36.What will happen to those who are not building in their own wisdom

They will be persecuted by those who are attempting to gain the Lord’s favour by their own programs, their own religious endeavours (Genesis 21:9).

The concept of faith instead of works goes to the core of the Christian faith. Paul’s argument that we are saved by faith rather than works has been grievously misunderstood.

In our time, many believers have understood salvation by faith to be a "ticket to Heaven." The individual makes a verbal pronouncement concerning Christ and then waits for the Lord to take him to Heaven. Righteous and holy behaviour are not necessary because he or she is saved by "faith" and not by "works."

This interpretation is in error. It is these who are the children of the flesh. They reveal that they are children of the flesh by their emphasis on money, large buildings, and great numbers of people. Such as these always will persecute the righteous because they understand neither the Lord nor His children.

The children of the promise of God are just the opposite. They are greatly concerned with righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. They know from the Bible that only the pure in heart will see God. They understand that any doctrine that assures an unrighteous, unholy, disobedient individual a place in the Kingdom of God is in error.

Concerning the construction of buildings and large groups of people the elect are slow to move. They realize that it is in the realm of religious efforts—the attempt to bring forth the Kingdom of God—that the saints must wait on the Lord carefully, making certain that all that is done is of the Spirit of God. It is in the making of "three tabernacles" that "Ishmael" is likely to be brought forth (Matthew 17:4).

We see, then, that the children of the flesh, those who have been added to the churches by human effort, are not overly concerned with righteous, holy, and obedient conduct. They are very concerned about the magnificence of their buildings. They have misunderstood Paul’s teaching of salvation by grace through faith.

Those whom the Lord has added to the Church think in other terms. They understand that the program of salvation, while it offers the worst sinner immediate access to the Mercy Seat in Heaven, nevertheless is the Divine plan for producing through Christ righteous, holy, and obedient conduct in the believer; for such conduct, performed in Christ, is the fruit of the Kingdom of God.

Concerning the promises of fruitfulness and dominion, including the believer’s own righteousness of conduct, and also the spreading of the Gospel and the bringing of the world under subjection to Christ, the true child of God waits, waits, waits on the Lord. (Isaiah 40:29-31).

The saints know that Christ, through the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit, is building His own Church (Matthew 16:18).

Those who are "serving Christ" in the flesh will mock and persecute those who are serving Christ in the Spirit (Genesis 21:9.)