God's Mercy Extends to All: The Surprising Story of Rahab

God's Mercy Extends to All: The Surprising Story of Rahab

July 29, 2025 | The Way of Life Church Blog

When we think about who belongs in God's family, we often have a specific image in mind. We picture people who look like us, act like us, and have similar backgrounds. But is this really what God's family is
supposed to look like?

In the book of Joshua, we encounter a story that challenges our preconceptions about who God welcomes into His family. This story centers around a woman named Rahab, and her story reveals something
profound about God's mercy and who He considers "His kind of people."

Who Was Rahab and Why Does Her Story Matter?

Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho when the Israelites were preparing to enter the Promised Land. When Joshua sent two spies to scout the city, they stayed at Rahab's house. When the king of Jericho
learned about these spies, he sent messengers to Rahab demanding she turn them over.

Instead of betraying them, Rahab hid the spies and helped them escape. Why would she do this? Her own words reveal her extraordinary faith:

"I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you... For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath." (Joshua 2:9, 11)

This statement is remarkable coming from a pagan woman in a polytheistic culture. She recognized Yahweh as the supreme God of everything—not just one deity among many.

What Makes Someone "God's Kind of Person"?

Rahab's story appears in the Bible not because she was perfect, but because of her faith. In fact, she's mentioned in Hebrews 11—often called the "Hall of Faith"—alongside Abraham, Moses, and other heroes
of the faith:

"By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies." (Hebrews 11:31)

Notice she's still called "Rahab the prostitute." The Bible doesn't say "Rahab the ex-prostitute" or "Rahab who cleaned up her act." Her identity as a prostitute remains, yet her faith is what God honors.

This challenges our notion that people need to "get right" before they can come to God. Rahab didn't stop being a prostitute first and then believe. She believed first, and that belief led to action.

How Does True Faith Show Itself?

James uses Rahab as an example of how genuine faith manifests itself in action:

"Was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:25-26)

Rahab didn't just believe in her mind—she acted on that belief. She committed treason against her own city because she believed in the God of Israel. She risked her life by hiding the spies and helping them escape.

As Timothy Keller wisely noted, "Faith is not the absence of sin; it is the presence of belief in God's mercy." Rahab believed God was merciful, and she acted on that belief.

What Happened to Rahab After Jericho Fell?

When the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, one section remained standing—the part where Rahab had hung the scarlet cord from her window. This cord, similar to the blood on the doorposts during Passover, marked her household for salvation.

But Rahab's story doesn't end there. She was incorporated into the people of Israel and married a man named Salmon. They had a son named Boaz, who married Ruth. Their great-grandson was King David,
which means Rahab is in the lineage of Jesus Christ!

Matthew's genealogy of Jesus specifically mentions Rahab—a foreign prostitute—as part of Jesus' family tree. Why? Because God wants us to know He is merciful and will save anyone who believes.

How Should This Change Our View of Church and Evangelism?

If God saves everyone who believes, shouldn't we invite everyone to believe? The scarlet cord saved not just Rahab but everyone in her household. Similarly, we should be inviting people into God's
household—people with tattoos, different lifestyles, addictions, or backgrounds unlike our own.

Too often, churches have communicated (directly or indirectly) that certain types of sinners aren't welcome. But we're all saved by the same mercy. The only difference between those inside the church and
those outside is that we've found shelter under God's covering.

Like an umbrella in the rain, God's mercy doesn't stop the judgment that's coming, but it provides covering so the judgment doesn't impact us. Our job isn't to judge who deserves that covering but to invite everyone to stand under it with us.

Life Application

This week, I challenge you to look at the people in your life through God's eyes. Who have you disqualified that God wants to qualify? Who in your circle of influence needs to hear about God's mercy?

Remember, we don't have to clean ourselves up to come to God—we come to God so He can clean us up. And once we're under His covering, we should be inviting others to join us, not keeping them away.

Ask yourself:

1.  Is there someone in my life I've been avoiding sharing my faith with because I don't think they "fit" in church?
2.  How might my attitude toward certain types of sinners be different from God's attitude?
3.  What practical step can I take this week to invite someone unexpected into God's family?

God used Rahab—a foreign prostitute—in His redemptive plan. He included her in the lineage of Jesus. If God can use Rahab, He can use anyone who believes. And if God welcomes all who believe, so should we.

God Made Me This Way: Understanding Our True Identity in Christ

God Made Me This Way: Understanding Our True Identity in Christ

June 23, 2025 | The Way of Life Church Blog

Have you ever found yourself saying, "That's just how I am" or "God made me this way" to excuse behaviors that don't align with God's Word? Many of us use our personalities or long-standing habits as reasons why we can't change or grow in certain areas of our Christian walk.

It's like ordering chicken nuggets at Taco Bell - it just doesn't seem to fit the identity. Similarly, we often resist living in ways that don't feel natural to us, even when Scripture calls us to those behaviors.

Did God Really Make You That Way?

When we say "God made me this way" about behaviors contrary to His character, we're making a theological claim that God has called people to do things He hasn't equipped them to do. But is this true?

Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that human beings were made in God's image. This doesn't refer to our physical appearance but to our character - we were designed to reflect God's nature. And God is loving, kind, patient, and compassionate.

So if God is a "people person," why would He make you "not a people person" if you're created in His image?

Sin Made You That Way, Grace Makes You His Way

The truth is that when we talk about "this way" being different from God's way, we need to recognize:

"Sin made you that way, but grace makes you His way."

Don't blame God for your hard heart, lack of love, or harsh words. These are manifestations of sin - our rebellion against God and His design.

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes our former state:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind."

Notice the past tense - "you were," "you once walked," "we all once lived." For Christians, this is supposed to be our past, not our present reality.

How Sin Corrupts Our Identity

Sin absolutely corrupts and changes things about us. Romans 1:21-25 explains how God responds when we try to dethrone Him:

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened... Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity..."

When we reject God's authority, He sometimes gives us over to experience the reality of living according to our own desires. This is part of His wrath - letting us taste life without Him as our center.

Grace Remakes You His Way

The good news is that God doesn't want us to stay in our sin. Ephesians 2:4-5 continues:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."

In Christ, everything gets flipped. We're no longer:

• Dead in trespasses and sins
• Following the course of this world
• Following Satan
• Children of wrath

Instead, we're sons and daughters of the Most High God. We've been redefined. We are new.

An Extreme Makeover, Not Just an Update

Remember the TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"? They didn't just paint walls - they demolished houses and built brand new ones that could fully accommodate the people who lived there.

That's what happens in Christ. We don't just get a "Common Update" - we get an "Extreme Makeover." 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us we are new creations in Christ - old things have passed away, and new things have come.

This means that being kind, considerate, and loving isn't foreign to who you are - it's only foreign to who you were. Your old self died with Christ on the cross, and your new self rose with Him from the grave.

How Do I Live Out This New Identity?

If you're wondering how to start living according to your new identity in Christ when you keep falling back into old patterns, the answer is faith. But what does that look like practically?

Ephesians 4:22-24 gives us direction:

"Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

This is a daily process:

1. Put off your old self (your past, pre-Christ identity)
2. Renew your mind (change your thinking)
3. Put on your new self (embrace who you are in Christ)

It starts with believing what God says about you. For many, this is the greatest spiritual battle - truly believing that who you were is no longer who you are.

The Process of Transformation

Think of it like a tree with new roots but some old fruit still hanging on. As you nurture the new roots (your identity in Christ), you'll start to see new fruit, and the old fruit will eventually wither and drop off.

This transformation requires investment. Just as new furniture is needed for a new house because the old furniture doesn't fit, your new self in Christ deserves new thinking and new behavior. Anything else simply won't fit who you truly are.

Dealing with the Pain of Change

Change often hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt. Like working with a physical trainer who focuses on strengthening your weak areas, spiritual growth requires stretching beyond your comfort zone.

The places that are inflexible need to become flexible. The areas that are weak need to become strong. And while this process can be painful, it's worth it because you're changing from something broken to something that works as God designed.

Life Application

If you find yourself saying "that's just how I am" about behaviors contrary to God's character, it's time for a reality check. Here are some questions to consider:

1. Am I excusing sin in my life by claiming "God made me this way"?
2. What areas of my life am I resisting God's transformation because it feels uncomfortable?
3. Do I truly believe what God says about my new identity in Christ?
4. What is one area where I can start "putting off the old self" and "putting on the new self" this week?

Your challenge this week is to identify one area where you've been saying "that's just how I am" and intentionally practice the opposite behavior as an act of faith. Whether it's being more patient with your family, more compassionate toward strangers, or more disciplined in your habits - choose to live according to who God says you are, not who you used to be.

Remember, if you are in Christ, you are a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. Live like it's true, because it is.