Let us read Joshua 2:8–21.

“Before the two men lay down, Rahab went up to them on the roof and said, ‘I know that the LORD has given you this land. We are greatly afraid of you, and all the inhabitants of this land have lost heart because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, beyond the Jordan, whom you utterly destroyed. As soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted, and no one had any courage left because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, since I have shown kindness to you, please swear to me by the LORD that you will also show kindness to my father’s household. Give me a sure sign that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and save our lives from death.’

The men answered her, ‘Our lives for yours, provided you do not disclose what we are doing. When the LORD gives us this land, we will deal with you in kindness and faithfulness.’ Then she lowered them by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, and she lived on the wall. She said to them, ‘Go to the mountains, lest those pursuing you find you. Hide there for three days until the pursuers return, and afterward go on your way.’ The men said to her, ‘We will be free from the oath you have made us swear unless you do as follows. When we enter this land, tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you lowered us, and gather your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s household into your house. Whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street will be responsible for his own blood, and we will be innocent. But if anyone lays a hand on someone who remains with you in the house, responsibility for that person’s blood will be ours. If you disclose what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.’ She replied, ‘Let it be according to your words.’ Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.” (Joshua 2:8–21)

Knowing with the Mind and Believing with the Heart

What a person sees, hears, senses, learns, and experiences becomes knowledge. Thus, people acquire various kinds of knowledge throughout their lives. However, the human heart does not accept everything that the mind knows. It accepts only those things that a person judges to be reasonable or right.

And people act not according to everything they know, but according to what they have accepted into their hearts. If a person’s heart accepts the belief that there is no God, that person lives as an atheist. If a person believes in the heart that God is alive, that person lives in reverence toward God. In this way, the heart cannot serve two masters. Scripture says:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9–10)

However, if someone confesses with the mouth that Jesus died for their sins while the heart remains bound by sin, that person cannot be said to truly believe in Jesus. Such a person knows the gospel only as intellectual knowledge. Scripture clearly says:

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

Jesus is the truth, and the words Jesus spoke are also truth. Therefore, when we believe the words of Jesus, those words set us free.

The Shield That Blocks the Gospel

The gospel that “because Jesus forgave all our sins on the cross, we have been made holy” is very simple and easy to understand. Yet people find it difficult to accept this truth into their hearts because the devil interferes to keep them from believing it.

The devil puts all kinds of thoughts into the hearts of those who hear the gospel in order to prevent them from accepting it.

“How can anyone dare to say that they are holy when they continue to commit sins?”

“If people believe they have no sin, they will sin as much as they please, and the world will fall into chaos.”

“Jesus forgave original sin, but He did not forgive the sins people personally commit.”

Those who hear the gospel of Jesus Christ but cannot believe it are like people whose own thoughts obscure the Word of God, just as clouds obscure the sun. People often do not realize that the very thoughts they consider right have become weapons opposing the gospel, preventing it from entering their hearts.

It is as though the people of Jericho were holding weapons in their hands to fight the Israelites who were approaching their city.

The people of Jericho had already heard about the astonishing things God had done for Israel. When they heard that He had dried up the Red Sea and destroyed the Amorite kings Sihon and Og, their hearts melted, and they were so terrified that they lost all courage. Nevertheless, they did not open the tightly shut gates of their city. They still intended to fight against Israel.

Rahab, the Prostitute Who Laid Down Her Weapons

But Rahab, a prostitute who lived in Jericho, was different.

Rahab, too, had heard about what the God of Israel had done. Unlike the other people of Jericho, however, she accepted the fact that God had already given the land to Israel. And she confessed:

“For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:11)

Rahab knew that she could not defeat the God of Israel in battle. So she surrendered. She held no weapon with which to fight against Israel. Instead, she welcomed the two spies who had come to explore Jericho and protected their lives. Then she pleaded with them to spare her life and the lives of her family.

The two spies told Rahab to tie a scarlet cord in the window through which she had lowered them and to gather all her family inside her house. Rahab accepted their words and tied the scarlet cord in the window. Later, when Jericho was destroyed, Rahab and her family were saved.

Scripture says this about Rahab:

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” (Hebrews 11:31)

Abigail Bowed Down Before David

Abigail, the wife of Nabal, was also someone who bowed down before David.

When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he sent men to ask him for food. But Nabal refused his request. David, who had protected Nabal’s shepherds and flocks, became very angry and was approaching with his men to destroy Nabal. When Abigail, Nabal’s wife, learned what was happening, she quickly prepared food and went to David. She bowed down before him with her face to the ground, acknowledged him as her lord, and pleaded for mercy.

Abigail did not try to fight against David. Nor did she attempt to excuse her husband’s wrongdoing. Instead, she humbled herself before David and pleaded with him to turn away from his anger. As a result, Abigail escaped the danger of being killed by David’s hand. Later, after Nabal died, she became David’s wife.

God bestows grace on those who surrender before Him. For Rahab, who acknowledged the God of Israel and took the side of His people, a way was opened for her and her family to escape destruction and receive life. Abigail, who bowed down before David, not only escaped the danger of death but also later received the grace of becoming David’s wife.

The Gospel Heard by a Surrendered Heart

People think that if they try hard enough, someday they will become good people who no longer commit sins. But contrary to what they think, they discover that they continue to sin.

At that point, two kinds of people emerge.

One kind continues trying to overcome sin through their own efforts, even though they keep committing sins. The other kind realizes that they are incapable of overcoming sin and kneels before God, seeking His grace.

Just as someone who has surrendered accepts the words of the conqueror, a person who kneels before God with a surrendered heart lays aside their own thoughts and accepts God’s Word. Then that person hears the Word of God:

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)

That person realizes that although they could never become holy through their own willpower and efforts, they have been made holy because Jesus died on the cross for their sins. And with indescribable joy, they give thanks to God.

This astonishing truth is accepted into the heart of the person who has surrendered before God. That is because the person has laid down their own thoughts, which had been like a shield preventing the gospel of Jesus Christ from entering their heart.