A new year can be a nostalgic experience. You begin to look back at all that happened in the last year, good or bad, and examine yourself. It is also a time where a lot of new memories are made with friends and loved ones, and a time of celebration for another year that you have been given. For some it is a time of partying, and for others, a time of grieving. For many, it is a time of change. New years’ resolutions are set and others are re-established. This is the sort of approach I usually take on a new year.
I happened to read Philippians 3 and it was one of those instances where you sit down to read from the Bible not quite knowing what you need, but then you read something and it all clicks. I admit that I actually didn’t really feel like reading. I was tired and cranky, but I also had a stirring inside me telling me that I really needed to read tonight. So, after doing a little flipping I came to Philippians. I read the first two chapters, but when I got to chapter 3, things sort of came alive on the page. This in itself was sort of my “nostalgic” experience that I needed.
Verses 1-11 of this chapter are Paul writing to the church in Philippi and it is his warning against putting any confidence in the flesh. It wasn’t until I stopped to seriously consider this aspect that I realized this is one of my biggest flaws, and one of the main things I need to work on in the New Year. I am a man, and as I man I struggle with pride. When I approach God, I tend to come to Him with a sense that I have actually earned something – that I am actually something worthy of His time and love. I tend to only focus on the “good” things that “I” have done, and not the times I have seriously messed things up (I put “I” in quotations for a reason, because I tend to forget that there is no good in me whatsoever – if any good is done, it comes from Christ!).
As a man – err, a human – I try to always think of myself as more than I really am, because the fact is, no matter how good I ever really am it’s still never going to be good enough. For here is Paul who is circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (vv. 5-6). Paul had the resume of all resumes. If anyone should ever have any confidence in approaching God, it would have been Paul. However, he realizes in his maturity that all of that is absolutely nothing! In the very next verse, he calls every thing about him a “loss”, and not a “profit”. These are the things the Jewish people strived for, and some never would attain – yet Paul says it doesn’t even matter! He says it’s void, nothing at all. Why would he say that?
Paul was mature at the time of writing this, and he had finally found a way to put all of his self-righteous pride aside and to simply realize that he cannot save himself. He finally came to the conclusion that no matter how “good” he appeared to everyone else on the outside, inside he was still simply a vile sinner that needed a Savior. He realized that no matter how the world perceived him, God saw (with regards to Paul Harvey) the “rest of the story”, and there was no way to hide it. Paul finally seen that there was no hiding the fact that he was a sinner just because of his wonderful list of achievements. God, while being the very essence of Love, is still a just God. If He weren’t, He wouldn’t be God. And because He is Just, Paul finally came to the realization that his amazing list of achievements and good works would never cover up the amount of sin that he had personally dealt out. He realized that the only thing he could put confidence in was Christ Jesus.
This is the road I find myself at as the new year rolls over. Yes, I have done some good works; I think we can all pretty much say that. But, to that I ask myself, “So what?”, because my list of “not-so-good-works” is a heck of a whole lot longer! As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t have to look very far back at all to see the last time I added to that second list. So where does this leave me? Spiritually bankrupt, yet spiritually excited. It leaves me bankrupt in the sense that it opens my eyes to who I really am – a sinner. It leaves me excited in the same sense, because it also opens my eyes to who I really am – a sinner saved by grace. It helps me reestablish within myself that I am absolutely nothing. This is a sobering, humbling thought. If it were not for Christ, I would be spiritually dead. If it were not for Christ, my sins would have to be paid for by myself. If it were not for Christ, I would be nothing. Because of Christ, I am spiritually alive. Because of Christ, my sins are paid-in-full. Because of Christ, I can stand before Father God in the confidence that all my sins are gone and that He sees me as covered in Christ Blood’s Coat of Confidence.
This is a great thing, but it also leaves me with another feeling: regret. As I look back on 2008, I realize really how little I did for God. While I may have done a few things here and a few things here, when it is calculated against how much I did for myself, I would be ashamed to see the results. If there is one printout I would not want to read, it would be one of how many moments God gives me to advance His kingdom and I fall through. That would not be a pretty thing to read. However, I believe Paul realized that we would come to this state of mind after reading the first eleven verses. Because of that, he follows it up with a very famous passage of scripture.
“12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
What Paul is saying is, “Look, I’m not saying I am perfect. I am human. I have flaws and struggles just like you do. Don’t give me the excuse that just because you are not an apostle of Jesus Christ that you can’t really live this life that God has called you to, because the truth is, I go through the exact same things you do. Just because I am an apostle of Christ does not mean God has made me perfect. I am as imperfect as the next guy – just ask those that travel with me! However, I don’t let this stop me. I know I am a sinner, and God knows that I am a sinner. I know I’m not perfect, and God knows I’m not perfect. So, why should I let it stop me from striving for Godly perfection? Because Jesus Christ made it to where I can stand before Father God, I am going to keep striving with everything I have toward this life that God wants me to live. Am I going to mess up? Of course! Daily, probably. Am I going to let it stop me? Not at all. When I mess up, I get back up, wipe off the dust, and keep striving toward God. You don’t think I’m going to let the Enemy win me over that easy, do you? I am going to fight against him with everything I have, and win he does win a battle against me, I rest in the confidence that I belong to Jesus Christ and no matter what the Enemy puts me through, he can never take that away. I am going to daily forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Paul realized he was no perfect. He realized he was going to always be fighting against Satan and against himself, but he wasn’t going to let it stop him. He forgot about what has already happened and strain toward the future. What’s already in the past is history, and there is no sense in letting it keep you down. There is no reason to dwell on the past that you can’t change instead of letting it help you do what is right in the ever-changing future. The past is gone, the future is not. Don’t keep your mind on all the times that you really messed things up. Keep your mind on the fact that Christ has forgiven you of all of those things and that all He wants you to do is focus on today and what you can do to help His kingdom now. If your eyes are on the screaming skeletons of the past, you aren’t able to see the grave in front of you that will finally put those skeletons to rest.
This is the life God wants for us, and it is going to be my personal New Year’s Resolution. I am going to realize I have no reason to boast. I am nothing. God is everything. I have to point heavenward and come to terms with the fact that all good things come from Christ, not me. This next year is going to be about what God can do, not what Brandon can do. Sometimes I think I look like Stewie from MadTV. I am always yelling at God to “look what I can do”, when in reality all I’m doing is just jumping the air and a miniscule height, twisting around and really getting nothing accomplished. I think God sometimes answers with simply a roll of the eyes. I have to take a hold of this fact and simply rest in Christ. Jesus said to come to him all who are weak and burdened, trying to become righteous on their own. This is what I want this year to be about. I am going to lay all of that at His feet in the realization that it is all about Him and I am going to rest in that. But with that, I have to forget the past. I can’t change any of it. I simply have to try and learn from it and make every day about that day. I have to focus on my walk with Christ a day at a time and not let the skeletons of the past haunt my future. I have to put them to rest once and for all, and simply let them be a memory to me so that I can learn from them and use them for God’s glory, and not for Satan’s tool. I have messed up. I’m human. I’m probably going to mess up again. But I can use the mess ups of the past to try and keep me from messing up so bad in the future. This is my goal.
I pray this year be about God and Him only, not about me. I pray that I forget about the last year, both good and bad things. I want to forget about the good in a sense that I realize I had nothing to do with the good works achieved through me but they all came from Christ and to give Him the just credit He deserves, and to forget about the bad in the sense that I don’t let my slip ups keep me from walking with Christ. They are forgiven and because of that I can move on. This is my plan for 2009, and hopefully this year you focus on your personal walk with Christ as well.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Work - Philippians 1:1-26
For me, the greatest thing to know is that God is still at work. Sometimes, even now, I get so bogged down by the world. I see so much hurt, so much pain, so much suffering, that just living daily life makes me depressed. I get depressed not because of how bad I have it, but because there is such a world in need. Even today, I see people hurting; I see people confused, and it pains me. I see people that know God and have experienced Him personally, yet they still live in hurt. I know some day I will also go through serious pain - it is a part of living in this world. However, the best thing for me is knowing that God is still God.
I read here in Philippians of how Paul was literally in bondage - a prisoner for the Word - but even through that God was still at work. Through the pain that the Apostle was living in, God still had a plan. He was still in control. He was able to take a horrible situation to advance His word - the only thing that can deliver people from pain.
Paul talks about how sometimes he even wanted to die! That is a profound statement. Just think about that for a second. For someone to actually want to die, that must mean they have to be in some horrible pain. He was probably beaten, hungry, and tired. He was ready to die! But even then, he still had peace. He still knew that there was work to be done. He was able to look past his sufferings, and instead of blaming and being mad at God, he took light of the situation to see that his suffering actually led to the advancement of the Gospel. How I wish I was that mature! I wish I had the insight to actually put aside all of my pride, all of my self-righteousness, and all of my greedy beliefs, and simply put God first. That is what Paul did here in Philippians. He was in pain but he didn't care - he simply wanted to serve the Master.
After meditating on this, I get peace from it. I can look at the world for what it is worth. I can see the pain and the suffering, and know that even through all of this God has not forgotten about us. God is not in some faraway place - He is hurting too. He is right here with us during every tear shed. He is right here with us through every cry out, through every shaking body, through every stomach churning in starvation. God is not barbaric. He does not "take pride" in the evil of this world. If we could feel fully, even for a second, the pain that God must get from the world we would not be able to take it. How do I know? Because all of that pain was put on Christ on the Cross, and it was unbearable. He cried out in the agony of being forsaken. He cried out in the agony of bearing the pain of the world. He felt it. It is more real to Him than it is to us. So don't think that God doesn't care. He cared enough to bear the burden for us so that we can rest assured knowing that He is right here bearing it with us.
My inner self cries out sometimes after seeing the evils of the world, but I know that God cries out even more. God has a plan for it all, even when we have given up on the fact. The war is won but the battle must go on. Why, you ask? Because He is not satisfied. Satisfied with what? Satisfied with who He has. He could end it all right now if He wanted. But there are still people out there that need Him. There are still people that need to know they have salvation given to them if they just believe. When we give up trying is when the battle will be over. Whenever we stop trying to draw people in to the kingdom is when things will be done. We don't want that to happen! People are hurting, and now that we know God hasn't given up, then why is there still so much pain? Because we have begun to give up. That is a scary thought! We have begun to give up trying to help the pain - we simply sit back crying about the pain without doing anything about it.
People do not need a self-righteous person looking down their noses at them. They need people to get down in the dumps to where they are, to do what Christ did and bear the burden with them. How are people ever going to really grow in Christ if we don't quit walking by complacently instead of reaching out our hands to them? How are people ever going to know that Christ really does care about them when the people that say they follow Him just walk on by without even a nod? When they see us not caring, how are they ever going to come to the realization that God cares?
Through this election and time in America, people in the church are worried that things are going to get worse. They are worried that our morals are going to weaken. They are worried that less people are going to come to Christ, and more people are going to fall by the wayside. The problem, friend, is not Democrats or Republicans. The problem is not conservatives or liberals. The problem is not Obama or McCain or Bush or anyone else. The problem is the Church! The problem is that we have sit back and watched, expecting God to just zap everyone that is against Him. What an immature view (and I am talking to myself more than anyone)! What we need to do is quit complaining and do something!
That is what Paul did. When he was locked up in chains, he could have given up. He could have said all hope is lost. He could have just said that God must be done with him and moved on. But he didn't do that! He found even more encouragement in his bondage. He was able to see through the veil and see that God was still at work. This is what we need to do today in America. We need to look through the veil and see that God is still trying to work in America, but we are stifling Him. "We" being the Church! The liberals and anti-Christians aren't pushing God out of America - "we" are because we have given up. Now it is time more than ever to lick our wounds, get back on our feet, and face the Enemy for who he is, knowing that God is crying out to us to move. We need to set aside our differences, set aside our viewpoints, and simply say to each other that "God loves you and so will I", come together, and do something about it.
I sit here tonight contemplating on the pain in the world and I realize that I haven't done much about it. I have sit back and complained and whined, but when it comes down to it, what have I done? Not much really. Well, it is time to mature a little bit. It is time to take the mindset that Paul had and know that while things may hurt, God is still at work. It's my choice if I am going to keep working with Him or not.
I read here in Philippians of how Paul was literally in bondage - a prisoner for the Word - but even through that God was still at work. Through the pain that the Apostle was living in, God still had a plan. He was still in control. He was able to take a horrible situation to advance His word - the only thing that can deliver people from pain.
Paul talks about how sometimes he even wanted to die! That is a profound statement. Just think about that for a second. For someone to actually want to die, that must mean they have to be in some horrible pain. He was probably beaten, hungry, and tired. He was ready to die! But even then, he still had peace. He still knew that there was work to be done. He was able to look past his sufferings, and instead of blaming and being mad at God, he took light of the situation to see that his suffering actually led to the advancement of the Gospel. How I wish I was that mature! I wish I had the insight to actually put aside all of my pride, all of my self-righteousness, and all of my greedy beliefs, and simply put God first. That is what Paul did here in Philippians. He was in pain but he didn't care - he simply wanted to serve the Master.
After meditating on this, I get peace from it. I can look at the world for what it is worth. I can see the pain and the suffering, and know that even through all of this God has not forgotten about us. God is not in some faraway place - He is hurting too. He is right here with us during every tear shed. He is right here with us through every cry out, through every shaking body, through every stomach churning in starvation. God is not barbaric. He does not "take pride" in the evil of this world. If we could feel fully, even for a second, the pain that God must get from the world we would not be able to take it. How do I know? Because all of that pain was put on Christ on the Cross, and it was unbearable. He cried out in the agony of being forsaken. He cried out in the agony of bearing the pain of the world. He felt it. It is more real to Him than it is to us. So don't think that God doesn't care. He cared enough to bear the burden for us so that we can rest assured knowing that He is right here bearing it with us.
My inner self cries out sometimes after seeing the evils of the world, but I know that God cries out even more. God has a plan for it all, even when we have given up on the fact. The war is won but the battle must go on. Why, you ask? Because He is not satisfied. Satisfied with what? Satisfied with who He has. He could end it all right now if He wanted. But there are still people out there that need Him. There are still people that need to know they have salvation given to them if they just believe. When we give up trying is when the battle will be over. Whenever we stop trying to draw people in to the kingdom is when things will be done. We don't want that to happen! People are hurting, and now that we know God hasn't given up, then why is there still so much pain? Because we have begun to give up. That is a scary thought! We have begun to give up trying to help the pain - we simply sit back crying about the pain without doing anything about it.
People do not need a self-righteous person looking down their noses at them. They need people to get down in the dumps to where they are, to do what Christ did and bear the burden with them. How are people ever going to really grow in Christ if we don't quit walking by complacently instead of reaching out our hands to them? How are people ever going to know that Christ really does care about them when the people that say they follow Him just walk on by without even a nod? When they see us not caring, how are they ever going to come to the realization that God cares?
Through this election and time in America, people in the church are worried that things are going to get worse. They are worried that our morals are going to weaken. They are worried that less people are going to come to Christ, and more people are going to fall by the wayside. The problem, friend, is not Democrats or Republicans. The problem is not conservatives or liberals. The problem is not Obama or McCain or Bush or anyone else. The problem is the Church! The problem is that we have sit back and watched, expecting God to just zap everyone that is against Him. What an immature view (and I am talking to myself more than anyone)! What we need to do is quit complaining and do something!
That is what Paul did. When he was locked up in chains, he could have given up. He could have said all hope is lost. He could have just said that God must be done with him and moved on. But he didn't do that! He found even more encouragement in his bondage. He was able to see through the veil and see that God was still at work. This is what we need to do today in America. We need to look through the veil and see that God is still trying to work in America, but we are stifling Him. "We" being the Church! The liberals and anti-Christians aren't pushing God out of America - "we" are because we have given up. Now it is time more than ever to lick our wounds, get back on our feet, and face the Enemy for who he is, knowing that God is crying out to us to move. We need to set aside our differences, set aside our viewpoints, and simply say to each other that "God loves you and so will I", come together, and do something about it.
I sit here tonight contemplating on the pain in the world and I realize that I haven't done much about it. I have sit back and complained and whined, but when it comes down to it, what have I done? Not much really. Well, it is time to mature a little bit. It is time to take the mindset that Paul had and know that while things may hurt, God is still at work. It's my choice if I am going to keep working with Him or not.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
True Faith
I have been pondering for the last week or two on what true faith really looks like. It began to bother so much that I really had to look into it. This is the aftermath of the last two weeks of meditating and thinking on what it really means:
What is true faith?
We learn from God’s Word that there is only one-way to have salvation: faith in Jesus Christ. But when one stops to think about what that means, it can become very confusing. What is meant by faith? How can I know that I have that faith? I believe in God, is that good enough? Or does it require more? That starts to sound like legalism then. So, what does true faith look like?
That is what I hope to cover: the meaning of true faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But before we start defining it, let’s take a look at what true faith looks like. There are many instances in the Gospels where Jesus heals someone because of their faith, but I want us to look at one instance in particular. This is from Mark Chapter 10:
“46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."
50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”
That is an amazing encounter that Bartimaeus had with Jesus, and one that he was sure to never forget. Here we have a man that has been blind for who knows how long, possibly since birth, and with one sentence, “Go, your faith has healed you.”, he could see again!
It was because of Bartimaeus’ faith that Jesus restored his sight, and it’s because of faith that Jesus will restore your soul. Bartimaeus exhibited the three basic principles of true faith as recorded by Mark.
The first of these three principles was that he (1) knew God’s Word. True faith always starts with knowing. You can’t believe or listen to God if you never first knew He was there. If you don’t know anything, you can’t have anything to put your faith toward. Knowing starts the basis of every single piece of faith that you have. Bartimaeus knew that Jesus could heal him, or he would have never called out to Him. He knew that Jesus was a miracle worker, or he would have never thought that He could heal him. At some point, Bartimaeus had to have been told that this Jesus guy from Galilee was able to heal people, and to make them whole, and once he was told that, it began a process that led Bartimaeus to true faith.
It works the same way today. Before you can be saved, you have to know that you need saving. You have to know that ultimately, you are simply a sinner and nothing more. You have to know that nothing you can do will ever lead you to righteousness, and nothing you can do is ever good enough for God. Don’t get me wrong, true faith is not mere head knowledge (we’ll talk more about that in a bit), but it does start with head knowledge. For you to believe or trust anything, you have to know that that thing is there.
There is an age old illustration of faith where one person stands directly behind another, and the first person falls back while the other is supposed to catch them. It is a great illustration, and one that I use a lot, but that person falling has to know that that person is back there before they can ever trust them to catch them in the first place. Faith begins in the head as a seed that grows.
This is why it is so important as ones already following Christ to go out and tell others about Him. Not only that, this is why it is important for us to let others know what sin is. If they never know that they are sinners, they will never know that they need to be forgiven of that sin.
Now, I know this is rocky ground because people throw the word “judge” around a lot. You start telling others what they are doing is sin, and they are quickly going to be offended and come back with, “Don’t judge me!”
This is true – you are not supposed to judge others. But, there needs to be a clarification of the word “judge”. To judge someone is to criticize them. It is to say that you have it all figured out, and you are looking down on that person. A lot of the times, not every time, people who judge are simply hypocrites who think they are super-spiritual.
However, telling someone what sin is, is not judging. In fact, we are called to do it! James ends his epistle with, “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins.” It is our job to help lead others to Christ, and that all begins with letting them know that they are sinners. But it is important to never forget that you too are a sinner! This is the point when people start becoming hypocrites. The godly way to go about it is to point out to them, through the Word of God (because remember true faith begins with knowing God’s Word), that the activities they are taking part in are sin. Once you do this, you can drop it. You have done your job. You have let them know that it is sin, and not that you are any better, but simply what they are doing goes against the Will of God.
Secondly, though, remember that we are to also tell them about Christ. Once a person realizes that they are a sinner, and that they need a Savior to get to God, then we can show them to Christ, and (again, using God’s Word) show them that Christ can and will forgive them of their sins.
Now, the second attribute of true faith that Bartimaeus exhibited was (2) believing that Jesus was who He said He was. Bartimaeus had heard that Jesus could heal him, and that he had done all of these miraculous things, but he would have never called out to Him if he didn’t truly believe that Jesus could do it. The head knowledge led to something else: a belief.
A belief is defined as an acceptance that something is true or that something exists. Someone can have all kinds of beliefs. They can believe strongly in one political party or ideology, they can believe whole-heartedly in a certain product, or that something or someone will make them happy. All of these things are beliefs, and believing is the second step of true faith; it is believing that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God, and that He came to earth to die for our sins on the Cross, and then three days later, He defeated sin by rising from the death and ascending to Heaven.
Hailing from the Bible belt, most people truly believe this. They have learned their whole lives about Jesus, and if you were to say that they truly didn’t believe it, you would offend them much. Many people believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But if that is so, then why do not all people have true faith? Well, lets look at this verse from James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”
The demons even believe in God, and they believe in Jesus Christ – they have even seen God with their own eyes! – but that belief does not save them. So, if they are not saved by this simple belief, then what makes us think that we can be? We can’t! Simple head knowledge and belief together does not save you. There is another aspect of true faith that is missing here.
You see this is the main problem with the American church. So many people know what God’s Word says, and they believe in God, but it ends there. There is nothing more. They go on about their lives and think that they are in good shape. By now, I probably have your attention, and I hope so, because this last part is very important to having true faith.
Bartimaeus knew who Jesus was. Bartimaeus believed that Jesus really was who He said He was. But he did one more thing that showed that he had true faith. What was that one thing? He actually called out to Jesus.
True faith involves (3) doing God’s Word, or in other terms, taking action. So many people hear about Jesus, so many people believe that it is true, but not a lot of people actually apply it. This is why the American church is in ruins. This is why abortion rates are so high among believers and non-believers alike. This is why there is not much difference in “Christians” and non-“Christians”. This is why!
James asks the question just a few verses up, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (vs. 14). Then he goes into a parable: suppose you run across someone who is without clothes or food, and you say to them, “God bless you! I wish you well.” – but you do nothing about it! What good have you done? You haven’t! That person is no better off than before. There is action that is required.
Now before I go any further, I want to make a separation so that you don’t think I am legalistic. What is legalism? Legalism is the belief that you get to God by what you do. The fact of the matter is, though, that legalism is so contradictory to the Bible. Of course I can’t get to God by what I do because nothing I can do is worth anything. Jesus Christ did it all for me on the Cross! The Bible firmly teaches us that there is only one-way to be saved: by grace alone, through faith alone. Meaning that you can only be saved by the grace of God (grace meaning something that you do not deserve, but get anyway) through a faith in Jesus Christ.
So, you ask, if that is the only way to do it, then why are you saying that I have to do anything? Because true faith still involves action! Bartimaeus had to call out to Christ before Christ healed him, because when he called out to Christ (and not just once, but continually), Christ saw his faith and healed him.
For more clarification, the difference in the two is something like this: a legalistic person believes that for them to be saved, they have to follow a certain guideline of rules. Meaning that if they do this, this, and this, then they will surely be saved. However, all of their faith is in themselves, not in Christ. A person relying on grace alone by faith alone does just that – they let the Holy Spirit guide them and they live their lives accordingly. What James teaches us is that true faith involves action – it doesn’t require it. In fact, he even says in verse 17 that faith without action is just plain dead!
You see, a legalistic person believes that what they are doing will save them; a grace person will do the things because they are saved. They are complete opposites. A legalistic person knows what God wants, and they do it, but they don’t really believe Christ saves them; they believe that what they are doing is saving them.
Why do I love people? Because I am saved, not so that I will be saved. Why do I try my best to live according to God’s Word? Because I am saved, not so that I will be saved. It is because of the grace of God that He has poured out over me, and the Holy Spirit that guides me that I walk in what God teaches. The faith is part of the action, not a separate entity.
It all goes down to one basic principle: what (or should I say, who) are you doing the action for? I can either do it because I truly believe that God’s ways are better than mine, and I have faith that in that concept (notice it takes on the form of an action-word here), or I can do it because I think that by doing the action, God will look on me with favor. The first is a life of grace; the second is a life of legalism.
The truth is that I can do nothing to please God. The Bible teaches that the best I can do to please God is like filthy rags that the leper’s used to tear off of their skin. That is not too well! The only way to ever please God is by putting your faith – true faith – into Jesus Christ, His only Son, who died so that your “filthy rags” could be clean before God.
But this true faith involves the actions of living according to what God says, because this is saying to God (through your actions) that you really believe that He is God, and that He is Lord of your life, and that He truly knows that is best. It is also saying that you realize that you are nothing, and that He is everything, and that you are going to “die to yourself”, meaning putting off the things that you want, so that He can live through you. This is the life that God calls us to. This is the life He wants for you and me.
Whether you believe it or not, God really does know what is best. He really does have a plan for everyone, and really does want everyone to come to salvation. However, He is not going to force it on you. Just as Jesus never forced the healing upon Bartimaeus, God is not going to force you to come to Him. He has given you a choice – life or death, His way or your way. But if we choose Him, we have to do like Bartimaeus and call out to Him. We have to take action and reach for Him. He doesn’t make it hard either. In fact, He says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). He is simply waiting on the edge of His seat for the lost to make that first move. That is all He wants – that first slight hint of action and then He comes running just like the father of the Prodigal son to embrace His child and take them home.
In more layman’s terms, remember the trust fall earlier where one person falls into another’s arms? Well, this trust fall involves all three aspects: (1) first they know the person is behind them and that person has promised to catch them, (2) they truly believe that person is going to catch them or they would not blindly fall, and (3) they actually do the action of falling. If one of the three steps were missing, it would not work, and the person would not have true faith in the person behind them. This is especially true of three because they could say all they want about how much they trust that person, but until they actually do it, they are tacitly (without expressing) saying that they really don’t trust them after all.
I am reminded of the story of the man who was caught in a flood, and so he goes atop his house because the water is too high. A boat comes by and tells him to get in, but he declines saying, “God will take care of me.” A few hours later, and a few feet deeper, another boat comes by telling him to get in, but he again declines saying, “God will take care of me.” Finally, the man is treading water because it is so high when a helicopter appears and drops a rope. The pilot yells for him to climb, but the man declines saying, “God will take care of me.” Soon, the man drowns and stands before God. He is sort of confused and asks God why He didn’t take care of him. God tells him, “I sent two boats and a helicopter – what more did you need?!”
Sometimes, though, we are just like that man. We sit back and know about God, and truly believe in God, but our faith is dead because we don’t do anything about it. We go on about our lives just living for ourselves, even though we know better. We go on about our lives living of the world instead of just in the world. We have no action. We have no works. We are unlike James who says, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Sometimes our faith is head knowledge and nothing more. This isn’t the life God called us for. This isn’t the life He wants for us.
He wants us to be like Abraham who, by faith, did the deed of offering up Isaac for the sacrifice. Because of his true faith, Abraham and Isaac both were saved. He also wants us to be like Noah who, by faith, performed the action of building the ark even though it had never rained on the earth before. Before of his true faith, he and his family were saved. Finally, he wants us to be like Bartimaeus who, by faith, called out to this Jesus that he had heard so much about and believed that he could him, and because of his faith, was healed and restored.
Remember that knowing and believing only is disobedience. Knowing and doing only is legalism. Believing and doing only is Christian Existentialism, which is a false view that anyone can please God in their own way, without need for the Biblical commandments.
True faith requires all three: (1) knowing God’s Word, (2) believing God’s Word, and (3) doing God’s Word.
I am going to leave you with these words of Dr. James MacDonald: “Put some action behind what you believe and watch God work.”
What is true faith?
We learn from God’s Word that there is only one-way to have salvation: faith in Jesus Christ. But when one stops to think about what that means, it can become very confusing. What is meant by faith? How can I know that I have that faith? I believe in God, is that good enough? Or does it require more? That starts to sound like legalism then. So, what does true faith look like?
That is what I hope to cover: the meaning of true faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But before we start defining it, let’s take a look at what true faith looks like. There are many instances in the Gospels where Jesus heals someone because of their faith, but I want us to look at one instance in particular. This is from Mark Chapter 10:
“46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."
50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”
That is an amazing encounter that Bartimaeus had with Jesus, and one that he was sure to never forget. Here we have a man that has been blind for who knows how long, possibly since birth, and with one sentence, “Go, your faith has healed you.”, he could see again!
It was because of Bartimaeus’ faith that Jesus restored his sight, and it’s because of faith that Jesus will restore your soul. Bartimaeus exhibited the three basic principles of true faith as recorded by Mark.
The first of these three principles was that he (1) knew God’s Word. True faith always starts with knowing. You can’t believe or listen to God if you never first knew He was there. If you don’t know anything, you can’t have anything to put your faith toward. Knowing starts the basis of every single piece of faith that you have. Bartimaeus knew that Jesus could heal him, or he would have never called out to Him. He knew that Jesus was a miracle worker, or he would have never thought that He could heal him. At some point, Bartimaeus had to have been told that this Jesus guy from Galilee was able to heal people, and to make them whole, and once he was told that, it began a process that led Bartimaeus to true faith.
It works the same way today. Before you can be saved, you have to know that you need saving. You have to know that ultimately, you are simply a sinner and nothing more. You have to know that nothing you can do will ever lead you to righteousness, and nothing you can do is ever good enough for God. Don’t get me wrong, true faith is not mere head knowledge (we’ll talk more about that in a bit), but it does start with head knowledge. For you to believe or trust anything, you have to know that that thing is there.
There is an age old illustration of faith where one person stands directly behind another, and the first person falls back while the other is supposed to catch them. It is a great illustration, and one that I use a lot, but that person falling has to know that that person is back there before they can ever trust them to catch them in the first place. Faith begins in the head as a seed that grows.
This is why it is so important as ones already following Christ to go out and tell others about Him. Not only that, this is why it is important for us to let others know what sin is. If they never know that they are sinners, they will never know that they need to be forgiven of that sin.
Now, I know this is rocky ground because people throw the word “judge” around a lot. You start telling others what they are doing is sin, and they are quickly going to be offended and come back with, “Don’t judge me!”
This is true – you are not supposed to judge others. But, there needs to be a clarification of the word “judge”. To judge someone is to criticize them. It is to say that you have it all figured out, and you are looking down on that person. A lot of the times, not every time, people who judge are simply hypocrites who think they are super-spiritual.
However, telling someone what sin is, is not judging. In fact, we are called to do it! James ends his epistle with, “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins.” It is our job to help lead others to Christ, and that all begins with letting them know that they are sinners. But it is important to never forget that you too are a sinner! This is the point when people start becoming hypocrites. The godly way to go about it is to point out to them, through the Word of God (because remember true faith begins with knowing God’s Word), that the activities they are taking part in are sin. Once you do this, you can drop it. You have done your job. You have let them know that it is sin, and not that you are any better, but simply what they are doing goes against the Will of God.
Secondly, though, remember that we are to also tell them about Christ. Once a person realizes that they are a sinner, and that they need a Savior to get to God, then we can show them to Christ, and (again, using God’s Word) show them that Christ can and will forgive them of their sins.
Now, the second attribute of true faith that Bartimaeus exhibited was (2) believing that Jesus was who He said He was. Bartimaeus had heard that Jesus could heal him, and that he had done all of these miraculous things, but he would have never called out to Him if he didn’t truly believe that Jesus could do it. The head knowledge led to something else: a belief.
A belief is defined as an acceptance that something is true or that something exists. Someone can have all kinds of beliefs. They can believe strongly in one political party or ideology, they can believe whole-heartedly in a certain product, or that something or someone will make them happy. All of these things are beliefs, and believing is the second step of true faith; it is believing that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God, and that He came to earth to die for our sins on the Cross, and then three days later, He defeated sin by rising from the death and ascending to Heaven.
Hailing from the Bible belt, most people truly believe this. They have learned their whole lives about Jesus, and if you were to say that they truly didn’t believe it, you would offend them much. Many people believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But if that is so, then why do not all people have true faith? Well, lets look at this verse from James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”
The demons even believe in God, and they believe in Jesus Christ – they have even seen God with their own eyes! – but that belief does not save them. So, if they are not saved by this simple belief, then what makes us think that we can be? We can’t! Simple head knowledge and belief together does not save you. There is another aspect of true faith that is missing here.
You see this is the main problem with the American church. So many people know what God’s Word says, and they believe in God, but it ends there. There is nothing more. They go on about their lives and think that they are in good shape. By now, I probably have your attention, and I hope so, because this last part is very important to having true faith.
Bartimaeus knew who Jesus was. Bartimaeus believed that Jesus really was who He said He was. But he did one more thing that showed that he had true faith. What was that one thing? He actually called out to Jesus.
True faith involves (3) doing God’s Word, or in other terms, taking action. So many people hear about Jesus, so many people believe that it is true, but not a lot of people actually apply it. This is why the American church is in ruins. This is why abortion rates are so high among believers and non-believers alike. This is why there is not much difference in “Christians” and non-“Christians”. This is why!
James asks the question just a few verses up, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (vs. 14). Then he goes into a parable: suppose you run across someone who is without clothes or food, and you say to them, “God bless you! I wish you well.” – but you do nothing about it! What good have you done? You haven’t! That person is no better off than before. There is action that is required.
Now before I go any further, I want to make a separation so that you don’t think I am legalistic. What is legalism? Legalism is the belief that you get to God by what you do. The fact of the matter is, though, that legalism is so contradictory to the Bible. Of course I can’t get to God by what I do because nothing I can do is worth anything. Jesus Christ did it all for me on the Cross! The Bible firmly teaches us that there is only one-way to be saved: by grace alone, through faith alone. Meaning that you can only be saved by the grace of God (grace meaning something that you do not deserve, but get anyway) through a faith in Jesus Christ.
So, you ask, if that is the only way to do it, then why are you saying that I have to do anything? Because true faith still involves action! Bartimaeus had to call out to Christ before Christ healed him, because when he called out to Christ (and not just once, but continually), Christ saw his faith and healed him.
For more clarification, the difference in the two is something like this: a legalistic person believes that for them to be saved, they have to follow a certain guideline of rules. Meaning that if they do this, this, and this, then they will surely be saved. However, all of their faith is in themselves, not in Christ. A person relying on grace alone by faith alone does just that – they let the Holy Spirit guide them and they live their lives accordingly. What James teaches us is that true faith involves action – it doesn’t require it. In fact, he even says in verse 17 that faith without action is just plain dead!
You see, a legalistic person believes that what they are doing will save them; a grace person will do the things because they are saved. They are complete opposites. A legalistic person knows what God wants, and they do it, but they don’t really believe Christ saves them; they believe that what they are doing is saving them.
Why do I love people? Because I am saved, not so that I will be saved. Why do I try my best to live according to God’s Word? Because I am saved, not so that I will be saved. It is because of the grace of God that He has poured out over me, and the Holy Spirit that guides me that I walk in what God teaches. The faith is part of the action, not a separate entity.
It all goes down to one basic principle: what (or should I say, who) are you doing the action for? I can either do it because I truly believe that God’s ways are better than mine, and I have faith that in that concept (notice it takes on the form of an action-word here), or I can do it because I think that by doing the action, God will look on me with favor. The first is a life of grace; the second is a life of legalism.
The truth is that I can do nothing to please God. The Bible teaches that the best I can do to please God is like filthy rags that the leper’s used to tear off of their skin. That is not too well! The only way to ever please God is by putting your faith – true faith – into Jesus Christ, His only Son, who died so that your “filthy rags” could be clean before God.
But this true faith involves the actions of living according to what God says, because this is saying to God (through your actions) that you really believe that He is God, and that He is Lord of your life, and that He truly knows that is best. It is also saying that you realize that you are nothing, and that He is everything, and that you are going to “die to yourself”, meaning putting off the things that you want, so that He can live through you. This is the life that God calls us to. This is the life He wants for you and me.
Whether you believe it or not, God really does know what is best. He really does have a plan for everyone, and really does want everyone to come to salvation. However, He is not going to force it on you. Just as Jesus never forced the healing upon Bartimaeus, God is not going to force you to come to Him. He has given you a choice – life or death, His way or your way. But if we choose Him, we have to do like Bartimaeus and call out to Him. We have to take action and reach for Him. He doesn’t make it hard either. In fact, He says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). He is simply waiting on the edge of His seat for the lost to make that first move. That is all He wants – that first slight hint of action and then He comes running just like the father of the Prodigal son to embrace His child and take them home.
In more layman’s terms, remember the trust fall earlier where one person falls into another’s arms? Well, this trust fall involves all three aspects: (1) first they know the person is behind them and that person has promised to catch them, (2) they truly believe that person is going to catch them or they would not blindly fall, and (3) they actually do the action of falling. If one of the three steps were missing, it would not work, and the person would not have true faith in the person behind them. This is especially true of three because they could say all they want about how much they trust that person, but until they actually do it, they are tacitly (without expressing) saying that they really don’t trust them after all.
I am reminded of the story of the man who was caught in a flood, and so he goes atop his house because the water is too high. A boat comes by and tells him to get in, but he declines saying, “God will take care of me.” A few hours later, and a few feet deeper, another boat comes by telling him to get in, but he again declines saying, “God will take care of me.” Finally, the man is treading water because it is so high when a helicopter appears and drops a rope. The pilot yells for him to climb, but the man declines saying, “God will take care of me.” Soon, the man drowns and stands before God. He is sort of confused and asks God why He didn’t take care of him. God tells him, “I sent two boats and a helicopter – what more did you need?!”
Sometimes, though, we are just like that man. We sit back and know about God, and truly believe in God, but our faith is dead because we don’t do anything about it. We go on about our lives just living for ourselves, even though we know better. We go on about our lives living of the world instead of just in the world. We have no action. We have no works. We are unlike James who says, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Sometimes our faith is head knowledge and nothing more. This isn’t the life God called us for. This isn’t the life He wants for us.
He wants us to be like Abraham who, by faith, did the deed of offering up Isaac for the sacrifice. Because of his true faith, Abraham and Isaac both were saved. He also wants us to be like Noah who, by faith, performed the action of building the ark even though it had never rained on the earth before. Before of his true faith, he and his family were saved. Finally, he wants us to be like Bartimaeus who, by faith, called out to this Jesus that he had heard so much about and believed that he could him, and because of his faith, was healed and restored.
Remember that knowing and believing only is disobedience. Knowing and doing only is legalism. Believing and doing only is Christian Existentialism, which is a false view that anyone can please God in their own way, without need for the Biblical commandments.
True faith requires all three: (1) knowing God’s Word, (2) believing God’s Word, and (3) doing God’s Word.
I am going to leave you with these words of Dr. James MacDonald: “Put some action behind what you believe and watch God work.”
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Not Good Enough - Galatians 3:2-4
I was reading The Message translation tonight, and began to think about what Paul had writeen to the Galatians in Chapter 3. Check this out:
"Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!" (Galatians 3:2-4, The Message)
No one ever said the Christian life goes uphill after you are saved. In fact, the Christian life, with all of its spiritual highs and lows, looks more like a heart monitor, or a printout of an earthquake. There are going to be times when you are so spiritually high that you just have to tell everyone you know run into about this Jesus who saved you, and then there are going to be times when you are so spiritually low that it is totally discouraging.
But after reading this, I stopped to meditate on my own walk with Christ, and on my spiritual highs and lows, and something occurred to me: when I am at my lows is when I take my eyes off of Christ!
It is not new information, and something that is so obvious that I probably new it, but I just never brought it into consciousness. It is those times when I start thinking that I have this whole "Christian" thing figured out, and I really start feeling good about myself, that I come crashing down. When I really start puffing up my chest and feeling super spiritual because of what I have doneand not because of what God has donethat I fall flat on my face. Why? Because I can't do it on my own!
No, it is impossible to live the Christian life yourself. In fact, the way the Bible puts it, you can't live the Christian life at all! Paul says that nothing he does has anything to do with his Christian life - it is ALL JESUS! That is amazing, disheartening, and encouraging all at the same time.
It is amazing because of the sheer supernatural activity that occurs. God lives through me! I don't know why He would even want to, but He does, and that is amazing in and of itself. God knows what is best for my life, and as long as I believe that and focus on Him, then the best will come about for my life. However, when I decide that I know what is best (which is what happens, either consciously or subconsciously whenever I choose sin over God), I usually mess things up horribly and have to run back to God to clean it up.
It is disheartening because, as a human, I can't do it. Paul says that to live by the law is void. You can try your whole life to live by the Law, and it still will not be good enough because you can't do it. Jesus said on the sermon on the mount that to even look at someone with lust is sin, or to hate your brother is the same as murder - so there is no way a human can make it through this world without sin!
But, in the end, it is encouraging, because I know that I am not good enough. That sounds like an oxymoron, I know. But the good news of the Gospel is that, while we were not good enough, Jesus Christ decided to step down and take the punishment for us so that we could be good enough. He started the whole process of salvation, and He will end it - not us.
So, we must stop thinking that we can do it. We can't. We have to give our lives totally to Christ every second of the day if we are to live this Christian life. That is what is meant by the phrase "dying to ourselves". We have to say no to what we want and focus on what God wants, and in the end, we have a much happier life because of it - and also an eternal home in Heaven.
"Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!" (Galatians 3:2-4, The Message)
No one ever said the Christian life goes uphill after you are saved. In fact, the Christian life, with all of its spiritual highs and lows, looks more like a heart monitor, or a printout of an earthquake. There are going to be times when you are so spiritually high that you just have to tell everyone you know run into about this Jesus who saved you, and then there are going to be times when you are so spiritually low that it is totally discouraging.
But after reading this, I stopped to meditate on my own walk with Christ, and on my spiritual highs and lows, and something occurred to me: when I am at my lows is when I take my eyes off of Christ!
It is not new information, and something that is so obvious that I probably new it, but I just never brought it into consciousness. It is those times when I start thinking that I have this whole "Christian" thing figured out, and I really start feeling good about myself, that I come crashing down. When I really start puffing up my chest and feeling super spiritual because of what I have doneand not because of what God has donethat I fall flat on my face. Why? Because I can't do it on my own!
No, it is impossible to live the Christian life yourself. In fact, the way the Bible puts it, you can't live the Christian life at all! Paul says that nothing he does has anything to do with his Christian life - it is ALL JESUS! That is amazing, disheartening, and encouraging all at the same time.
It is amazing because of the sheer supernatural activity that occurs. God lives through me! I don't know why He would even want to, but He does, and that is amazing in and of itself. God knows what is best for my life, and as long as I believe that and focus on Him, then the best will come about for my life. However, when I decide that I know what is best (which is what happens, either consciously or subconsciously whenever I choose sin over God), I usually mess things up horribly and have to run back to God to clean it up.
It is disheartening because, as a human, I can't do it. Paul says that to live by the law is void. You can try your whole life to live by the Law, and it still will not be good enough because you can't do it. Jesus said on the sermon on the mount that to even look at someone with lust is sin, or to hate your brother is the same as murder - so there is no way a human can make it through this world without sin!
But, in the end, it is encouraging, because I know that I am not good enough. That sounds like an oxymoron, I know. But the good news of the Gospel is that, while we were not good enough, Jesus Christ decided to step down and take the punishment for us so that we could be good enough. He started the whole process of salvation, and He will end it - not us.
So, we must stop thinking that we can do it. We can't. We have to give our lives totally to Christ every second of the day if we are to live this Christian life. That is what is meant by the phrase "dying to ourselves". We have to say no to what we want and focus on what God wants, and in the end, we have a much happier life because of it - and also an eternal home in Heaven.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Bring It! - James 2:14-26
This summer at Nettleton Baptist Church, our Youth theme has been "Bring It!", as our theme book of the Bible has been James. It is a phrase that we have heard over and over all summer - "Don't sing it; bring it!". But tonight, I was reading from The Message translation and just love the way it is written:
"14-17 Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
19-20 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
21-24 Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
25-26 The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse."
Wow! It is like a slap in the face! I believe the problem with American Christianity today is summed up in the verses above: we have a lot of people professing, but not a lot of people doing. A lot of people claim to be Christians, but it ends there - they no more follow Christ than an unbeliever.
Look at verse 19-20 again. The demons believe in God, "but what good does it do them"?! It doesn't. What counts with God is a faith combined with action. Do the actions save you? Absolutely not. The only way a person is saved is through a trust and faith in Jesus Christ. Period. But if you say that you are saved, and there is no change in actions, then you need to check yourself. James is telling us here that a faith without actions is a corpse! It's dead!
You see, a lot of people have a hard time separating a "belief" in Christ with a "faith" in Christ. They are two completely different things. A belief is just a head-knowledge of knowing that God is real, and even that Christ died for your sins. Anyone can know that - including the demons; but it does NOT give them salvation. Salvation comes through faith alone. A "faith" in Christ is giving Him your life, and letting Him be the boss of it - running your life for you! It is saying that His ways are better that yours. It is saying that you are going to trust in what He says, and are going to do what He says, because you truly believe that is the best way. It is also, and very importantly, saying that you are going to trust that He has forgiven you of all of your sins, and that is all that you need for salvation - nothing more!
There is quite a bit of difference there. You see, because a person that just "believes" in Christ can still live for themselves without any problem. They can go out into the world and do whatever they want. They can live it up, party hard, and have fun. But the person that has put their faith in Christ can't exactly do that, because that person believe that the ways of God are better than their own. That person has the Holy Spirit that will guide them in and out throughout the days. The person who has their faith in Christ is not of the world anymore. They are of God. They do actions of faith simply by living. They are truly saved.
Are you going to be just another person in America who falls through the crack of "just believing" in God? Thinking that just because you know that Christ died for you that you are going to heaven, that you are really forgive of your sins? Or are you going to whole-heartedly put your faith in Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins, trust that His ways are best, and let Him be the boss of your life? Are you going to give Him all of you, and put your money where your mouth is (so to speak) by living what you are professing? Are you truly going to live for God? Well if you are, don't sing it - bring it!
"14-17 Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
19-20 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
21-24 Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
25-26 The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse."
Wow! It is like a slap in the face! I believe the problem with American Christianity today is summed up in the verses above: we have a lot of people professing, but not a lot of people doing. A lot of people claim to be Christians, but it ends there - they no more follow Christ than an unbeliever.
Look at verse 19-20 again. The demons believe in God, "but what good does it do them"?! It doesn't. What counts with God is a faith combined with action. Do the actions save you? Absolutely not. The only way a person is saved is through a trust and faith in Jesus Christ. Period. But if you say that you are saved, and there is no change in actions, then you need to check yourself. James is telling us here that a faith without actions is a corpse! It's dead!
You see, a lot of people have a hard time separating a "belief" in Christ with a "faith" in Christ. They are two completely different things. A belief is just a head-knowledge of knowing that God is real, and even that Christ died for your sins. Anyone can know that - including the demons; but it does NOT give them salvation. Salvation comes through faith alone. A "faith" in Christ is giving Him your life, and letting Him be the boss of it - running your life for you! It is saying that His ways are better that yours. It is saying that you are going to trust in what He says, and are going to do what He says, because you truly believe that is the best way. It is also, and very importantly, saying that you are going to trust that He has forgiven you of all of your sins, and that is all that you need for salvation - nothing more!
There is quite a bit of difference there. You see, because a person that just "believes" in Christ can still live for themselves without any problem. They can go out into the world and do whatever they want. They can live it up, party hard, and have fun. But the person that has put their faith in Christ can't exactly do that, because that person believe that the ways of God are better than their own. That person has the Holy Spirit that will guide them in and out throughout the days. The person who has their faith in Christ is not of the world anymore. They are of God. They do actions of faith simply by living. They are truly saved.
Are you going to be just another person in America who falls through the crack of "just believing" in God? Thinking that just because you know that Christ died for you that you are going to heaven, that you are really forgive of your sins? Or are you going to whole-heartedly put your faith in Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins, trust that His ways are best, and let Him be the boss of your life? Are you going to give Him all of you, and put your money where your mouth is (so to speak) by living what you are professing? Are you truly going to live for God? Well if you are, don't sing it - bring it!
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