Day 6

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Gen 1:24-25

Day 6 begins with a flurry of activity as land-oriented creatures are made. The first type of life introduced on Day 3, vegetation, consisted of life in its most primitive state: life that can respond to the elements, but without self-will. Days 5 and 6 brought forth self-conscious life, creatures who had the capacity to make choices. As the record states, the sixth day begins with three groups of living creatures.

1. beast of the earth: the wild animals that live apart from man

2. cattle: the tame, domesticated animals that live (or work with) man

3. and creeping things: all lower forms of land creatures below these first two

In our study on the growth of faith we come to the third level in 1 Corinthians 15:39, the “flesh of beasts”. According to the Greek word used, Paul is referring to the tame, domesticated animals (cattle) mentioned above. This is the classification that includes oxen, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, and other such service-oriented animals. It’s hard to imagine life without these helpful, sometimes powerful, and humble creatures.

SERVICE

Day 5 creatures are not considered as “service” oriented, though there are atypical accounts where God did use them to save lives (the whale with Jonah and the ravens with Elijah). That is to say, we wouldn’t usually think of using fish or fowl to help us plow our fields, or pull our wagons (or boats), or carry heavy loads to market. So when we think of the “flesh of beasts”, as Paul spoke about, we naturally picture in our minds burden-bearing creatures, or those made to serve us in many ways.

What does this tell us about the next level of faith?

Fish Faith leads us to God.

Bird Faith expresses our joy and newly-found freedoms and gifts as a “new creation” in Christ.

Beast Faith helps us to roll up our sleeves and show the world the practical, compassionate nature of our Friend in the heavens.

Jesus seemed to spend a lot of time on this level when He was among us. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, cast out demons, encouraged the downcast, and asked the “heavy-ladened” to cast their burdens upon Him, the great Burden-bearer. The Apostles apparently learned the lesson.

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

James 2:14, 17 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Growth in faith, then, requires something beyond leaning toward the Truth, or even being “filled with the Spirit”. It also includes a practical application of truth to those in need about us. Jesus emphasized this in Matthew 25:31-46. If our walk with Him does not include a compassionate involvement in the lives of those around us, we are still considered “babes” in our spiritual growth.

Heb 5:13-14 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Faith & Works

Some may confuse this application of faithful living as a works trip, one trying to earn his/her way to heaven. And in some cases it may appear to be just that. But the Bible supports such expressions of faith and commends it. Read Hebrews 11 (as a starter).

If a little child, say 2 or 3 years old, tells us she loves us, but never seems to do what we ask, we may excuse her behavior. “She’s just a child,” we say. But years later we hear the same thing from her lips, but her disobedience as a teenager concerns us. Then, much later, as we playfully bounce her children on our knee, she continues to repeat that same heart-warming sentence, “Daddy (Mommy), I love you.” yet still listens not to a word of counsel or appeal from us. Shouldn’t that concern us?

We can imagine God having the same thoughts.

John 14:15 If ye love me, [you will] keep my commandments.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

God’s commandments show us how we can safely and effectively serve our neighbors, family members, and strangers within our gates, as well as worship God. If we insist on not listening to God’s word, but doing our own thing all the time, we are like the disobedient daughter pictured above, and our usefulness in God’s kingdom will be greatly affected.

We do not do good works to save us. That is accomplished entirely by Christ and the Holy spirit working on our heart. Our only “work” is to choose God’s will over our own and accept His unmerited favors. Why do we do them then? For God’s glory, to show others what God is like (not how “good” we are).

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

By helping our fellow man we become vessels in God’s hand to bless them, to show God’s interest in them and compassion for their distresses. By thus doing we have the privilege of becoming God’s lips, hands, feet.

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

In the two commandments Christ spoke about in John 15, one pictures us as friends (with the freedoms it allows) and the other talks about us as servants (John 15:14, 20). The “beasts of the field”, referred to in 1Cor. 15:39, answers to the latter as the birds answer to the former.

Service faith also has another purpose—to hone our character to become more like our Saviour. In serving others we will have to learn selflessness, compassion, patience, temperance, and a bunch of other transforming heavenly traits.¹

But even all this, blind faith, first love faith, and service faith is not enough to fully picture the ultimate faith of the redeemed. We must also consider the last category Paul mentioned, the “flesh of man” (1 Corinthians 15:39).

The Man

As we consider these four types of creatures made during Creation Week, we pause at the last mentioned. How does it describe an advanced faith, especially beyond First Love and Service? When we look to man we see nothing but embarrassing representations of God. Adam, originally given dominion over all the earth, forfeited his princely standing. Abraham was a liar, David an adulterer and murderer, the mighty prophet Elijah could not stand up against an irate woman. And on and on it goes… until we get to one Man, Jesus the Christ.

As a man (but depending on His heavenly Father) Jesus faced the Devil alone and walked away victorious. As a man He faced angry mobs and didn’t lose His trust in His heavenly Father. As a man He suffered disappointment and sorrow patiently. In fact, what Adam lost Christ gained, where prophets failed He endured. In short, Christ became the second Adam, the ultimate Man, our Representative. Now Jesus stands as one of us before the heavenly Father, as the Son of Man as well as the Son of God.

1Co 15:45, 47 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit….The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

As we consider the “flesh of man” to understand the final level of faith, we must look at the faith of Jesus. This is the only faith qualifier mentioned to describe the saints living at the very end.

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

How is this faith different from the other types discussed? We need to remember that each new strata of faith builds on the former, so this Man Faith includes all the other three then adds a unique feature to complete the re-imaging of God in man. To determine what this final aspect of faith might be we will look at the end of Christ’s life and see what is different from Blind Faith, First Love Faith, and Service Faith.

GETHSEMANE

Here Jesus not only prayed for and interceded for all mankind, but He chose to became our Saviour, taking on Himself the punishment due us as sinners. It was not an easy decision. It wrung from His brow great drops of blood.

Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

THE CROSS

Jesus told His disciples, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Then shortly thereafter He demonstrated what He said.

Though He was the Son of God He headed for Calvary as the Son of Man. Jesus could not see past the portals of the tomb. He knew that if He died as our Substitute man would have the choice for eternal life by depending on His sacrifice. And that meant more than anything. However, from this perspective (as a man) were He to let go of life He may never see His Father again, for the sinner’s fate, according to Scripture, was eternal death. But love for fallen man meant more to Him than the adoration and worship of the heavenly host. . . and even oneness with His Father. What love!

On the strength of that love, knowing that His Father had been pleased with His life up to this point, and holding entirely on the promises of Scripture that He would, indeed, rise again (though it didn’t make logical sense), He put down His life as the Lamb of God and obediently slipped into the darkness of death. What love and what faith!

This Dying Faith is different than Blind Faith, First Love Faith, and Service Faith.

• Blind Faith is used to improve one’s condition, is available without a conversion experience, and does not personally know God

• First Love Faith, though it follows a conversion experience, and is based on a knowledge of God and His boundless love, it is for expressing one’s joy and devotion. Very few burdens are placed on it.

• Service Faith is faith-based action for the benefit of others. Though it may require many personal sacrifices and bearing heavy burdens, it necessitates a LIVING commitment.

• Dying Faith requires a death. Though it might mean giving up one’s life for someone else, it could also mean a death to self for the glory of God or the benefit of others.

Dying Faith requires a cross, just as it did for our Saviour. But it doesn’t involve giving up bad things. For Jesus the timing of Calvary did not seem good.

• His disciples desperately needed further instruction. The most outspoken disciple had just hours before resorted to violence to protect his Teacher when the guards came to arrest Him, and then later denied him three times. Another disciple, John, who was the closest to Him, was pushing for a high position in the new kingdom. And Judas betrayed his Master and then committed suicide. They hadn’t gotten a clear picture yet of His mission. To die now seemed so untimely.

• Also thousands had listened to His sermons, and experience His healing touch, and were ready to crown Him king. And besides that His popularity was now extending to distant lands. Had not the Greeks recently inquired of Him? To stop His ministry now seemed so premature.

• And Jesus could see the spell of darkness on the people was being broken, yet church leaders still had need for correction. How could the good work He had begun almost single-handedly be ended so soon?

A dying faith is a willingness to let go of everything dear to do God’s will—even though we may not understand it.

• Noah experienced this when building an ark by God’s command. It had never rained before. And all during the 120 years it took to build the boat not one drop of water fell from the sky. Scientists assured him as well that it was physically impossible for water to cover the whole earth. But God said “build” and build he will do, in spite of what others said or how he felt.

• Abraham experienced this when he was asked to give up his only begotten son. It was untimely. Isaac was the promised seed through which thousands, like the stars of heaven, would be brought into God’s kingdom, and promised by the very God who is now telling him to take his life. It just made no sense. But God said sacrifice and obey he must.

• Moses also had a similar encounter with God when the Majesty of Heaven told the shepherd He wanted him to deliver 2 million people from the bonds of Egypt. Moses had first hand experience in the courts of Pharoah. He knew their military skill and prowess. He was acquainted with the powerful magic of the Egyptian seers. And he was also painfully aware of his handicaps. How could one man deliver a nation that had been enslaved for many generations? And by what means would God empower him to do such a humongous undertaking? By using his own shepherd’s rod! Nothing made sense. He was not in his prime anymore. He was 80 years old. Yet God didn’t change His tune. And Moses obeyed.

These are examples of a dying faith—an encounter with God that is so strong that His will eclipses everything rational in the mind. It transcends strongest human bonds, the most profound evidence of science and Nature, and the deepest knowledge of personal weaknesses and limitations, for to reach the heart in power it must fully eclipse the reasoning limits of the mind. Yet, if God wills it the hand of faith clasps the command with an iron grip and never lets go, even unto death, if necessary. Nothing is more important than pleasing our heavenly Father, no matter what.

And at the very end of time it is this kind of faith, the faith of Jesus, that characterizes His remnant people. They, too, will have the same dying faith Jesus had in His earthly life and on the cross. He never let go, even though everything inside Him and around Him said, “Not yet! Not yet!”

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Dying Faith, Service Faith, First Love Faith, and Blind Faith all define the completed character, as depicted in the Creation Week. And in this way the universe will see sinners re-created into saints, God’s image fully restored, and faith’s work completed.

However Creation Week is not complete. There is one last thing God has yet to do.

Day 7.

Lesson of Day 6: When God completes His work in us we are like Him.