GraceHead vs. LawHead - 12 (delayed fulfillment)

LawHead teaching will always emphasize immediate fulfillment of a promise. If you have a promise of God, then you should immediately have that promise fulfilled or there must be something wrong with (dun, dun, dun) *YOU*. This attitude always makes someone introspective as if they could thwart the fulfillment by hindering God's will for their life. But, nothing God promises depends on you.

Over and over you see an opposite thing happening in the Bible. You see a promise of God, then a total reversal. Then in the fullness of time comes a fulfillment of the promise by God in a miraculous way. Abraham was promised to be a father of many nations, then the reversal ... they grow older then child bearing age ... and finally the miraculous fulfillment. Look at Joseph, who was promised that his family would bow to him, and what happened next? He was torn and bloody in a pit being sold into slavery - that was the reversal. But, in due time the promise was fulfilled, miraculously.

GraceHead emphasis is placed on the reversal, not the immediate fulfillment. The emphasis is on rest, and waiting. If God promises it, then it is not up to you to bring fulfillment. The measure of one's faith is not in what they have received, but in how long they can wait and receive absolutely nothing. Spiritual instruction completely avoids emphasis on the fulfillment and specializes on the waiting and reliance upon God - restfully dependent.

Faith is not a common word in the Old Testament, only appearing twice. But the word "wait" appears over 250 times. But, we are to look at faith and waiting as the same thing. Thus, we emphasize waiting on God, and restful reliance, rather then unbelieving impatience desiring nothing short of immediate fulfillment.

GraceHeads define faith as "receptivity to God's activity." Faith-people rest, wait, and are receptive.

Next section - "sameness."
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