Yesterday our Sunday school class began the study of the book of James, I like this little book because James wrote extensively about faith and good works. Faith and works have been a source of much discussion and great debate even among the Apostles since the dawn of Christianity.
James an Apostle and half-brother of Jesus wrote in 2:18, But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Then he continued with a profound statement, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” . . .
I personally have friends who think that their belief alone is sufficient. They view reciting the “Sinner’s Prayer” similarly to buying an insurance policy. My response is based upon something I read in one of my study Bibles: “Faith must work; it must produce, it must be visible. Verbal faith is not enough; mental faith is insufficient. Faith must be there, but it must be more. It must inspire ACTION!”
James gave us an analogy that anyone can understand: “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works”. Performing good works is compared in this verse to being as essential to our spiritual bodies as breathing is to our fleshly bodies. Without breath we would smother and die.
Yikes! I always had a fear of smothering to death. I believe it is probably one of the worst ways to die.
After decades of Bible study I would be the first to say that I believe that justification cannot be received except by faith and grace through the precious blood and broken body of Jesus and not by works; (though everyone is called to good works).
To my way of thinking faith and works are inseparable. Faith displays itself in works. Faith is more than mere words; it is more than knowledge; it is demonstrated by obedience and produces doers who overtly respond to the word of God. Further I believe that if we really love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds we will want to obey His commands and honor him and enjoy His promises.
I urge you to take definitive action this week to demonstrate your faith through good works. Do you know someone you can encourage, or otherwise help in some way? Then just do it . . .
One other thing that the Spirit of God has laid on my heart this morning is this passage of Jesus when He was just a young lad and turned up missing. Joseph and Mary were frantically looking for Him and found him in the temple teaching. Luke 2:28 recounted it as follows: “When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them . . . ”
It is rather easy to understand really: It is for the honor of Christ that we children should attend public worship. If we love Him, we will honor Him through obedience.
Those that have lost touch with Christ, and the evidences of their having a loving relationship with Him, must rethink where, and when, and how they lost it, and must turn back again. Those that would come close to Christ again, must go to the place in which he has put His name; there they may hope to meet him. If you didn’t go to church yesterday, and are missing that close relationship with Christ in your life, you missed a great opportunity to find what was lost.
This is an important Words for the Day today – I hope you will read it twice . . . Selah
Matt. 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven . . . ”
June 1, 2015 – Click here to listen