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Understand Faith without works is dead in book of James
Read Entire chapter of James 1-3.
Morning Guys.
We all know that Salvation is made possible and available because of what God did. Not because of what we did. The Cross where Christ died and was resurrected made it happened. I want this to be established in your understanding of doctrine. The Lord imputes righteousness when we believe in Christ. Why? Because.................It is no small feat to believe in a God you cannot see with your natural eyes. Some of you may think it is easy to just believe, but wait till you face Harsh and Critical difficulty of life that will really test your faith, see if you think it's just that easy to continue to believe in God. I can testify it is not.
So do not think mental assent is to be ridiculed, it is of equally paramount importance. it has it's place.
YET what about Faith without works is dead scripture verse? Is it really talking about the much need works to merit and to satisfy the opinion of people or God to Salvation? That Salvation requires works as evidence? Because unless we can establish the right foundation of your Salvation, your faith will always be on shaky ground. I want you to have unshakable ground of faith so that no people or devil can disrupt your walk with God especially when you pray.
Today we will study this to understand and to correctly divide what is what.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says in the NIV: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I'm quoting the whole verse so that no one can misconstrue this verse. It is very very clear from verse 8 to 9, Salvation is a gift. If you can earn something by your effort, it is no longer call a gift but something that is obliged. The important key phrase here that disqualify any kind of inclination that works is required for salvation in the phrase "and this is not from yourselves". And even in verse 9, it is reinforced by the phrase not by works. Sometime I wonder if people can read that. There is nothing obscure in these 2 phrases. Very clear..not of ourselves (meaning nothing we can do in performance) not by works basically disqualify any kind of works. The word works in the Greek is "ergon which means; work, task, employment; a deed, action; that which is wrought or made, a work. Do you see the meaning "action" there? It is the same word use in the book of James chapter 2. The very same word and meaning. With that being said....the works that is mentioned in book James cannot qualify you to heaven. To disagree with this is to throw out what Ephesians 2:8-9 just said. This must be firmly established.
What about verse 10 on God's handiwork, that we are created to do good works? Shouldn't this testify to Faith without works is dead also?
Before I get to that; understand this correctly. God paid a dear price..a very dear price which no one can put value to it. The value of the blood of Christ is extremely too high. The effort of your works do not even come close. To think that it matches or need in justification to Salvation together with Christ is to put your works value on the same level with what Jesus did at the cross. That to me is vanity self righteousness which stink and God calls it Filthy Rags. (Isaiah 64:6) Either Salvation is a gift or it is not, there is no 2 way about it.
So what about the verse on God's handiwork and Faith without works is dead? Aren't they mutually exclusive? Aren't they 2 side of the same coin?
Answer is: Yes they are. Then how do you separate justification to Salvation? There is a difference.
1st of all understand the meaning God's handiwork....who is doing the handiwork? You or God? God's handiwork means God is the one who is doing the work in you. Without God, you can try and do all the work you want yourself, anything that is not born of God has no eternal value. It is as good as decay and death, they are fallen like this current world. So the question to ask is; can you demand from God to have works? Can you pay to God for works? Think about it. How do you get it? Is it by Grace? I hope you are beginning to see the picture and the blinding scales are starting to fall off! Answer is Yes. When it comes to God, there is no way you will be able to merit or earn for anything, God would not have, it is by his love and free grace, God is a good God.
Being God's handiwork to do good works.......the power "originate" in Christ. Where do I get this?
Philippians 2:13 (NIV) - for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Nothing can be further from this truth. If you are still not convinced then 1 more verse;
John 15:5 (NIV) - "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
What about Faith without works is dead? If you have read the entire chapter of James 1-3, no where do you find any phrases that tells you those works are required for Salvation. None of it. What about James 2:14 (NIV) - What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?
You may say...see? The word Save is there. Dear friends...the word save there is the word "sózó" in the Greek which means; I save, heal, preserve, rescue. It the same word used when God delivers his people from predicaments. Then look at the examples given in the book of James. They all talk about providing assistance to the people in need, provide cloths, food, ... nothing talks about Salvation.
Then what about Abraham sacrificing Issac or Rahab, helping the spies? What has those got to do with Salvation? If you think about, killing or lying for that matter are nothing virtuous but sin. They are not something to look up to. So what is the point the book of James is trying to make then?
Well, it is simply this. When you believe in God, Act like it. <---That is the Gist or essence of what James is trying to say. For example when you pray believing for a deliverance or answer, act like it. Or that when you wish someone well, don't just say it, provide if you can. Don't profess your faith in one instance then act contradictory in the next instance.
One last question. What about people who profess mental assent faith but don't want to repent or change or work? My answer is this: I'm not here to judge you but to just affirm that there is a nature built into your flesh that is Anti-God.
Romans 8:7 tells us; The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
For you to be set free, come to Christ and just pray, submit and acknowledge you have this weakness and you cannot obey. Use the mental assent that you have as the door for God to come in and work in you. Hold tenaciously to it believing. In time it will happen BECAUSE God is faithful, what He promise, He will do!
God Bless.
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