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FAITH AND WORKS

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

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.

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

James 2:20-24

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.

Hebrews 11:6

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

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.

James 2:18

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James 2:26

Do you know our enemy? The Bible is teaching us we have 3 enemies: The Devil! The World! and Our flesh!

I will take a moment to develop THE WORLD as a Great enemy to our Salvation.

James 4:4) He who loves this world is an Adulterer! The Love of the Father is not in them!

What is the World?! Everything Worldly belongs to the World. POLITICS, SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FRIENDSHIP WITH UNGODLY PEOPLE. Love of Possessions. LOVE OF LIFE in this world is a barrier, an obstacle!

ABANDON all these! Leave Holy Lives! Prepare for Jesus Return.

TURN AWAY FROM SIN. TRUE BIBLICAL REPENTANCE.

When a repentant person changes his mind about sin, that change of mind naturally leads to a turning away from sin. Sin is no longer desirable or fun, because sin brings condemnation. The repentant sinner begins to abhor his past misdeeds. And he begins to seek ways to amend his behavior (see Luke 19:8). Repentance is a change of mind from an embrace of sin to rejection of sin and from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ. Such repentance is something only God can enable (John 6:44; Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25). Therefore, true Biblical repentance will always result in a change of behavior. Maybe not instantly, but inevitably and progressively.

An unrepentant person knows that he or she has sinned and refuses to ask God for forgiveness or turn away from sin. The unrepentant show no remorse for their wrongdoing and don’t feel the need to change. Unrepentance is the sin of willfully remaining sinful.

Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18), and it is a necessary part of salvation. God commands everyone to repent and have faith in Christ (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21). Unrepentance is therefore a serious sin with dire consequences. The unrepentant live in a state of disobedience to God, unheeding of His gracious call. The unrepentant remain unsaved until they turn from their sin and embrace Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Acts 3:19 - Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Luke 13:3 - I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Acts 17:30 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Ezekiel 18:21-23 - But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Revelation 2:5 - Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Proverbs 28:13 - He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy.

Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Romans 2:4 - Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” Psalms 23:1-6

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 ““It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”” Matthew 4:4

“I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.” Proverbs 8:17

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Psalms 119:11

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2nd Timothy 2:15

“Thus says YHWH: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am YHWH, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says YHWH.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1st Corinthians 1:18-25

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”” 1st Corinthians 1:26-31

“However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1st Corinthians 2:6-16

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”” 1st Corinthians 3:16-20

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1st John 1:6-10

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:21-25

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:12-14

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”” John 3:16-21

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3

“Yahshua said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:24-27

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,” 1st Timothy 2:3-6

Examining True Repentance and Faith - Skinski7

Recently a question was posed to me; "Does Faith require Obedience?". As I pondered that question in the wee hours of that morning, The Holy Spirit interrupted my thoughts with His answer. This is is what He said, "My sheep hear My Voice and another's they will not follow". I remember laying there thinking, with a smile on sleeping face, how thankful I was that first off He speaks to me...Secondly, that I hear Him! (The importance of those 2 things in the life of a child of God are so beautifully important!) So I mediated on what He said...and He continued to unfold the Life around those Words.

Does Faith require Obedience? A child is born to a mom/dad and some of the first things, if not ALL of the first things, they 'teach' the child are things that will protect them and keep them safe. The parent wants to gain the 'trust' of the child so that the lessons of life guide them to living in love, freedom, safety and so much more. They teach them NOT to put the paperclip in the electric outlet. They teach them NOT to cross the road without looking for oncoming cars. They teach them NOT to get near a hot stove, NOT to take candy from strangers or even get close to strangers...We teach them many things and we expect them to adhere NOT because we want to rule over them, but because we love them and want them to be safe and remain unharmed. In a crowd of people they know our voice over everyone else's! They should grow up believing that their parent/parents loved them enough to even die for them.

So,...Should Faith require Obedience? Did God's sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son, for the sins of the world, speak loudly enough of a Father's deep desire for protecting His children from ALL evil, ALL danger, and ALL everlasting fire? Were the actions of The Everlasting God, to make a way out of the darkness thru the sacrifice of Jesus, LOUD enough for us to understand that IF we do NOT listen to The One we've put our faith & trust in, and IF we do NOT Obey His instructions to us (His Commandments) that we risk losing it all...!!! Is. His. Voice. the One you hear? Because if so, His Voice IS the One you obey. IF you have put your faith in The One True Living God Alone, then you follow after Him...His Voice leading the Way!

"My sheep hear My Voice and another's they will not follow." John 10:27

Justification vs Sanctification

The Apostle Paul and James are not teaching contrary doctrines of salvation. Paul addresses the cause of our salvation (faith) followed by regeneration, while James addresses the result of our salvation (works). From both writers, we gain a comprehensive or holistic view of the work of God in salvation.

JUSTIFICATION

Past
We have been saved
From the penalty of sin
One off experience
Positional
God's work for us
Perfect in this life

Regeneration - Ezekiel 36 - Paul Washer I'll Be Honest

The process of salvation (justification, sanctification and glorification) Timothy Lee

Five Elements of Saving Faith (2 Timothy 1) - Dr. Harry Reeder Reformed Orthodoxy

SANCTIFICATION

Present
We are being saved
From the power of sin
Lifelong experience
Continual
God's work in us
Not perfect in this life

What Is Sanctification? (Audio) by J.I. Packer BRMinistries

GLORIFICATION

Future
We will be saved
From the presence of sin
Eternal experience
Final
God's work to us
Perfect in the next life

Justification vs Sanctification

Below are the references to the scriptures that provide the evidence of Christians not living under the Law. The book of Romans is a great book to read in gaining understanding of this point.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14 NKJV)

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (Romans 7:6 NKJV)

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7 NKJV)

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:4 NKJV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NKJV)

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18 NKJV)

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:12, 13 NKJV)

for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, (Romans 2:14 NKJV)

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10 NKJV)

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, (I Timothy 1:8-10 NKJV)

Extra resources:

https://www.gotquestions.org/law-vs-grace.html

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