Is salvation conditional upon obeying the entire law of Moses, or having the faith of Abraham? Let’s look at Isaiah 51.
Is Moses or Abraham the rock from which we were hewn?
Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. (Isa 51:1-3 ESV)
Is the ultimate salvation just Israel being saved from slavery and captivity, or all nations saved forever?
Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for instruction will come from Me, and My justice for a light to the nations. I will bring it about quickly. My righteousness is near, My salvation appears, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The coastlands [far off lands] will put their hope in Me, and they will look to My strength. Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never be shattered. (Isa 51:4-6 HCSB)
When hatefully insulted for our faith in God’s salvation, what should we focus on?
Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my instruction in their hearts. Don’t fear the insults of mortals, and don’t be dismayed at their hateful words. For moths will eat them up just like a garment, and worms will devour them like wool; but my deliverance will last forever, and my salvation to all generations. (Isa 51:7-8 ISV)
Did God defeat the dragon and will He again grant the redeemed gladness and joy?
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab [a proud monster], and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (Isa 51:9-11 KJV)
Is there distress in life, caused by politicians, dishonest businesses, wars, etc?
I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of the son of man who is made like grass, That you have forgotten Yahweh your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth, That you tremble in dread continually all day long because of the wrath of the one who brings distress, As he makes ready to bring ruin? But where is the wrath of the one who brings distress? (Isa 51:12-13 LSB)
Are those who love the Lord sometimes persecuted and imprisoned in this world? Will God set them free?
The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his bread be lacking. For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). And I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” (Isa 51:14-16 NASB)
Whether we suffer because of our own sins or the sins of the world, does God encourage us to look to and trust Him?
Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger. Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand. These double calamities have come upon you—who can comfort you?—ruin and destruction, famine and sword—who can console you? Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God. (Isa 51:17-20 NIV)
Though we may be drunk with pain from persecution, does God encourage us to trust His rescue, His salvation from those who walk all over us?
Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine. Thus says your Lord, The Lord and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.” (Isa 51:21-23 NKJV)
Who are the real children of Abraham spiritually speaking?
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. (Gal 3:7 NLT)
Is salvation conditional upon obeying the entire law of Moses, or having the faith of Abraham? You decide!
