Faith Rises Above Its Environment

“By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace” (Hebrews 11:31).

God’s followers have sometimes come from unpromising backgrounds. Consider Matthew the tax collector, whose line of work gave him a reputation for corruption and dishonesty. Or Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who felt duty-bound to persecute Christians to the death. Would you have thought either of these men likely to follow Christ, much less become a gospel preacher?

Hebrews 11 highlights another unlikely follower of God. Rahab was a prostitute in a pagan city. Yet she believed in God and sought His deliverance. When two Israelite spies came to her house, she hid them from the authorities and helped them escape the city undetected. She explained, “I know that the Lord has given you the land,” and acknowledged, “the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:8,11). Rahab’s obedient faith not only saved her and her family from destruction (Joshua 6:25), but also raised her from the depths of immorality to a place of distinction in Israel. In Matthew 1:5 she is named as an ancestor of David, and of Jesus Christ.

Rahab’s faith enabled her to rise above her wicked surroundings. Sadly, many people are content to wallow in theirs. Ours is fast becoming a society of “victims.” We try to excuse even the inexcusable by blaming our behavior on our genes, our parents, our neighborhoods, our incomes, our televisions, our friends — anything but our choices. After all, if our misdeeds are caused by things we can’t control, then no one can hold us accountable for them. But Rahab did not play the victim. She confessed faith in God and pleaded for mercy. Isn’t that what God has asked of sinners in every age?

Faith doesn’t make excuses for sin. By faith we understand that, while many things influence us, sin is ultimately a personal choice. “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (James 1:14,15). My sin is my fault. When I acknowledge that, then and only then can I be set free from sin. Then and only then can I rise above the evil that surrounds me. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (Romans 6:12,13).

Rahab’s example should also teach us something about evangelism. If faith can produce godly people from ungodly circumstances, then it follows that people in such circumstances need to hear the gospel that produces such faith.

In Paul’s day, the city of Corinth was known the world over as a cess pool of immorality. People often referred to a wicked, indulgent lifestyle as “living like a Corinthian.” How many preachers would be excited about going to a city filled with fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards, and con artists? Yet when Paul preached Christ there, some of those same people turned to the Lord (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

I’m afraid that we tend entirely too much to focus our teaching efforts only on those we think will be receptive. Jesus commanded that His gospel be preached to all people (Matthew 28:19). It is not just for people who are already clean, moral, and religious. It is also for those who are drowning in the sewage of wickedness. It is those who are sick who need the Great Physician (Mark 2:17).