“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35 For
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The
King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the
least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43 I
was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you
did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after
me.’ 44 “They
also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
The Bible provides a clear understanding of genuine saving
faith-true faith produces good fruit. In His parable of the soils and
the seed, the Lord Jesus taught that, while unbelievers are unfruitful,
those who are saved would bear fruit. In this parable, three of four
soils produced fruitless plants, vivid pictures of receptions of God's
Word that never resulted in salvation.
In contrast, fruit-bearing plants thrive in the good soil that
pictures a redeemed heart. Jesus said, "But he who received seed on the
good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed
bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23). All believers are fruitful, even though not equally fruitful.
The Bible also describes what good fruit looks like. The following
chart lists the characteristics of genuine saving faith. In essence, it
serves as a guide for spiritual fruit inspection (2 Corinthians 13:5).
If you are unsure about the reality of your faith, please take the time
to study this chart, taking care to read each of the accompanying
Scripture passages.
An authentic believer must not only demonstrate his love by ready
acceptance of others in the church, but he must also demonstrate his
faith by responsible assistance to others. Those who possess authentic
faith put it to work. Even in the early church many claimed they had
saving faith that were not saved. Where ever there is the true you
find the counterfeit. Jesus warned in Matthew 7:21.
"Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." How
do you know dead faith from true faith? People with dead faith
substitute words for helpful deeds. They may know all the vocabulary
for prayer and testimony and may even be able to quote scripture, but
their work does not measure up to their talk. Words are no substitute
for works. Authentic faith is revealed with real deeds (CIT).
I. MEANINGLESS FAITH, 14. II. WORDS VERSES WORKS, 15-17. III. TRUE FAITH WORKS, 18-20.
Verse 14 declares that intellectual faith without substantiating deeds
is void of salvation. "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he
has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" Verse
14 begins another shift in the epistle as is indicated by James’ use of
my brethren. He introduces this new paragraph with a rhetorical
question, What good is it....if a man claims to have faith but has no
deeds? The Greek construction indicates a no answer is expected. Can
the kind of faith that is not seen in practical works save anyone? The
answer is NO! Any declaration of faith that does nothing is worth
nothing. James is talking about a particular kind of faith, a faith
that produces no works. Some may have an intellectual acceptance of
certain biblical truths. This faith is worthless because it is all talk
with no walk. The New Testament supports this truth. Obedience is
the necessary proof of true faith (Mt. 7:21, 25:31-46, Lk. 3:7). We
who quote Ephesians 2:8-9
often forget that verse 10 follows. "For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand
so that we would walk in them. God’s grace that brings about a new
creation causes that new creation to walk the path of good deeds. There
are no exceptions. Faith must be lived out through deeds. Faith
works. The Bible does not teach a salvation by works but it does
not teach a salvation that does not work either. Note, there are no
true works if faith in Jesus alone has not preceded them and if they are
not done in the power of the Holy Spirit. But if there is genuine
faith, good deeds will naturally follow. Faith and good works are not
enemies but buddies. [BUDDY SYSTEM] On October 25, 1983, an
elite Ranger division parachuted onto the new Point Salinas airstrip on
the tiny island of Granada. Such an act presents one of the most daring
and dangerous situations a soldier can face.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:7-12
In 1 John 4:7-12 we find the apostolic definition of an authentic Christian as well as the apostolic definition of an authentic church.
James defined religion without works as a dead religion..
Do you know people if you approach them and said do you believe in God,
they'd say yes? Do you believe Jesus Christ lived and died and rose
from the dead? Yes. And you know as well as I do that they're not
Christians. That's not uncommon. They possess a dead faith. I remember a song we used to sing as a little kids in church, "Only
believe, only believe." And I've often thought about that song. Now wait
a minute, is that all there is? Nicodemus believed before he came to Christ and was told he needed to
be born again. It is not enough to just believe unless that faith is
the faith that saves and transforms. Now what is the character of dead faith? This is what James wants to
point out to us. Let's look at our text. What is the character of dead
faith? He gives us three marks of dead faith, three descriptions of the
nature of dead faith. First of all, dead faith is identified by an empty confession. It is identified by an empty confession, verse 14. "What does it profit,” or of what benefit is it, "my brethren," and I think he's speaking at that point to a Jewish brethren, Jewish
audience, and of course collectively to the church that are identified
outwardly as brethren. "What does it profit, or of what benefit is it
though a man say he has faith but has not works?" What good is such a
claim? "Can faith save him?" Now look at it. If a man says he has faith...for the sake of
argument, a man comes along, he makes that claim. "I have faith, I
believe. I believe in God. I believe in Christ." He confesses to believe
in the death of Christ. He may confess to believe in the resurrection
of Christ. By the way, it's a present tense, what does it profit, my
brothers, though a man continually go on making the claim that he
believes? The word in the Greek text means anyone...anyone. What good is
such a claim from anyone if he has not erga, works...if he has not
product--if he has not good works, righteous deeds as the pattern of his
life what good is such faith? The answer is it's no good at all. That's the obvious answer. It's nothing but an empty confession, an
empty profession, a claim with no evidence. If there are no works and no
righteous deeds, you cannot demonstrate a changed life. If when true
faith is placed in Christ, we receive a new nature, that new nature will
manifest itself. And as we go to the parable of the soils again we see
that good soil always produces what? Fruit...the fruit of the Spirit and
the fruit of righteousness.
A legacy of " Luther's doctrine" can be seen in the churches where pastors preach a religion without good deeds (charity) zero interest for those in need in the church, the church only has a formal deacon, but church provid no fund for Christian poors.
It seems a minor thing, at first glance, it's actually a serious thing because that's what defines disciple Jacob asdead religion.
Faith in Apostolic chuch was a faith
Justin Martyr "Worship in the early church"
"And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things.
And the wealthy among us help
the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we
are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son
Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost".
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