houses that applied the blood of the lamb to their doorposts that were spared. And now, we have a scarlet cord hanging from a window. How could one not see it as a symbol of the Passover, and ultimately the blood of Chr. ist? 

 

The binding of the scarlet cord in her window was for identification, so that when Israel made their attack upon Jericho, they might know which was her house and spare it.

 

Joshua 6:25 highlights the fulfillment of God’s promise to Rahab and underscores the theme of redemption present throughout her story. Despite her past as a Gentile and a prostitute, Rahab is not only spared from destruction but also integrated into the Israelite community, demonstrating that faith can transcend one’s background and former identity.

 

TAKE-AWAY:           

 

1.       Rahab, despite her past, was not outside the reach of God.

2.       Rahab, despite her title, was not outside the use of God.

3.       Rahab, despite her ethnicity, was not outside the protection of God.

 

Thus did God do for her exceedingly abundantly above all that she asked or thought, delivering her from the awful depths of sin and shame, and elevating her to the heights of honor and dignity.

 

Martin Luther lived contra mundum. As a key figure in the Protestant Reformation, Luther challenged the practices of the Catholic Church, particularly the sale of indulgences. His infamous declaration at the Diet of Worms in 1521, where he refused to recant his writings, exemplified his stance.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived contra mundum. A German theologian and pastor, Bonhoeffer was an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime. When most German churches were in support of Jewish extermination, Bonhoeffer took a significant risk to resist tyranny and promote justice, even leading to his eventual execution.

 

John Bunyan lived contra mundum. Bunyan was imprisoned in 17th-century England for his nonconformist beliefs. His steadfast refusal to conform to the established church of England exemplified the contra mundum spirit of faith.  

 

By faith may we all live contra mundum.

 

God does not carry His children to glory in a state of passivity but works in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure -to hate and fear sin, to desire and strive after holiness; to heed His warnings, to shun the things which would destroy, and to keep His commandments. – (A.W. Pink).