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Faith without works is Dead

James 2:20 – But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? It’s pretty commonly understood in Christianity that performing “good works” apart from faith in Christ, is “dead” as far as eternal salvation is concerned. Salvation cannot be obtained by adherence to the Mosaic law, or any other level of good deeds or behavior, it is only through faith in Christ that salvation is granted unto mankind and obtained. That is the essence of Eph 2:8-9 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. But what seems to be much less understood, and even rejected in many Christian circles, is the other side of the coin, that Faith apart from works is also “dead” and just as unable to save. Works, apart from faith in Christ are “dead works”, but so also Faith, apart from the resulting fruit of good works is “dead faith”. The Apostle James went into great detail in his epistle to make sure believers...
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What does it mean to believe?

  Jn 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. The word “believe” is one of the most important words in Christianity. The sole requirement to be saved and become a child of God, to pass from spiritual death unto life, is to “believe”. As the familiar, often quoted verse John 3:16 states, whosoever “believes” in Christ will not perish, but will have everlasting life.  The Gospel of John, the book of the Bible most often referenced and recommended for new believers to read to understand the foundation and essence of the gospel message, uses the word “believe” almost 100 times. In every single case, John used the word “pisteou” (Strongs G4100) when referring to belief.  So, with everything riding on that one word, with the whole question of eternal life itself wrapped up in it, it seems obvious and imperative that we would want to search out and fully understand wh...
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True Repentance - It’s more than just a change of mind

  Acts 26:20 - But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. When the Apostle Paul made his defense before Agrippa in Acts 26 he gave a history of himself as a Pharisee and then recounted how Jesus called him in that spectacular way on the road to Damascus. He explained the call that Jesus had put on his life and that his ministry, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, would be: To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Acts 26:18). This wasn’t just a passive forgiveness of sins, but a wholesale turning of their lives from “darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God”. Jesus would not just clothe them with a “covering” of righteousness, He w...
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Overcoming the flesh

  Gal 5:16 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. One of the biggest battles the Christian will face after coming to faith in Christ and committing themselves to follow Him, is to subdue the flesh and bring into subjection to Christ. The Apostle Paul spoke of this battle in 1 Cor 9:27: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.  He recognized that even with the great call from God on his life and the incredible things already accomplished by him through Christ, that if he did not subdue his own flesh and bring it into subjection, he himself could end up a castaway (which in the Greek means rejected, worthless and reprobate). So It was not something he took lightly or viewed as optional for himself and neither should we. Paul told us that the righteousness of the law would be fulfilled in us, but only if we practice walking NOT after...
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Deeds wrought in God

  Jn 3:21 - But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. There is a popular saying in modern Christianity that says: “It’s not about what you DO, it’s about what Jesus has DONE”. So while that may sound nice, reasonable, and somewhat comforting, it’s actually incorrect and not really true. Properly put it should be: It’s not about what you HAVE DONE (leading up to redemption), it’s about what Jesus HAS DONE (in redemption)”. Why is that distinction important? Because once we are redeemed, everything changes. When we first come to faith in Christ, He forgives us, redeems us, and wipes the slate clean, our past, the things we “have done” are completely put away and we become a new creation in Christ. We are “born again” so essentially we start over and begin a new life in Christ, now it’s EVERYTHING about what we DO. Gal 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and th...
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Pursue Righteousness

  2 Tim 2:22 - Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. As Christians, we are called to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness. This is not a passive, static thing, but an active charge given to all of God's children. After we are saved, redeemed, and made a new creation in Christ we flee from the lusts and sins that used to rule our lives, and we follow after Christ who leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. As we follow Christ, He teaches us how to crucify the deeds of the flesh, walk in the Spirit, and how to grow in that respect. It’s an ongoing process that sees real change and real transformation in our lives. He doesn’t leave us where we are, as it says in 2 Cor 4:16 - For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. It's critically important that we focus on that day by day work of God in us and not...
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No “joy” from sin?

  Rom 6:2 - How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  I’ve heard it said that the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that the Christian gets no “joy” when they sin. The idea is that the Christian is still a sinner, as they were before redemption, but now it bothers them and they feel a sense of remorse after they engage in it. Many take comfort in that feeling of remorse and take it as a sign that they are indeed saved, the children of God, and everything is fine.  This is a far cry from what the Apostle Paul said about what our conviction and attitude against sin should be in Romans 6 - How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Rom 6:2). Paul doesn’t address the remorse over sin as if it’s some kind of virtue, he addresses the continuing living in and engaging in sin as the real problem. In fact he states that really we are the slaves of whichever one we obey: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves serv...
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The First and Greatest Commandment

  Matt 22:37-38 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The title verse was Jesus’ response when one of the Pharisee’s asked Him which was the greatest commandment of the law. Not only that, Jesus went on to say that on that and the second commandment, to love thy neighbor as thyself, hang ALL of the law and the prophets. Everything is wrapped up in those two commandments and they, especially the first and greatest one, should be the Christian’s highest focus and pursuit, to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Yet, with that clear call and exhortation before us, I can’t count how many times I’ve heard Christians talk, somewhat nonchalantly, about how badly they fail at it. It’s almost become a bragging right to proclaim how miserably we fail the first commandment, I guess to show how “humble” we are about it. It’s as if we ...
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The Deceivableness of Unrighteousness

  2 Thes 2:10 - And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Whenever a Christian gives in to sin and unrighteousness, they become in some measure, deceived. There is a deceiving property that always comes with sin in which no one is immune to. The more a Christian gives in to any particular sin, the more deceived they become. This is why the writer of Hebrews said this: But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the *deceitfulness* of sin (Heb 3:13). Sin always has the effect of hardening the heart and deceiving the one who commits it, especially for a Christian when they knowingly and repeatedly violate their conscience. This is why we are told to not just “feel bad” about sin and unrighteousness, but to resist it, forsake it and no longer continue in it. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God...
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What about the thief on the cross?

  Jam 2:26 - For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. One of the common arguments that you will get against the teaching that when a person is redeemed by Christ in salvation, they must bear the fruit of that conversion in their lives going forward as the evidence of their faith, is the example of the thief on the cross in whom Christ redeemed. It is argued that his redemption is proof positive that there is absolutely nothing more required than a mental agreement with and a “trust” in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for salvation. The idea is that since the thief wasn’t required to go and “do some good works” to prove his faith, then that shows that no amount of good fruit (works) would ever be required or necessary from a believer when it comes to eternal salvation. But what that argument fails to understand and appreciate is what happens when a person is truly redeemed, saved and born again. They are changed, transformed and made a new cr...
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