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).
“Was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works?”
Here is an interesting insight. The Canaanites had no equivalent to Moses. They had no written law like the covenant given at Sinai. Yet they perished as “those who were disobedient.” What did they disobey? Most likely it was the intuitive law implanted by God in all human hearts and consciences (Romans 1-2). Yet they refused to believe, to give thanks, and to do right. Rahab was not among the disobedient, meaning she became obedient. To whom? To the one true God. She discerned and acted on His will. Since she acted “by faith,” James (2:25) speaks of her salvation in this inspired way: “Was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”
In the Old Testament, the largest conversion of Gentiles took place through reluctant Jonah. The account says, “The people of Nineveh believed God” (Jonah 3:5). Did God forgive them at the moment of first belief? Not quite, for faith also needs to repent. Nineveh’s king called for serious fasting, prayer and repentance: “Let everyone turn from his evil way” (Jonah 3:8). So, God saved them for their decision, right? Actually, God often includes appropriate action in true repentance (Ezekiel 33:18-19; Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:19-20). Therefore, Jonah 3:10 reports,
When God saw what they did (literally, their deeds), how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it.
God could have chosen to forgive at the first hint of remorse. He made the sovereign choice to include “their deeds” in His decision. Judgment is certainly a matter of heart and motive (1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 2:23). Yet, as regards Judgment Day itself, God says much more about judging works. He begins this theme in the Old Testament (Job 34:11; Psalms 28:4; 62:12; Proverbs 12:14; 24:12; Ecclesiastes 3:17; 12:14; Isaiah 3:10; 4:18; 17:10; 32:19; 59:18; Jeremiah 17:10; 32:19; Ezekiel 7:8; 11:21; 16:43, 59; 18:30; 24:14; 36:19). He continues the theme in the New Testament (Matthew 7:23; 16:27; 25:1-46; Luke 12:47-48; 13:24-27; Romans 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 6:5- 10; Ephesians 6:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Jude 15; Revelation 20:12-13; 22:12). Evidently, God still treats our deeds as an essential part of our response to Him.
(For an uninspired version of Nineveh’s story, see Endnote “What If Theologians Intervened?” at the end of this lesson.)