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Faith without works is dead (useless)! James 2:14-26

"Even the demons believe---and tremble" says James 2:19. This is not the only incident where the demons knew who Jesus was and fear came over them.. Read from Luke Chapter 8 verse 28 as it says "When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me."


OK. The reason I shared these two verses with you to start is to help provide some context to the notion that mere intellectual agreement that Jesus is the Son of God and is all all powerful does not mean you are guaranteed a place in Heaven. Believing is not all that is required and this is the theme James is trying to press on..

I guess I should say this before I upset some readers here as some might say I am claiming that the way to Heaven is thru your works.. I AM NOT SAYING THAT!! However I am saying that according to the Bible "the basis for Salvation is by GRACE ALONE through FAITH with WORKS the necessary result thereof.

This issues really riles people up (including myself) because most "Christians" (let me quote the term Christian - because this term is not applicable to all who profess it) are not willing to be called out on "action" resulting from the Faith they claim.. Most are just happy and content with professing the Christian term and mantra but not willing to live a life evidential of that..

Matthew 7:21 says "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Notice the word "does" above..So just because you call on Jesus to help you out or get you out of predicaments does not ensure your salvation..He says the one who "does" the will of my Father.."Does" is an action verb meaning something has to happen..There must be evidence of your Faith - there are two types of Faith that must be addressed here in order that we do not gloss over the original point of "by Grace alone through Faith". See there is

1. Bogus Faith - Mere intellectual agreement about who God is without a personal trust in Christ - Just like the demons
2. Genuine Faith - This Faith is evidenced by your Fruit(ie.works) - It is more than an understanding or agreement - It is the root of your transformation. This goes beyond the mind and rears itself in your daily life..For where your heart is, there you will be also. If your Faith is in Christ and you believe He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can..then you will place all your trust in Christ and do as He has commanded you. To live a life patterned after Him.

Let me give you a better example.. Remember the story of Abraham and Issac. God asked Abraham to do what? To sacrifice his beloved son as a burnt offering in the land of Moriah. God asked Abraham to DO something..To slay his son..Not just believe God was God..but to see if the Faith he proclaimed was genuine..God put his professed Faith (belief) to a test of works..and how did this story end? God saw his genuine Faith and "counted him righteous." When reading this particular story something jumped out at me that I have always previously glossed over before. When you get to verse 12 of chapter 22 it says "He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

Dont miss that.. "for now I know". Abraham was not able to just say "Lord Lord", he had to prove his Faith and TRUST in God and His Sovereignty. This leads me to my next point..

Big Question: How do you know you are saved?

If this question were posed to you, what would you say? How would you answer it?

Anyone interested in what Jesus says about this very topic.?. Try Matthew 7:16-17 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Not convinced yet? (although that was Jesus talking, not me). How about Galatians 5:6 " in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." See working is another action verb..

Or how about 1 Thessalonians 1:3 "remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:26 "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

and lets take a look at Job and what he said in Job 31:19,20 "if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or the needy without covering, if his body has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep"
What did Job mean here? He actually helped cloth those who were cold with the fleece from his sheep..He could have said as James eluded to in verse 16 of chapter 2 "depart in peace, be warmed and filled." The point here is that simply praying for someone when you have the means to help them is not enough..You can be like James ascribes and bless them and wish them well but we are to follow a different example and put feet behind our words..

1 John 3:17-18 "But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth"

See here is the deal..Faith if it is a true genuine faith reveals itself in your actions..What you do every day. Faith is the Basis but works are the instruments in which we carry out our Faith.. The two go together much like a car and an engine, or a house and a roof, or a church and a pastor..One without the other makes them useless (dead). What good is a car with no engine..It can not carried out its intended design. What good is a house without a roof.. it would not even be called a house without a roof..again not living up to the "designer's" intention..We, as professing Christians, must show our fruits or our faith is useless. We can't be duped into believing that as long as we believe that Jesus exists and is Lord, then we are OK..cruising on in to Heaven on a luxury airliner..That is not what the Bible teaches. Being a Christian is BEING one..not just professing to be One....and for many of us this means a change in the way we conduct our lives..A shift in our priorities..but let me warn you with this last little bit of advice..Jesus Christ is not looking for a bunch of Christians going through the days checking off their little To Do boxes with a list of good things we did..He is not impressed and in fact I would argue that if you are keeping up with all the good deeds you are doing so you can prove yourself should someone ask or to make yourself feel better...then you may have a larger more important question to ask yourself..Am I truly Saved and do I have a heart for Jesus?..Do I long to be more like Him? This whole idea of bearing good fruit is not a checklist but rather a direct result of the transforming Grace of Almighty God and a part of the life that you live...You know like brushing your teeth or taking a shower..You just do it because that is what you do..No one needs to boast..ie. you dont see people bragging about brushing there teeth...and why? because it is expected..so goes our works..they are expected and flow from us because of He who lives in us..

Faith without Works is Dead!!!!!

EB

Footnotes: Biblegateway.com
ESV Study Bible

Daddy, Are you Sure?

Have you ever gotten a question from your kids that left you speechless..or caused a series of thoughts to begin to race thru your mind?. Allow me to share with you one of those moments that have lead me here..

A couple of Sunday's ago, we all were sitting in church worshipping the Lord..This particular Sunday was not a typical Sunday...and I even hesitate to label any Sunday a typical Sunday because that leaves an impression of mundane or lackluster..however this Sunday there was a very vivid presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the building..This Sunday was the day after a church member had suddenly died for no apparent reason and just off the heals of another member who was a Deacon who also passed away..so we were remembering those loved ones..The granddaughter of the woman who suddenly went to be with the Lord came down at invitation time along with her parents and her mom's sister and she decided to offer her life up to Christ and follow him..The moment was extremely moving..and at the end of the invitation, the husband who was up in the balcony screamed out in his aged and failing voice.."She went to be with Jesus"..I must say that flew all over me and overwhelmed my emotions causing tears to stream down my face and a sense of sorrow and joy all at the same time. The joy was because she did leave us to see Jesus...and sorrow because she left behind loved ones including her husband who missed her dearly..The message this day was especially powerful as well making this day one of the most memorable and intense worship services I have attended in quiet some time..My girls watched tears stream down just about everyone around them including Nicki and I..They sat is wonder, trying their best to figure out just exactly what was happening..but just to young to wrap their mind around it and still spiritually blind to be able to see the Lord move as He did this day..

So as we were leaving the service walking to our car to head home, I made the statement "Man what an intense service and Jesus was all in that place today"...CJ looked at me with this inquisitive stare and said "I did not see Him.."..I replied, CJ God has not yet lifted the blinders off your eyes or unplugged your ears so you could see and hear Him..one day He will"...and then the question that followed tapped deep into the core of who I am and what I potentially exist for..she said "Daddy, are you sure?"...Silence fell upon me and I had no answer for her..My flesh wanted so desperately to say..Yes Honey I am sure...but my spirit would not allow it..See here is why this simple questions penetrated the depths of my being..There is absolutely nothing I can do to ensure her salvation..Nothing I can do to help her see or hear..This is something God Almighty must do and she must receive the free gift when it comes..The very thought of me not being able to ensure her place in Heaven sends terror throughout my soul..and shakes the very man I am. See no amount of guidance I might provide for her..no amount of worship time I spend with her..no amount of prayer that I labor on her behalf, no amount of example I might be, can Save my child..and that scares me to death..I sit her thinking about this and it just tears me up on the inside knowing that Me, Her Daddy, cant make this decision for and cant control the work of Christ our Lord. He must choose to extend this free gift and she must be ready to receive it.. Of all the things I can do for my girls..Provide, Protect, and Lead...this one area of up most importance and significance, I have no ability..Now I realize I can do my part as her Father and the Leader of this home to prepare the way so that when the Lord comes calling, she is in a position to welcome the call..but ultimately I am helpless in this matter...and the one thing I would give my life up for above all else for her is for her to come to know Christ as her personal Savior and Lord of her life.. To one day see my girls bow before Him in humility and pray to Him, to serve Him and to live their life for Him. There are very few things in life that I desire more if any than for this to come to be during my existence on earth.. and as bad as I desire this, there is nothing I can do to make it happen..

There are those nights when we pray just before bedtime after our family worship time..when CJ as she did the other night, make intercession for her sister Jaydin and ask the Lord to heal her form her poison ivy and to make her better...and then as it comes to Jaydin's turn she thanks the Lord for CJ praying for her..I mean it is in those moments that I praise God for who He is and for the power He possesses and the humility that bears upon my soul..that it is undeniable that God is working in our lives because the evidence is clear...in those moments at least..I am so humbled to see little children who are just beginning to understand what it means to follow Christ and to cast their burdens at His feet, no matter how big or how small...and for Christ to give them the wherewithal to have the courage to talk to Him and ask Him for protection for our family and to help those who are lost...and to seek forgiveness for the wrongs of the day they may have committed..I mean I can see the circles coming together and the Lord working in their lives..each day the prayers get more and more heart felt and provide more depth and less repetition.. Or the days when you take the girls to school and your 4 yr old who hasn't the slightest clue of what God is all about say something like this " Daddy, look at God's creation" as we ride down the road and we see the beautiful sun rising amongst the blue sky with colorful trees and flowers in the backdrop..for her to say something like that just leaves me speechless and humbled before an Almighty God..who is Sovereign over all of Creation...

Let me leave you with this quite from a very powerful book I have just embarked on called "Knowledge of the Holy" by AW Tozer..and let me just say for those of you who are struggling to understand the attributes of a Holy God as I was and am...this book will push your mind beyond what you are used to and challenge you to think of the Deity in the proper perspective..and not in the Americanized view of just above Man, but like Man..

***What is God Like?".. I must acknowledge that it cannot be answered except to say that God is not like anything: that is, He is not exactly like anything or anybody. We learn by using what we already know as a bridge over which we pass to the unknown. It is not possible for the mind to crash suddenly past the familiar to the totally unfamiliar. Even the most vigorous and daring mind is unable to create something out of nothing by a spontaneous act of imagination***

May God be with You today and guide your way!!

EB