In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not have any works, is dead. (Jas 2:17)
On the subject of faith alone, there are many books written about it. Lots of preaching and teaching had been delivered in the pulpit in all Christian churches. We have a wide and clear understanding of what faith really is. But what about works said in the book of James Chapter 2? It had been told there that faith without work is dead. What does it really means?
We have learned about faith and how to have a genuine faith but then, what exactly are the works we should work so the faith that we have will not be dead? Or How can we show our faith by our works? Certainly it is not like of what Abraham did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. What he did is immeasurable and beyond comprehension. Not everybody or no one today can allow his own son to die to be a sacrifice offering.
Chapter 2 of the book of James real intent is to show how we should keep the two greatest commandments which have a great relevant to the law- the Ten Commandments. From verse 1-16 the second greatest commandments, “love your neighbor as yourself” is given emphasis. While in verse 21-23 the real emphasis is the first greatest commandment, “love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength” in which Abraham has shown by his willingness and obedience to the will of God.
What then is the logical, measurable, attainable, and probable way to show our faith by means of our works and so everyone can obey and follow? How exactly can we show it in a very practical as well as spiritual we can apply in our daily lives?
God is just. It means God doesn’t make a decree that will not be fair to all people. In fact, He makes a law that is perfect to convert man turning into His likeness.
There’s nothing else but the law which is the Ten Commandments. That is the exact and perfect way to show our faith through the (surpassing) work of the law. It is the law not we heard of long ago but the law the Lord Jesus said, ”Now I tell you…” are the law we need to keep in our mind. When the law conceives in the mind the body will achieve what’s on the mind. The body will achieve not the lust of the flesh, not the lust of the eyes that will undermine God’s law-The Ten Commandments.
On the part of Abraham showing his faith by his work is hard. But in our part showing our faith by our works that we can also show our love, the bible said is not difficult, “For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments; and his (Ten) commandments are not difficult, (1Jn 5:3)
Faith without work is dead. Moreover if faith is dead, love toward others and toward God is cold and dead. What else is the perfect and practical way we can show our love to others and our love to God as well as our faith?
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
How Exactly Are We Going To Love God?
The Bible has the definite answer:
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands (Ten Commandments) are not burdensome”. 1 John 5:2-3 NIV
What else are the logical, measurable and probable as well as practical and spiritual way to love God? Loving God that will not fall short of the glory of God?
There’s nothing else except through the law which is the Ten Commandments.
We must obey (surpass) the Ten Commandments.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands (Ten Commandments) are not burdensome”. 1 John 5:2-3 NIV
What else are the logical, measurable and probable as well as practical and spiritual way to love God? Loving God that will not fall short of the glory of God?
There’s nothing else except through the law which is the Ten Commandments.
We must obey (surpass) the Ten Commandments.
Monday, August 10, 2009
It’s out of the Question
I believe it’s out of the question whether If one claimed that those who are “truly saved can lose the salvation” or others claimed “once saved, always saved”. It doesn’t matter what Christians hold in his mind for as long as the person believe that “salvation is by grace through faith” then I could say that there is no problem at all which of the two is right and wrong.
Claiming what you believe is not a guarantee that you are really saved. There is a simple question but has a big relevance related to salvation that must be answer by those who say they are truly saved or once saved always saved. After you accepted, believed and confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, are you growing and really becoming children of God? A person claiming he is a child of God should clearly understand of what the Apostle John said:
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1Jn 3:8-10)
Note: Whosoever does not do the righteousness of God is not of God and can be distinguish as the children of the devil.
What then is the righteousness of God?
My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. (Psa 119:172)
The Ten Commandments is the righteousness of God and this then is what the Christian should seek first! (Mat 6:33)
Therefore, the guarantee that a person is really a children of God is not base solely on what he claimed but on the righteousness of God that he does. Surpassing of the Law is the righteousness of God.
The question now is, do you have the righteousness of God? Putting it in the other way:
• Do you have any grudges, hatred, wrath, bitterness toward others?
• Do you look with a lust to an opposite sex?
• Do you steal something even it is small of value?
• Do you lie and exaggerate?
If you do, then you have not sought and attained the righteousness of God and your salvation is questionable. “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother”. (1Jn 3:10)
We must have the righteousness of God and that can be made by keeping the law not the law we heard of long ago but the law that the Lord Jesus said, “Now I tell you…”.
Claiming what you believe is not a guarantee that you are really saved. There is a simple question but has a big relevance related to salvation that must be answer by those who say they are truly saved or once saved always saved. After you accepted, believed and confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, are you growing and really becoming children of God? A person claiming he is a child of God should clearly understand of what the Apostle John said:
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1Jn 3:8-10)
Note: Whosoever does not do the righteousness of God is not of God and can be distinguish as the children of the devil.
What then is the righteousness of God?
My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. (Psa 119:172)
The Ten Commandments is the righteousness of God and this then is what the Christian should seek first! (Mat 6:33)
Therefore, the guarantee that a person is really a children of God is not base solely on what he claimed but on the righteousness of God that he does. Surpassing of the Law is the righteousness of God.
The question now is, do you have the righteousness of God? Putting it in the other way:
• Do you have any grudges, hatred, wrath, bitterness toward others?
• Do you look with a lust to an opposite sex?
• Do you steal something even it is small of value?
• Do you lie and exaggerate?
If you do, then you have not sought and attained the righteousness of God and your salvation is questionable. “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother”. (1Jn 3:10)
We must have the righteousness of God and that can be made by keeping the law not the law we heard of long ago but the law that the Lord Jesus said, “Now I tell you…”.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Apostle Law #3
“Anyone who wants to be a disciple of Christ will experience a struggle w/ sin”.
No one is exempted, as what Apostle Paul went through each Christian will experience a struggle with sin too. All who is in Christ will struggle, if not, they have problem with their self, they are spiritually blind.
Look of what it said in the Bible, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would”. (Gal 5:17)
Flesh is in no way cooperates with the Spirit. Peter really want to pray for at least one hour but he could not do it. Jesus found Peter sleeping and said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. (Mat 26:41)
The number one struggle of many Christian is in the area of prayer. Many are lack of prayer and that is the main reason why they have many struggle in their Christian life. They have struggles in their eye, hand and tongue. They have struggles in their mind about attending in the church, forgiving those who hurt them and other spiritual concerns that hinder their spiritual growth.
What is the best thing we can do? One of the best thing we can do is to struggle and keep on struggling. Struggle means “to endeavor to accomplish something”: - fight, labor fervently, strive, wrestle (Strong Dictionary). Therefore, we must fight, wrestle and strive hard to accomplish something.
We are called to fight like a soldier, to endure hardship like a farmer and be discipline like an athlete. By regularly complying on that representation flesh (desires) will be put to death. When the flesh was continually being put to death we can now do what the Spirit wants.
We must struggle (wrestle). Struggling with sin is actually an indication of spiritual growth. Like a caterpillar that struggle to come out on the cocoon to become a beautiful butterfly, so we Christian should struggle to come out from the “cocoon of sin” (that enslaving us and ingrained in our whole being) and become the newness of the creation.
We must struggle-wrestle-strive to pray, to read the bible, to have joy of belonging (fellowship), and to witness and also we must struggle-strive hard to surpass the law which is the Ten Commandments.
No one is exempted, as what Apostle Paul went through each Christian will experience a struggle with sin too. All who is in Christ will struggle, if not, they have problem with their self, they are spiritually blind.
Look of what it said in the Bible, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would”. (Gal 5:17)
Flesh is in no way cooperates with the Spirit. Peter really want to pray for at least one hour but he could not do it. Jesus found Peter sleeping and said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. (Mat 26:41)
The number one struggle of many Christian is in the area of prayer. Many are lack of prayer and that is the main reason why they have many struggle in their Christian life. They have struggles in their eye, hand and tongue. They have struggles in their mind about attending in the church, forgiving those who hurt them and other spiritual concerns that hinder their spiritual growth.
What is the best thing we can do? One of the best thing we can do is to struggle and keep on struggling. Struggle means “to endeavor to accomplish something”: - fight, labor fervently, strive, wrestle (Strong Dictionary). Therefore, we must fight, wrestle and strive hard to accomplish something.
We are called to fight like a soldier, to endure hardship like a farmer and be discipline like an athlete. By regularly complying on that representation flesh (desires) will be put to death. When the flesh was continually being put to death we can now do what the Spirit wants.
We must struggle (wrestle). Struggling with sin is actually an indication of spiritual growth. Like a caterpillar that struggle to come out on the cocoon to become a beautiful butterfly, so we Christian should struggle to come out from the “cocoon of sin” (that enslaving us and ingrained in our whole being) and become the newness of the creation.
We must struggle-wrestle-strive to pray, to read the bible, to have joy of belonging (fellowship), and to witness and also we must struggle-strive hard to surpass the law which is the Ten Commandments.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)