Westside Church of Christ

It’s the age-old question about salvation. Which is it? Are we saved by grace independent of actions? Or is it by faith alone? Or by works? All of the above or what? We look to the historical record in search of an answer, and perhaps we find one at Jericho (Joshua 6), but first let’s remember later reflections on that remarkable event. It is one of the events that is highlighted in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11:30). That establishes that faith was a central component of the wall falling down, but was that all?

God told Joshua that He had given Jericho into his hands. That is the very definition of grace. It is a gift from God that humans don’t deserve and have not earned. Salvation is like that. We cannot work our way to heaven nor can we ever merit it. So, the stage is set, but the city still was not in Joshua’s hands. It was a gift not yet received. There was another step so to speak. That pesky wall stood between the Israelites and God’s gift.

God explained exactly what must be done to remove the barrier. The Promised Land was locked up tight. There was no going in or out. The description of the solution sounds a bit odd. Would they believe the Lord enough to follow His orders? There was that gift just out of reach on the other side of that wall. They did not possess it yet. It was a critical moment that would expose their faith.

The entire procedure would take a week and had to be done precisely in order to accomplish the task. God’s blessed gift hung in the balance. Their confidence in God, their faith would be tested. For six days they marched around the city and absolutely nothing happened. Did doubts creep in? Were there complaints that this plan wasn’t working? Did anyone abandon the march? Was Joshua challenged on his leadership skills? Finally, the seventh day arrived. Would this scheme really bring the wall down?

They had their marching orders, and this would be the day to see if God’s way worked. Once around. Twice. Then another. And another. Was discouragement an issue as they walked again and again. Grace. Faith. Really? What if they had quit during the last trip around the wall? Or had never started? But they did. They began and completed the plan with shouting and trumpet playing and that wall tumble. The gift was theirs, just as the Lord promised.

It is the perfect picture of grace and faith. God offers the extraordinary gift of salvation and directions on how to receive it. We need faith to follow all of them. When we have completed His strategy just as the Israelites did at Jericho, the sin which separates us from the gift will have been dealt with once and for all.

Kurt Cherry will be our guest speaker.