The Scriptures are the vision of the restored inheritance. They contain the promises that embrace all the inheritance that was given to Adam—an inheritance God has promised to restore in a marvelously glorified form.

Many patriarchs and prophets who have gone before us have participated in fulfilling the vision of restoration. They have died in faith after having served their own generation by the will of God. Now they (who are in Heaven) are waiting for us to bring into being our portion of the restoration so the entire Church, the Body of Christ, the new Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God, the Israel of God, can be made perfect in glory at the same time.

Meanwhile these Old and New Testament saints bear witness to us of the true Person, the true purpose, the true way of God. We are to remain spiritually conscientious and industrious, imitating their lives, following their example.

The patriarchs have portrayed to us that the miraculous transition from the vision to the material fulfillment was based, in the majority of instances, on obedience to what God had spoken and on their patient waiting for the material fulfillment to take place. There is not one example of a "stepping out in faith" in the sense of a man planning a program he thinks will aid God's cause and then challenging God to rise to the occasion. This concept of adventurous faith, which currently is popular, is not found in the Scriptures.

God has given to us the saints, prophets, and apostles of the Old and New Testaments as examples of true faith and patience.

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. (James 5:10)

We today are to have faith in what God has spoken to us, both in the written Word and also to us personally. Then we are to do the will of God as we understand it. Finally we are to stand. We are to stand steadfastly in faith and patience until the promise becomes reality, whether that promise has to do with victory over sin, or physical healing, or improved circumstances, or the salvation of our loved ones, or some hope the Lord has given to us personally, or with any other aspect of our life.

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is a list of those whose faith we should be imitating, whose lives illustrate the correct approach to fulfilling the vision. They portray to us the meaning of the declaration: "The righteous shall live by faith."

We are emphasizing that God has promised the restoration of all things (referring to Acts 3:21). "Things" refer especially to the material realm, to all that is visible to us.

The Christian salvation is not, as commonly supposed, a movement away from things and into the spirit realm. Rather the Christian salvation is a work of restoration. It is the restoring, the redeeming of what God gave in the beginning.

God is not making all new things but all things new in Christ.

To be continued.