The Logos . Net

James 2:24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. There is a huge push in modern day Christianity to detach our behavior from our standing or justification before God. We are told that as Christians, our standing before God is always secure and fixed and never tied to our behavior or how we conduct our lives in the faith. It is said that while our behavior may affect the level or amount of rewards we will enjoy in eternity, it could never jeopardize our standing before God since our standing as Christians is not obtained by works but by faith. Basically the idea is that since we did not obtain salvation by works, then we could never jeopardize it as a result of our works, no matter how badly we behave or how much sin we might engage in. This may sound reasonable on the surface, but then the Apostle James comes along and states something pretty astounding in the face of that in James 2:24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and NOT...

  1 Jn 5:13 - *These things* have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Towards the end of John’s first epistle he makes a statement of purpose as to why he wrote his letter addressed to true believers, that they may know that they have eternal life. The phrase “THESE THINGS have I written unto you” refers to the entirety of the letter (epistle) that he had just written to them. This verse cannot be properly understood or interpreted by itself without taking into full account the first two words: “These things”. He didn’t say “This verse” I have written unto you…. He said “These things”. Many make the mistake of isolating this verse and then misinterpret its meaning by trying to make it stand alone. I’ve heard many teach that this verse confirms that as long as you mentally “believe” or “trust in” what Jesus did for you, that nothing more is required and yo...

1 Jn 1:6-7 - If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. As Christians we are all called to no longer walk in darkness, but to walk in the light. It is an important mandate for every believer and follower of Christ to walk in the light as He is in the light. Only as each Christian practices that on an individual basis can we really have true fellowship and unity one with another and only then does the blood of Jesus continue to cleanse us of all sin. The reason for a lack of unity and fellowship in the church is not primarily an issue with the nuanced differences in doctrine and theology, but a failure of Christians individually to steadfastly put off the deeds of darkness from their lives and walk in the light. The Apostle James referred to this in Jam 4:1 - From whence come war...

Luke 6:45 - A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. The Lord knows our hearts, and while we may take some comfort in that, it should also concern us. The way we act, behave and carry ourselves, either good or bad, comes from our heart and the condition of it. That’s why Jesus said in the title verse: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45) As Christians we might be tempted, after behaving badly and saying mean or unkind things or acting in ways we shouldn’t act, to think: “well, at least the Lord knows my heart”. But that is exactly the problem, something wrong in the heart, and yes…..the Lord does know it....

Rom 6:16 - Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? When we come to faith in Christ, He forgives us, redeems us and then clothes us in His righteousness by His blood and sacrifice, he paid the debt that we could never repay. From there, the Lord then leads His children in the paths of righteousness for His namesake (Ps 23), as the title verse states, we have a new master now, and we no longer serve our old master of sin. With this new master, we now forsake our sin by crucifying the deeds of the flesh and putting them to death. We practice walking in the Spirit every day by yielding to and obeying its promptings, this is what is meant by “obedience UNTO righteousness”. In doing that, we progressively grow in practical, outward righteousness as a fruit. That is why Jesus said: “For I say unto you, That except YOUR righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of th...

  Matt 12:50 - For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. When Jesus was told that his mother and brethren were waiting for him and desiring to speak with him, He responded by stretching his hand towards his disciples and saying that it is really those who “do the will of my Father which is in heaven” who are his true brethren. It’s notable that He did not point to the multitude and simply say that those who “believe in me” are my brethren like we might expect. I think this highlights the necessity of those who claim allegiance to Christ to faithfully follow Him in discipleship and be about the business of doing His will as our new focus and goal. It is a marked change and transformation that sets a new course and a new pattern of life and what distinguishes us as His people. Now some will quickly pull out Jn 6:40, which states that it is the will of the father to believe in the Son, to try and minimize what ...

  Phil 3:9 – And may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. The only righteousness that is acceptable to God is that which comes by faith in Christ. No matter how good or moral or upstanding we may have lived before, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and arrive at the cross in the same lost condition. It is there that we repent, throw ourselves on the mercy of God and receive the gift of salvation and the righteousness of God that comes by faith. 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 (Eph 2:8-9). Faith in Christ is the only key by which we gain entrance into the kingdom, and then as we practice an ongoing and abiding faith, Christ sustains us. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written...