[Collinslaw]

Originally Posted by MitzaLizalor

Hebrews 11 is a great chapter. A life with no faith is not liveable for a Christian. Unlike many heathens who seek to make merit by their own efforts—more like a game of snakes and ladders that a spiritual condition—Christians have accepted Christ doing what no-one can do for themselves.

No effort we made could ever achieve anything without faith but that is not to endorse inaction. Take Lot for example. A just man. He was so upset by all the antics going on around him yet, in his righteousness, he knew by faith that God would do something about it. Lot was delivered out of temptation by God and the cities were destroyed.

II Peter 2:7-9
[God] delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

But that didn't mean Lot could just sit around and do nothing. There were other cities, Zoar for example was not destroyed, but Lot removed his family (what was left of it) and opted for cave dwelling. You can read about Lot's faith and God's protection here:

Genesis 19:30-36
Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

But although faith is essential not everything is faith. To preserve his righteousness Lot needed to act. Zoar was simply a temporary safe haven. It was not the sort of place anyone with a sense of justice would hang around for long. Lot had to get himself up and get on with it.

Clearly the cave was not temporary. The Bible does not explain if they planted crops or held cattle or tended vineyards. It would be difficult to obtain supplies otherwise though, even without money they could barter but they'd still need something to trade. But they all knew Sodom was blitzed because they'd seen it. Well, they'd seen the ruin if not the main event. Observing that was infra dig on a rather majestic scale!

Heaven is like that too. God opened the sky to show people what was there. Like the cities of the plain it's a matter of observation: Jesus was there. In Hebrews it's explained that what we see does not have its origin in the material world. I know that heathen types, those with no faith, place a different interpretation on Chapter 11 invoking atoms. Sadly the author had a word for atoms but didn't use it. That's a seperate topic though.

Alleluia Sister! The Bible says in James 2:14-26


What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without [a]your works, and I will show you my faith by [b]my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [c]dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made [d]perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [e]accounted to him for righteousness.”And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sentthem out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also