Saving Faith

The Principle of Faith

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Better Principle

Book of Hebrews Chapter 11

What does the word “principle” mean?

According to the Websters dictionary the word “principle” means: In a general sense, the cause, source, or origin of any thing; that from which a thing proceeds; as the principle of motion; the principles of action.

We should be able to understand the “principle of faith”!

Let us talk about “the principle of faith”.

It is the “principle of faith” that is the foundation of the Church.

1Co_3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Our salvation can come only by “the principle of faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has done for our redemption!

Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The “principle of faith” is the same for all people!

Act 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is the only way we can approach God!

When we are in conversation with God, we must have faith and we must show God our “faith”!

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

It is because of the principle of faith” that we can be forgiven of our sins!

It is true that our only responsibility in our salvation is believing the “Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ” but we need to believe all the Word of God!

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

We must understand that the many different translations of the Scriptures can contain errors, but the “Received Text” has no errors at all, and we need a translation that comes from the “Received Text”.

“Saving Faith” involves three things:

1) Knowledge:

There are certain basic truths that must be believed!

We must believe the things that Jesus claimed to be!

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

Unless we believe these things, we will die in our sin!

Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: “for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins”.

The Apostle John wrote these things by the Holy Spirit.

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

2) Conviction:

There must be an inner conviction that the things that Jesus has said are the complete truth!

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

3) Trust:

As a result of our knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and Holy Ghost conviction that these things are true, then we must place our “trust” in the truth of God, and these things will be settled in our heart.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, “and shalt believe in thine heart” that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

It is our own responsibility to take our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and our inner conviction and then trust in the Word of God!

God will not do this for us!

We must get up close and personal with the Lord!

It all begins with “faith”!

So, how can we describe faith? The Bible has one definition.

*Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

In this Chapter there are men and women who believed what God has said and the Holy Spirit gave us some of their names.

Without a doubt the key to God having good memories of us depends upon our “faith” in Him!

Here in this chapter of the Book of Hebrews is the only place where the Holy Spirit gives us a definition of “faith”.

In the rest of the Word of God, we get to see examples of those who had great “faith” and those who had little or no “faith”.

“Faith” is the single most important thing we need in our relationship with God!

We will see that without “faith” we cannot please God, and if God is not pleased with us, He will have no part in our lives!

Along with “faith” we must have “hope”!

Our “hope” lies in the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Our “faith” must be in that “hope” and this “faith” must lead to our “faithfulness” to the Lord our Savior.

“Faith” is our act of believing in the truth of the Word of God!

We have “historical faith” in the fact the character of God does not ever change!

What He has done in the past He will do a similar work in the future according to what He has said.

James says:

Jas_2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas_2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas_2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

This is not works as in working for salvation!

This is the work of faith being Christian in our thoughts, our ways, and our actions.

Our “faith” is meaningless if we are not growing to be more like Jesus Christ and is therefore dead.

We must understand that with our heart we believe unto righteousness.

We must put action to our “faith”!

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

Now our heart does not have to see, yet our “faith” knows these things are true as having seen this truth in the actions of those who have done these things.

We cannot be justified without our work of faith!

Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

A work of “faith” is not like obeying some old law!

Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

This is the “faith” that must continue to grow with us, as we grow as Christians, so it is our faith that leads to our growth in sanctification.

Sanctification is the act of being made holy in the eyes of God!

As we grow in Christ, then we need to add to our faith daily, again because our faith lies in the unseen promises of God as if we can see our redemption, which we can!

2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The elders of our faith in time past understood these things.

The elders of our faith also knew of our Creator and our Savior being the same person!

*Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

We know our Lord and Savior is so powerful that He just speaks, and things happen!

We know that our Lord is so powerful that He created all we see and things that we cannot see, out of nothingness.

The very reason there are no creators today, is the fact they cannot create without using something that God has already created.

God is a God of order, and we can only look into the night-time sky and see order in our universe.

We do not see chaos as would have been the case of some Big Bang Theory!

We have a Universe, or some say Cosmos, because “God said” for these things to take place and they took place.

You see, we do not need “a hope so faith” which is in reality meaningless, we need “a know so faith” in order to please our Creator.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Notice it was “faith” that Abel offered, meaning much more than the sacrifice that He offered to God.

This has been the same since the beginning of the human race!

Any sacrifice to the Lord is meaningless unless it is accompanied with believing “faith”.

Our “faith” is our sacrifice that has meaning to our Savior!

The reward of “faith” is God’s approval of the things we do according to the Word of God!

When God approves us, then God accepts us!

God will never approve us when we go against the Word of God, because this immediately shows our lack of “faith”.

It seems our politicians do not understand this.

You cannot claim Christ Jesus and go against the Word of God! This is sin that is condemned!

I was not here when God created our world, but I know in my heart that He is my Creator and today I know even more, because I know He is my Savior!

You see, it was not the sacrifice of Abel that God remembers, God remembers His “faith”.

God cannot remember anything of Cain because Cain had no faith!

He will hear those dreaded words:

Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

It is with “faith” that we can see the power of “righteousness”!

The power of faith is what is written in the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”!

Righteousness is the approaching of God, “exactly as He says to approach Him”.

It cannot be done in any other way or fashion!

It cannot be done without the shedding of “Blood” as proven by Abel!

Heb_9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It is by the shedding of blood by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can obtain righteousness!

This was true in the time of Adam and Eve, and it was just as true when the Lord Jesus shed His blood on Mount Calvary, just so we can be saved, but it is our “faith” that makes this true.

I was not there to see what the Lord has done for me, but by “faith” I know He did this for me:

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Cain may have been religious, but His religion could not save Him!

Most religion is about religion, form, and ceremony and none of these things can make you righteous because they lack “faith”!

They are just mindless rituals!

It is “faith” that gives us the power to have our own daily walk with God and it is faith that will deliver us from the death of the curse because of Adam’s disobedience.

Enoch just believed God, everything God said was ok with Enoch, because He believed every Word God said, and this is exactly what God demands of us all today!

Any disagreement with the Word of God is sin!

Just what does it take to please God? It takes “faith” that the Word of God is true!

It takes “faith” enough to believe that God is exactly who He says He is!

*Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We will never be able to please God if we cannot believe every Word that He has given to us!

God exist just as He says.

God has done everything that has been written of Him!

We must believe we have a Creator!

We will never be acceptable to God if we cannot believe Him!

It is time for those so-called Christians on the border line of faith to understand this!

The Bible is specific!

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This is not so hard to understand!

Many people do not understand the word “condemned”

Oh, they love this verse close to it where it says, “for God so loved the world”.

We cannot pick and choose what we believe in the Word of God!

It is an all or nothing Book!

We cannot grow in our “faith” if we have none to begin with!

We must practice that hope mentioned in 11:1.

This is hoping for the things God has promised and them making a personal claim to those things just because God promised them!

We must diligently seek God!

To be diligent is to be seek God until you have found Him, and He is not hard to find for those who believe Him!

Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

We must hunger and thirst after righteousness:

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

We must ask, we must seek, we must knock:

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

We must seek the Kingdom of Heaven because it does exist.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We must pray and fast, we must persevere in our prayer life!

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Many people pray and pray and pray, never finding the answer to their request, when they do not even have enough “faith” that God can do as He says.

They will never get a prayer answered!

We should understand the greater our need, the greater the time we must spend with our Creator, asking God, conversing with God, listening to God, sharing God, believing God and most important, living for God!

There is always an answer to those who seek God in true “faith”!

The more we stay in touch with God the more our “faith” will grow.

It should be truly clear, God will never reward sinful, carnal trust, nor will He ever reward doubtful trust!

If God did ever answer a prayer for those who doubt Him, then that person would think they could live their lives as they wish, and God will never so this.

God will certainly answer the prayers of the righteous with a believing heart.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

God will never answer any prayer that goes against His Word, nor should we expect Him to!

No one can read the Scriptures with attention, without feeling the intensity of God to produce confidence in His “Mercy” and His “Grace”!

To be a Christian, is to show the character of God to the world.

The world should be able to see our “faith” and our “faith” will set us apart from the world we live in!

We must put action to our “faith”!

When we doubt God’s goodness, then we are biting the hand that feeds us!

The work of God is our victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we reject this victory, we remain cursed, because we have no “faith” in the truth of God.

We can honestly say that there is really not much faith in this world and in fact when we see all those so-called Churches allowing the immoralities of the world inside the Church, we can truthfully say that there is not much “faith” left in the Church.

Wake Up Church, God’s Word does not ever change!

Now God gives us some examples of “faith”.

*Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

We should pay close attention to the things addressed by Noah.

There was a time in the history of this world when this earth had become so wicked that it was filled with corruption and violence.

Humanity had reached such a sinful level that God simply would not tolerate it and God was left with no choice, but to destroy this wickedness.

There was only one man, on earth who was a godly man, and his name was Noah.

God will never destroy the godly with the wicked, so God warned Noah about the coming “judgment” to this world.

Though many doubt the story of the world-wide flood, it is still the complete truth because God said it was and there is much proof of it today.

There is no place upon this earth that you cannot see signs of this worldwide flood!

This is a place where our faith is so important!

We already know that God had made a promise to His Son Jesus before Jesus created this world.

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

The world-wide flood happened just as God has said and the evidence proves it!

This is important today because God has said it will happen again.

Not with a world-wide flood, though there certainly be flooding, but this time “with” fire for the exact same reasons and we can see that without a doubt our world is returning to days that were the same in the days of Noah!

Mat_24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luk_17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

All those with “faith” are expecting this to happen and to happen right after the “Rapture of the Church”

Just as Noah received a warning, the Lord Jesus Christ has warned His Church, but He has also warned this world.

Those without “faith” have been made aware of these things for centuries!

If you do not believe in the world-wide flood, then you are calling the Lord Jesus Christ a liar, and you need the Lord Jesus to be saved.

You are calling the Word of God all lies and you cannot please God so, to those who read this it will be your warning.

After the “Rapture of the Church” you will see a world with all evil, wicked, and immoral people even worse than the days of Noah!

A world that is trying to live by science and corrupt governments, and focused upon pleasure and riches, cannot please God!

*Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Abraham also had a faith that is not even understood today!

Abraham was born Abram in what would now be modern day Iraq and Abram was not a Jew and no Jewish nation even existed in all his days.

God made Himself known to Abram and told Abram to leave his homeland and all his kinfolk and go to a land that Abram was not familiar with.

God made some sincere promises to Abram and today we are still seeing the fulfillment of some of those promises.

What did Abram have that few others had in his day.

Abram had the ability to see God as our Creator and Abram believed all the Word of God given to him.

It never appeared that Abram was a poor man, but only later does it say that because of God’s blessing he would be considered to be a rich man in his day.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

It may not be spoken of Abraham, but Abraham took his beliefs and shared them with his family and all those with him, and it appears that most all of them believed also.

Abraham might not have known that his wife Sarah would go childless when he married her, but God was well aware, and we see the desire of Abraham to have a child.

Abraham learned a valuable lesson from God, and it was when God makes a promise all we need do is believe it and not doubt what God says and also that God will do what He says and He does not need our help, He just wants us to have faith in His truths.

God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations and Abraham did not yet have a child and he was ninety years old.

Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

1) God would cause a people to be born of the seed of Abraham.
2) God would bless all nations through this seed born of Abraham.
3) God would give Abraham a promised land which in fact was the land of Canaan.

What did God ask of Abraham?

He asks Abraham just to have faith in what was told to him.

Abraham had a decisive, obedient faith.

He obeyed God and did as God ask him to do.

What did Abraham not do?
He did not hesitate.
He did not argue.
He did not question.
He did not waver back and forth.

Note: Abraham did not know where he was going, and this was not important to Abraham.

Abraham did not know where following God would lead him.

Abraham just believed the promises of God, and this is all God asks of us today and God has given to us much more information than what Abraham had.

We should clearly understand, we cannot say we believe God and then live our lives in disobedience!

To be true, no person can know where his faith may lead him, but we must not fear following God!

How did the Lord Jesus Christ put it?

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

You see Abraham was not looking for the things of this earth!

*Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham lived in a tent and a tent does not require a foundation.

Abraham had seen the things that were built in his day and none of them were great masterpieces of construction because man had built them.

Abraham understood much more than we give him credit for!

Abraham could live his life without the things of this world that hold us in peril most all our days.

You see obedience is in our hands and providence is God’s business!

As far as being a witness, we take God’s seed and scatter it where the Holy Spirit is working and God Himself is in charge of all results.

Our job then is simply to obey!

Obedient “faith” is the only way to eternal life and good preachers cannot even preach this message today without making their congregation mad at them so, many do not preach salvation at all.

Obedient “faith” creates a life which many will want to copy. This is why the Lord ask us to live by faith.

This is why the Lord will give more “Grace” to those have “obedient faith”!

By “faith” Abraham gave up the known world and rested on the promises of God!

Abraham was not called because he was any better than others.

Abraham answered the call of God simply because God called him.

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Abraham believed God and God accounted it righteousness for Abraham.

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

It is the wicked and evil riches of this world that has caused so many to end up in Hell, and Abraham knew if you could see it here, then it would not be in the City of God.

Why was the promise to Abraham so important to us today?

Because the promise God made to Abraham was the promise God made to us all through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

I am not looking forward to seeing Jerusalem here on earth though it would be great to visit the land where Jesus walked.

I am looking forward to seeing the New Jerusalem that is in the City of God!

The same city Abraham was looking for!

*Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

There are great rewards that come by “faith” in the promises of God!

We can be encouraged when we read about these Old Testament saints of God.

We know that God was encouraged because He has written these things down for us.

Their faith was an encouragement to the early Church.

Their faith pointed others to God and still does today.

Their faith was their greatest testimony!

These things are the greatest testimony we can leave behind once we have left this world and joined the Lord in Heaven.

What was this great faith based upon? The future promises of God.

We must get it through our thick skulls that the God’s promises are in the future!

No doubt a Christian life does have its many rewards, but it is our future life where we will reap those greatest rewards.

So, with “faith”, its best blessings are in the future.

Just as with the Old Testament saints the object of our faith is still in our future.

The faith of the Old Testament saints looked forward to the promise of salvation.

The Church looks back to the work that the Lord Jesus has done for our salvation.

We should remember when the Old Testament saints died, they entered into a place called Abraham’s Bosom having to wait for the fulfillment of the Messiah.

Abraham’s Bosom

Before the finished work of the cross, everyone who died and believed in the Messiah went to a separate place in hell known as “Abraham’s bosom”.

This was also referred to as “paradise” in another scripture.

It was separated from Hell by a fixed gulf that could not be crossed by either side!

Just before the Lord Jesus died on the cross with the two thieves, He promised one of them he would meet him in Abrahams Bosom the very same day.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 KJV

The bible tells us Jesus descended to the lower depths before He walked with the rest of the saints in town for 40 days.

This means Jesus went into Hell but into Abraham’s Bosom, to free those who believed in him and took them out before he ascended to heaven along with those more than five hundred saints that came out of those graves.

The saint of God that dies today goes directly to be with the Lord having being made perfect at death.

Our death now turns to eternal life in the glory world!

Amen

Submitting Compliantly

/ Bobby Mayfield / 3 Comments

Submitting Compliantly

James 4

We have been learning that “good works” will follow a “saving faith”.

Saving faith is a complete belief in the “Gospel” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The “Gospel” is saving ministry of Jesus Christ, His life, His ministry, His death, His burial, and His resurrection all done for “whosoever” will believe on all these things.

The “Gospel” does not come in parts, the “Gospel” begins and ends with the Lord Jesus Christ!

1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

When we are “Born Again” of God and filled with His Spirit, it will produce “good works” as we have seen but just as important it will show up in our speech.

SO, What is submitting?

Submitting is yielding to another source, surrendering your view to another view, referring to someone else before making a decision.

What is being compliant?

Bending your own will in favor of someone else’s, yielding to the request of another.

When we can yield ourselves to the will of God, we can live a righteous life which means we do the “right things” and that will bring peace not only to ourselves but also to those around us.

Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

The results of peace is then a lack of wars.

What is the cause of wars?

Wars usually begin because of changing relationships and opposing interest of people.

Many wars have begun because of power grabbing, someone seeking to be in power.

Many wars have begun because of the conflict between the social classes.

History has proven all these things to be true.

But James tells us why there wars within the Church.

Let’s begin:

*****Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Remember James is still speaking to Christians.

That word “whence” means, “though the search will always begin with outside circumstances”, the problems are most always internal, within the “Body of Christ”.

In other words, the Church is destroying itself from the inside!

These wars go against the peace that comes from being obedient to the Word of God.

These “fightings” are the carrying out of the wars within the Church.

James says these wars always begin within our own selves because of wars within our own members.

When we are living by the Word of God, we will be at peace within our own selves and we will not be a part of any war.

We will never have true revival in the Church until we have peace within the Church.

Revival has nothing to do with adding members, it is a setting of existing members on fire for God

How do these things begin (“come they not”), James says we already know the answer.

The beginning of all wars begin with our own “lusts”!

Desires that you have, that war against your brothers and sisters in Christ and against your fellow man!

Desires that go against the Word of God, cause a war within our own bodies against the will of the Holy Spirit!

The Apostle Peter wrote of these same things:

1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, “which war against the soul”;
The Apostle Paul also knew these things very well:

Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, “warring against the law of my mind”, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin “which is in my members”.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

How are we to be delivered from this war within ourselves?

*****Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

We must first realize the source of this turmoil is within ourselves.

Jesus Christ explained it this way:

Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

When we allow the things of this world and the cares of this world to to replace the “good news” of the Word of God, then we will war with our own selves and we must be honest, our lusts are hard to control.

When we set our minds on certain things and our will is weak through the cares of this world, we will most often yield to that desire.

To make matters worse, we often desire things we know that we can never obtain which in turn will make us do almost anything to obtain them to fulfill that desire.

When we simply cannot obtain that thing we desire the most, then that lust will change to envy of those that have what we most desire!

This will often turn into an all out war within our own selves and affect everyone and everything around us in a sinful way.

We should be very clear, God promises to provide everything we need to fulfill “HIS WILL” for us and He will do this when we pray properly.

We should also be very clear, that God makes that promise to those that pray, not to those that are fighting within themselves!

We have already learned that a double minded man can receive nothing from God!

This is also the answer to the whole problem.

We need to know how to pray and then pray often!

It is not enough just to ask for good things but we must ask for the right things to be used for the right reasons along with having the right intentions!

God deals in needs and not wants!

In most cases, it is our lack of faith that will even keep us from receiving something we may actually need, for the ministry God has for each of us.

And it is for sure that if we receive anything for the work of the Lord and then use that thing to satisfy our own lust then there would little need to pray for God to replace it!

God is not fooled by our sinful ways!

*****Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

We know that an adulterer has allowed his affections for another woman to interfere with his affections for his wife and the same for the adulteress has done for her husband.

But James is speaking of “spiritual adultery” in this verse.

James is speaking to those “Born Again” men and women of the Churchm, who have put the cares of this world before their relationship with the Lord, Our God!

We are not to be concerned with the motives and the ways of this world we live in, as we go about serving God.

We are only to be aware that we are in a war with the evils of this world as a soldier in the army of God!

That word enmity means how it sounds, those that are friends with the world are the “enemies” of God.

The Apostle John wrote:

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father “is not” in him.

We must believe the Word of God are the Words from God!

One of the first things the Athiest will say is, “is not the Bible written by men”?

We know that these men were inspired by God and that these are the actual Words of God!

No one can serve two Masters. We can have only one Master in our life!

Jesus said these words:

Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: “for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other”. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

The Words of God are life and God’s Word will bring eternal life!

*****Jas 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

The Apostle Paul wrote that the Old Testament is to be our schoolmaster.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

A schoolmaster in the time of Paul was intrusted with the care of children until they reached the age when they could have their own children.

The lessons that we can learn from the Old Testament are timeless!

These “scriptures” teach us how to cope in our sin filled world by showing us what happened in the past to God’s people.

We can see how God has dealt with sin, from the time of Adam.

God will never change in the way He deals with sin!

We must study the Word of God to learn the lessons of the past.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

There are no vain scriptures in any part of the Word of God!

We must rightly divide the Word of God!

If we think that God has placed His Holy Spirit within us to sow discontent, or uneasiness, along with hatred, then we have misjudged the will of God!

Envy springs from our own pride, our own ambitions, and our own sinful desires.

In fact the Apostle John wrote;

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, “but is of the world”.

All these things are from the world and it is these things that are the cause of wars in the world and the wars within our own selves!

God gave us His Holy Spirit for other reasons than to war with each other!

We saw last week the fruit of the Spirit.

To be sealed with the Holy Spirit of God is to be confirmed as the “Blood Bought” children of God!

The Holy Spirit of God is our down payment on our still to come inheritance!

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

We already know that Our God is a jealous God!

The Scriptures of God teach us the truth.

The Spirit of God encourages a lust within us but that lust is for us to learn the truth of the Gospel and then be a doer of the Word of God!

God’s answer to all our mistakes in the Church Age, is to give more “Grace”!

*****Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

God gives us many things that we do not deserve.

We do not deserve to be saved.
We do not deserve to be filled with the Spirit of God.
We do not deserve the “Grace” of God!

God even gives us more “Grace” than we deserve.

God gives us more “Grace” than we desire. If we do not desire spiritual things, then we do not desire spiritual life!

God gives us more “Grace” than we know. When we reach the “Judgment seat of Christ” we will see that God has given us more “Grace” than we know.

God will also give us more “Grace” than we can use!

Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, “grace did much more abound”:

God’s “Grace will flow from the mind of God into the heart of each of us that know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

But God’s “Grace” is reserved for those that humble themselves before Him!

1Pe 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: “for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble”.

AND, to be humble is to be submissive!

*****Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The title of this lesson is “submitting compliantly”.

We submit to God when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our “personal Savior”!

We must surrender ourselves to Jesus!

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

When we surrender ourselves to Jesus the power to resist the Devil is revealed in us.

The Devil is far more intelligent and powerful than we are, so we cannot resist him through the strength of our own flesh.

The Lord Jesus defeated the Devil with the Word of God.

We can do this same thing and the Devil knows this.

Satan will be stubborn until we mash his head with the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ.

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

SO, to claim victory in this life we must draw nigh to God.

*****Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

When we take a step toward God, He will also take a step toward us. Our steps are then doubled.

It does not take long to get close to God after that first step!

How do we draw nigh to God?

1) We must sanctify ourselves.

Exo 19:22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

How do we sanctify ourselves?

A.) We must cleanse ourselves of the filth of this world.

Isa 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

B.) We must admit that we are still sinners.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

C.) We must purify our hearts.

We must obey the truth of God!
We must love our neighbors as our own selves.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

D.) We must stop being “double-minded”.

Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

We must take a stand on the Word of God and then Stand on it!

*****Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

We must be aware that sin in our life will bring with it sadness and regret. This is Holy Ghost conviction who makes us aware that we have done wrong.

We must mourn at every failure we have in being obedient to God!

Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

We cannot celebrate in our sin, our laughter must turn to mourning.

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Any joy that comes from sin will not last very long and that joy will turn to heaviness.

Heaviness is sadness and sorrow.

Pro 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

When we can reach this point quickly we will then humble ourselves before God.

*****Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Pride is the same sin of the devil!

1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Pride is also the most difficult of our sins to overcome and will always lead us to other sin.

When we are humble, we recognize that we are continuously in the presence of the Lord and He is watching our every move, because He loves us.

In order to grow in the Lord we must be aware of the presence of the Lord in our lives!

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

The Lord would not watch over us, if He did not care for us!

The Lord will not only lift us up fully into the world to come but He will even lift us up in this world we live in now!

But we must keep the “Royal Law”! “Love thy neighbor as thy self”

*****Jas 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Jas 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Why do we find it so easy to condemn the faults of another brother or sister in Christ?

When we get involved in gossiping and slandering we are actually ruining our own testimony!

We will be found out and people will avoid us.

We should look at these verses as the commandments of God!

Not one of us are qualified to sit in judgment of another!

There is and can be, only one Lawgiver!

It is only Our Lord who is able to save and who is also able to destroy at His will.

God has given us several commands in our lesson today.

We are commanded to submit ourselves before God.

We are commanded to resist the Devil.

We are commanded to draw nigh to God.

We are commanded to cleanse our hands of evil.

We are commanded to be afflicted and mourn because of our sin.

We are commanded to “humble” ourselves in the sight of God.

We are commanded to speak no evil of another.

When we obey these things we will find that God has more “Grace” than we have faults!

*****Jas 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

James gives us another absolute fact of life and he says “listen to these words”.

Not one of us knows for sure what we will be doing on tomorrow!

Life is made up of many activities and many decisions will have to be made but we very seldom get to make those decisions until that thing is before us.

We do not know what is going to happen in the next moment and even much less about tomorrow!

Apart from the will of God, life is truly a mystery!

In our best interest we need to seek the will of God that He has for each of us.

Life begins to make sense when we follow the Lord Jesus Christ!

A wise man once wrote:

Pro 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

We may not know what tomorrow may bring but we do know what our future has for us when we follow Christ Jesus.

To us, life may seem long because we measure it in years but we live life in this flesh one moment at a time.

BUT, in comparison to the eternal life that is promised by the Lord, truly the duration of this life is no more than a vapor.

Even Job who gave us the earliest Book of the Bible knew this truth:

Job 7:7 “O remember that my life is wind”: mine eye shall no more see good.

And Job lived more than 200 years.

Job 42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.

Even Moses who lived 120 years said:

Psa 90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: “we spend our years as a tale” that is told.

We may count our days by our birthdays but God says we should number our days:

Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

God says we should spend this short life that we exist in this flesh, seeking His wisdom!

We have only one chance of succeeding in this life!

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

We should not forget who sits on that Heavenly Throne!

*****Jas 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

When we leave God out of our plans, we find that we have no plan at all!

God is behind the scenes of everything in our lives and His knowledge extends even into the little things we do everyday.

There is nothing in our lives that does not fall under the control of God!

Pro 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
Pro 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; “nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand”.

*****Jas 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

When we rejoice thinking we have accomplished anything on our own, then our thinking is wrong!

We cannot even live without breathing God’s air!

Remember James is writing to Christians who are supposed to know these things.

The same God that saves, is the same God that provides all our needs!

The more we think we accomplish in our lives, the more we think we can do all things on our own.

This is wrong thinking!

We have no potential without God!

Being in God’s will is not a formula for living in misery, it is living outside the will of God that will bring with it misery.

Going against the will of God is always sin!

*****Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

There is the sin of “commission”, doing things that God has told us not to do. We oursleves and those that we love will suffer from the commission of these sins.

Then there is the sin of “omission”. This sin comes from failing to do the things that God wants us to do.

Many times it is only that certain person God has asked something special or has a special calling from the Lord, who knows of this sin he or she is committing by not answering the call of God.

When we know that we are to depend on the Lord for all things and we fail to recognize the work of God in our lives we are committing the greatest sin.

We are commanded to witness for Jesus. It is sin not to do so.

We are commanded to tithe, it is sin not to do so.

We are commanded to evangelize, it is sin sin to do so.

And keeping with the theme of the Book of James.

We are commanded to separate our selves from the things of this world, and it is sin not to do so!

We are commanded to honor our God and keep Him first in our lives, to go against any part of the Word of God is sin!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

Serving Dependably

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Serving Dependably

James 2:14-26

Last week we saw the sin of discrimination in the church, this week we will see that “saving faith” will also show up in our actions.

One of the greatest tragedies in the Church today is that we see so many confess the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior but there is then no change in their behavior nor their character.

This absolutely cannot be true, if we obey the Word of God!

We must first answer this question that Jesus ask us all:

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Christianity is not a matter of opinion.
Christianity is not a matter of feeling.

Christianity is a matter of life!
Christianity is being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Christianity must be what we are and what we are shows up in what we do!

Christianity is in obedience and not in a feeling, nor is it an opinion!

So what is true saving faith?

Let’s Begin:

*****Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Everyone has faith of some kind even the Atheist who say there is no God.

It is the object of that faith and the results of that faith is what makes the true “saving faith” valid!

James asks us all, what profit do we obtain from our faith?

If we were in a business and had made an investment we would expect at some time to see a profit.

To be saved is to have made an investment in the Word of God!

We must ask ourselves:

1) Do I truly believe the Words that God has given to me?
2) Do I really trust in God’s promises?
3) If I believe what God says then what does He expect of me?
4) What is the profit I receive from my faith?

Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth”.

The Lord Jesus said that He was the truth.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The truth is, that what we believe in our hearts will make itself known in our actions!

The profit of this truth is that the Lord Jesus Christ is our salvation and our eternal life.

Jeremiah wrote to the Jews that there is no profit in lies.

Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

So what is true saving faith?

Even in the early church there were those that claimed a saving faith but they were not saved.

Jesus has these words for all those:

Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Jesus says that a person of faith will produce some fruit.

When saved we are filled with the Holy Spirit and the fruit, not the fruits, is this:

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

And there is more fruit:

Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And Jesus adds these words:

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he “that doeth” the will of my Father which is in heaven.

You see, it is not what we say that makes us saved, it’s what we do with our faith after we are saved that is the proof of saving faith!

Even Jesus teaches us that just to say we believe is not enough, our belief in the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior must show also in our actions.

Again this is the greatest tragedy in the church today!

James gives us an example.

*****Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister “be” naked, and destitute of daily food,
Jas 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

In this example of James the terms brother or sister, let us know that these are all fellow Christians who are all bound by God’s Word to help others in a time of need if we are able.

That word “be” in verse 15, means we know about this need and/or we are aware of this and know this to be true.

That word “be” also tells us that we have it in our means to offer that help and have not already done so.

In other words we have witnessed with our own eyes that this person is certainly in this position of need.

That word “destitute” means that his lack of nourishment is showing up in his health. It is noticeable for all to see.

This fellow brother or sister in Christ is lacking nourishment and has been for awhile and has reached a point in their lives that they sincerely need some help and they have approached you, honoring you also as a child of God and fellow Christian.

They would have had to humble themselves greatly in order to do this.

You already know what they are, “now” they will see what you are and the truth will show up in your actions.

This is not even a stranger from another assembly but you both attend the same house of God and live in the same neighborhood.

God says to love thy neighbor as thyself.

But what we see is a “faith” that has not resulted in a changed life!

There is nothing wrong with praying for those in need.
There is nothing wrong with wishing for prosperity and happiness for them.
There is nothing wrong with praying that they will be warmed and filled with all the accommodations of this life.

Food and clothing are the basic needs of life in this world we live in now.

In fact God says this:

1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But we also know that we have more than what we actually need.

The wrong comes when you have it within your own power to help, especially those that are brothers and sisters in Christ, but you refuse to do so.

You know you have some clothes you can spare.
You know you have food in your cupboard that you can spare.
You know you have the time to even prepare them a hot meal while they warm them selves at your fire.

You know you have the means to help them but your “so called faith” has not profited them at all.

Your faith then has no works!

And James says.

*****Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

What is dead faith?

Any declaration of faith that the Lord Jesus Christ can forgive us of our sins and this does not result in a changed life and good works, is a false declaration of faith!

True saving faith can never be alone because it will also bring with it a new life and that new life will bring forth with it, good works!

This person may know in his mind the doctrine of salvation but he has never submitted himself to the Lord Jesus Christ for His work, nor does he even trust God for his salvation!

True faith in Jesus Christ brings life eternally.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, “but have everlasting life”.

And where that new life exists there will be first growth and then fruit.

Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

We know that it is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that justifies us before God, but that faith can never be alone, that faith will always bring with it good works.

We certainly have a right as Christians, to believe that a profession of faith which does not bring a changed life may be an empty profession!

This is not being a judge of others!

Remember it is the Word of God that must our mirror.

We also know that only God knows who is saved because God can see into the heart of the believer!

And James continues:

*****Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will indeed produce fruit that demonstrates it’s reality!

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus “unto good works”, which God hath before ordained that “we should walk in them”.

By that same faith we are to walk in good works after salvation!

This is a command of God and not a request!

God saved us so that we can show forth the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This is the only job God has given us to do!

James never says that good works produce salvation!

James never says that faith plus good works can save!

James does say that good works will always be a part of true saving faith!

*****Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

We already know that James was writing mainly to the Jews.

The main difference between the Jewish religion and that of other nations was the fact of monotheism as opposed to polytheism as all other nations of that day believed.

Even now there are only 3 monotheistic faiths.

1) Orthodox Judaism.
2) Orthodox Islam.
3) Orthodox Christianity.

That word “orthodox” simply means those that believe the genuine doctrine of their own scriptures.

In Christianity it means that we must accept the complete Word of God!

All other religions are structured around evolutionary pantheism and not one of these pagan beliefs are never condoned in the Bible.

The Jews believe in Jehovah God, but not Jesus Christ.

In Islam their faith is in the writings of Muhammad, not Jehovah God, nor Jesus Christ.

The true Christian places their faith in Jehovah God who came to this Earth as the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah!

James said it was good to be Monotheistic but even that is not sufficient enough for salvation!

Only Christianity acknowledges that our Creator will also be our Redeemer!

And James adds that even the devils(demonic beings) believe in the one God Jehovah and they tremble in fear of Him yet they will never be saved!

The Devil can neither love the Lord nor will he ever obey the Lord!

Satan has made his choice and Satan knows his particular ending.

The “Burning Lake Of Fire” was created for Satan.

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, “prepared for the devil and his angels”:

Any human being that ends up in this place has chosen to be there themselves and have only themselves to blame.

*****Jas 2:20 “But wilt thou know”, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Many people today say that James was conflicting with the Apostle Paul but James received these words from the Holy Spirit many years before Paul had written any of his epistles.

And we should never forget these words:

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

It is the Word of God that is our guideline for “good works”!

Actually there is no conflict “at all” in the writings of Paul and these of James.

James taught that by the works of the law no one could be saved!

Paul clearly taught that genuine faith would produce good works!

Salvation must be by the “Grace” of God, and accepted by “Faith”.

Since no one can earn salvation and only God can see into the heart of the believer, then only God can know for sure who is saved and who is not.

But it is a fact, that the reality of that “faith” can only be demonstrated to others by “good works”!

So the truth that James states is that faith without good works is a dead faith!

These are all facts of Scripture!

Then James refers to the faith of Abraham giving us an example.

*****Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Just so we can be sure let’s see what the Apostle Paul wrote:

(Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; “but not before God”.)

These two verse may seem to contradict each other but they do not.

Abraham was raised in Ur, a place of pagan worship and he left that place and obeyed the One true God, Jehovah.

Abraham had not been seeking God nor did he deserve any gift of God! (A picture of Grace)

Abraham accepted God at His Word and this was the object of his faith. (A picture of faith)

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, “when he was called” to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, “obeyed”; and “he went” out, not knowing whither he went.

Abraham left his fallen state behind in Ur, to live by faith as a man in a strange land. (A picture of being “Born Again”)

Abraham was then justified in the sight of God. (Once justified forever justified)

Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

James words do not conflict with this statement of Paul!

James simply says, was not Abraham justified “before men”, when he offered up his son Isaac.

Abraham was justified, before God by his faith and his obedience to God after he was already righteous in the eyes of God!

This took place when Abraham left Ur in search for that Heavenly City of God!

These good works of Abraham followed after after his righteousness before God!

There is no conflict between the writings of Paul and the writings of James.

In fact there is no conflict in any of the scriptures in the Word of God!

It is by our good works, “that our faith is made perfect” in the eyes of God and the eyes of those that are always watching, you if you claim to be a Christian!

*****Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

The scripture was not “confirmed” but “the scripture was fulfilled”.

Fulfilled means, the Word of God was executed just as God said!

Confirmed would mean that the Word of God was only established.

It’s very important for us to realize that “all” the Word of God “will be fulfilled” just as God says and just as it is written.

It will be the same for us as it was for Abraham!

Abraham did not just believe in God, but Abraham believed every Word that God had said to him.

Gen 15:6 And “he believed” in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham believed the Words that God said, the promises that God had made.

The Word of God was not an “act” of Abraham’s faith, the Word of God was the “object” of Abraham’s faith!

It was not the promise that Abraham believed, Abraham believed all the things that were promised!

Abraham believed that he would have a seed and a very numerous seed while he also believed that the Messiah would spring forth from his seed.

Abraham believed in the end result as if it was already in his possession!

This is what we are all to do!

This is faith’s true meaning!

We are not just to believe the promises that God makes, but we are to accept the complete fulfillment of those promises to a point, “where we can act on them while we are still living”.

Abraham had no problem offering up Isaac as requested by God because Abraham knew that God had plans for Isaac that would be fulfilled no matter what was done to him.

Abraham believed that God would have to resurrect Isaac by some means if he killed his only son! (A picture of Jesus)

Abraham was justified by his faith way before he was justified by his works!

This is the same faith God expects from us all!

This is the faith that brings righteousness before God!

This is saving faith!

This faith comes from considering the Word of God in our own minds and making the decision that it is the Word of God that is real and our own thoughts are vain!

It is this seed of Abraham who can also be “friends with God”.

Jesus said it this way:

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, “if ye do whatsoever I command you”.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

True “faith” is accepting the end result of the promises of God as complete but we just haven’t reached them yet, just as Abraham did.

The results of this faith is that we are to be busy about the work of God and we must leave our old life behind as already dead!

Born Again means an immediate change!

So we should begin to see these things clearly.

*****Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

The faith that justifies, must include obedience to the “Royal Law” of the Lord as we studied last week.

But all these things do not happen at once.

We must first have saving faith which brings Salvation.

We must grow in the Word of God which brings Sanctification, to come out from among our old ways and those of the world we live in.

And the object of our faith will be Glorification, the day we meet Christ Jesus.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Our works can only begin when we can separate ourselves and our works from those of this world.

James gives us another example.

*****Jas 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

It should be observed that Rahab was a known harlot.

This was her trade, her means of making a living.

Her trade was legal, condoned, and even participated in by the standards of her ruling government but illegal in the eyes of God.

Just as I am now, Rahab was a the chief of sinners in her family.

But God’s amazing “Grace” can save the chieftest of sinners, praise the Lord.

Rahab had received the spies and the messengers of Joshua into her house and believed God’s Word.

(Remember Joshua in the Greek is Jesus)

Rahab showed her faith in her confession to God’s messengers.

Jos 2:9 And she said unto the men, “I know that the LORD” hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

Jos 2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: “for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath”.

Even Rahab knew she could not loose her salvation!

Then Rahab showed her “faith” by her works in helping God’s people.

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

Rahab did not have a dead faith!

Rahab had a faith that worked in love, by the Word of God!

*****Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Faith is a spiritual thing!

Works are material things!

Where true faith abides, then God will also abide.

It is the Holy Spirit of God who gives eternal life.

God’s love will cause actions from each born again body that did not exist before salvation came.

What is the “Divine Principle”?

The more we exercise our faith in Christ Jesus, the more we will believe.
The more we believe the more “faith” we will receive.
The more “faith we receive, the more we are able to work for the Lord.
The more we work for the Lord, the more we increase our faith.
And this cycle should continue until the day God calls us home!

It is our works after salvation that show our growth in the Lord!

Just as the body without the Spirit is dead, then faith without works is also dead!

Saving faith begins when we believe that there is a God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we cannot believe that God exists then we will remain lost in this dying world!

Because no amount of good works can get you to Heaven!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!