Faith without works is DEAD
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Cameron finished last week with these two questions and they have been on my mind all this week.
1.) Did we put our faith in Christ’s work on the cross?
1.) Did we put our faith in Christ’s work on the cross?
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,
Paul is addressing Peter who is a Jew that is forcing the Gentiles to live like Jews.
We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.
A person is not justified by works
A person is not justified by works
As a Christ follower, you have not been called to works. The call to Christ is not to serve the poor, feed the hungry or help the hurting.
This week I just had a real break through in my time with the Lord that I have first been called to repent of my sin and run to Jesus. The call of the Christian is to Christ first.
Let me help unpack this idea again. Pastoring can be hard. The call of the pastor is first to Jesus, then to his family, then to the church.
It is easy for Pastors to get this out of line and believe the call is to Jesus, then the church and then his family.
For the pastor it is Jesus, Family, and then the church.
In like manner it happens far to often that church goers start to believe that their calling is to the work of the church or to change the world first.
It is sometimes easier to try and accept the fact that we can work to earn our salvation and that we can be in control of being saved by simply doing good works.
WRONG
The call is first to be Justified by believing in the work of the cross.
A person is not justified by works
Justified: To declare righteous
Your works do not declare you righteous
How you serve others does not declare you right with God.
Helping children in our community does not put you in right standing with God.
Praying does not put you in right standing with God.
Attending church does not put you in right Standing with God.
Giving money to those who have a need do not put you in right standing with God.
You are put in right standing with God by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross.
THATS IT!
This is hard to receive because we want to in our lives earn this.
We also have this innate ability to believe that we can fix anything. I’m a man and I can fix this. I am a women and I am strong and don’t need anyone so just let me fix the problem.
You can’t
It is only through the work of Jesus on the cross.
But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not!
If I rebuild the system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.
For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Works then Faith is backwards and leads to a disappointed lifestyle.
Serving others before being justified by faith leaves you broken.
You think the work will bring peace and it might bring temporary satisfaction or a little bit of peace to serve others but just wait until you are taken advantage of by the person you are serving.
If it is work then faith you immediately resent the people you are serving because they have taken advantage of you.
This leads to complaining, judging, hardness of heart, unforgiveness.
Rather it is faith then works
I have died to the law. I have died to works for the sake of trying to save myself. Christ lives in me. My works begin to flow out of the relationship I have with my savior.
My love for those who do not love Christ starts to change simply by the work of Jesus in my life. Christ lives in me and I no longer live but him in me it changes the way I work for him. My work is an overflow of my relationship with him.
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
2.) Was there evidence of faith in our work?
2.) Was there evidence of faith in our work?
Our faith in the work of Jesus on the cross drives us to work for Jesus.
I loved the statement that we do not want you to make an emotional decision for Jesus and just pray a prayer and then go live how you want.
NO
Having faith in the work of Jesus on the cross drives us to works.
What Jesus did for us that we did nothing to deserve it that at the final judgement we will not be able to say well Jesus forgive me because of my works but simply Father I deserve punishment but because of Jesus and only Jesus I am made righteous.
Understanding this grace leads us to works.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food
and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?
In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.
You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.
Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.
So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.