We will learn about the characteristics of the fourth level of faith— the level of those who love God deeply and have reached holiness— and the heavenly dwelling place prepared for them.
Reading Verse — John 14:21 (NASB)
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”3 John 2 (NASB)
“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
Jesus said in John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” Even believers who belong to the third level of faith— the faith of young men— keep the commandments, so it can be said that they love God. But because they have not yet cast away all the sinful nature in their hearts, they may feel somewhat hesitant to say, “Lord, I love You.”
However, when a believer reaches the fourth level of faith— the faith of fathers— the person has removed all sinful nature from the heart and keeps the commandments fully. Therefore, the person can boldly confess, “Lord, I truly love You.” The evidence of being loved by God appears clearly in such a person’s life. Just as the soul prospers, so does everything else, and the person enjoys health and blessing. In Heaven, this believer receives great glory and authority as a true child of God.
1. The Fourth Level of Faith: Loving God with All Your Heart
When a believer passes the third level of faith— the level of being able to act by God’s Word— and enters the fourth level, the believer has already removed the sinful nature of the heart and now dwells fully in the truth. Such a person is recognized by God as a spiritual person and can truly be called a child of God.
What, then, is the difference between the fourth level of faith and the first, second, and third levels? Let us examine this through 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NASB): “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.”
Suppose someone falsely accuses you when you have done nothing wrong. How would you respond? In the first level of faith or the beginning of the second level, a person might confront the accuser, argue, raise the voice, and even get into a quarrel. By the middle of the second level, the person tries to cast away evil and, though emotional agitation may arise, anger and harsh behavior are mostly restrained.
When entering the third level, before standing firmly on the “rock of faith,” the emotions may still shake. Because the person knows the truth, the person tries to endure, saying, “Let me give thanks… let me rejoice.” Yet true thankfulness may not arise from the heart. Once standing firmly on the rock of faith, the first thought is not complaint but thanksgiving and joy. Even if the thought “This is hard” passes by for a moment, the person quickly turns it into thanksgiving.
However, when a believer reaches the fourth level of faith, there is no shaking at all. Because the heart has no barrier of sin before God, thanksgiving and joy do not fade. The person can even bless enemies, feel compassion for them, and pray so that they may not fall into sin.
Thus, even in the same situation, the fragrance of the heart that is offered to God differs greatly depending on the measure of one’s faith.
2. Characteristics of the Fourth Level of Faith
First, a believer at this level loves God unconditionally.
At the fourth level of faith, the believer does not try hard to love God; rather, love for God flows naturally from the center of the heart. Such a person does not say, “God, if You do this for me, I will do that for You,” nor does the person expect any reward. This love is unconditional. The commandments are not kept for the sake of blessings, answers, or out of fear of disasters. Because the love of God— who loved us first— is deeply engraved in the heart, loving God and keeping His commandments feels natural and obvious.
Daniel’s three friends were threatened with the blazing furnace if they refused to bow to the idol, yet they boldly said, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire… but even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods” (Daniel 3:17–18). They trusted the power of God who could save them from the fire, but even if God did not rescue them, they would still obey His will whether in life or death. In this way, a believer at the fourth level of faith loves God without any condition.
Second, a believer at this level loves God above everything else.
When a believer loves God first, the person loves God more than worldly success, more than family, and even more than life itself.
The apostle Paul considered all things that were gain to him as loss for the sake of Christ, and he regarded everything as rubbish so that he might gain Christ (Philippians 3:7–8).
Jesus said, “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, who will not receive a hundred times as much… and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30).
At first, when living by God’s Word, persecution may come. If a believer’s faith is still small, that persecution may feel heavy. But when one continues to live a holy and separated life until the end, even worldly people begin to acknowledge the person. And when the believer enters into spirit and truly loves God above everything else, persecution fades, and people around the believer recognize the person as a genuine Christian.
Third, as the soul prospers, all things prosper and the believer enjoys good health.
3 John 2 says, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
A prospering soul means that the spirit, once dead, has been revived and now governs the soul and body in the right order. In other words, the spirit becomes the master, and the soul and body obey it, so the person lives only by the truth.
When we accept the Lord and receive the Holy Spirit, our dead spirit comes alive. As we continue to act by the Word, faith grows, and the spirit grows until it rules over the soul and body.
Therefore, when a person’s soul prospers, Satan cannot plant untruthful thoughts into the mind because there is no evil within the heart. Just as a radio cannot receive a signal when the frequency does not match, Satan cannot control such a heart.
A believer whose soul prospers experiences God going ahead and resolving matters in every situation. As a result, all things— home, workplace, business, relationships— go well, and the believer enjoys the blessing of good health and prosperous days.
3. The Heavenly Dwelling Prepared for Believers at the Fourth Level of Faith
The life in the third heavenly level, which is given to believers at the fourth level of faith, is completely different from the life in the second heavenly level, which is given to those at the third level of faith. The joy and glory are far greater. A believer at the fourth level of faith has cast off every form of evil and has become sanctified. The degree of sanctification makes a clear difference in glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. This can be seen even in the ministry of angels.
In Paradise, and in the first and second heavenly levels, angels manage the Kingdom and help the children of God according to God’s time, but they do not personally attend to individuals. However, beginning from the third heavenly level— which is given to believers who have reached full sanctification— personal attending angels are assigned. The number of angels differs according to how much the believer pleased God and gave glory to Him.
In the third heavenly level, the attending angels read the master’s heart and obey. If the master desires fruit, the angels understand that desire and bring it immediately. But in the second heavenly level, the angels move only when they are commanded to do so. The difference between someone who enters the levels below the third level and someone who enters the third level or above is great even in appearance. Their brightness differs, and their garments, patterns, adornments, and hairstyles are all different. One can easily recognize how sanctified they are and how much they were loved by God.
In the dwellings of Heaven, the houses in the second level are all single-story, but from the third level upward, the houses are multi-story. Pools, walking paths, lakes, and every desired facility can belong personally to the believer in the third level. And while houses in the second level have nameplates, the houses in the third level do not need them. The fragrance of the owner flows from the house itself, and everyone knows who the owner is.
God gives the crown of life as a reward to those who entered the third heavenly level because they achieved sanctification and were faithful even to death (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). Examine your faith to see how much it has grown, and go beyond the fourth level of faith so that you may enter the most beautiful dwelling, the New Jerusalem.
Plus
What does “faithful until death” mean?
It does not simply mean working hard or being faithful until one’s physical life ends. It means fulfilling the Word of God in all sixty-six books of the Bible with one’s whole life. In other words, it is the faithfulness of fighting against sin to the shedding of blood and keeping all of God’s commandments.
Memory Verse — John 14:21 (NASB)
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
Reference Verse — John 14:15 (NASB)
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
