Saturday, July 30, 2016

The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work! (Chapter 2:21-26)



Hello Friends!

Welcome back to our Monday morning Daily Devotions summer series titledThe Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!

The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!

This week we will continue our reading of verses 21-26 in completion of chapter 2 as we consider A Living Faith…

THE SCRITURES ARE CLEAR: No one issavedby worksof theflesh” nor are we “saved” without becoming a “new creation” in Jesus Christ! This supernatural “justifying” and “sanctifying” power of God includes: “repentance,” “submission,” “obedience,” “love” as well as all other good “works” the Holy Spirit produces in the “life” of a true “believer” – Praise the Lord!

Again, to paraphrase James: “FAITH + NOTHING = NOTHING!” Non-saving “dead” and lifeless “faith” is known by the absence of righteous “works” for our Savior. Therefore, throughout these closing passages of chapter three, James describes the kind of "living faith” that pleases God of which was “made perfect” in the one and only God-man – Jesus Christ!

Throughout these poignant passages James describes a true “saving” and "living faith” with three Old Testament illustrations from the lives of:

Abraham
Isaac
Rahab

Therefore, here in this section of Scripture James provides for us yet another test of “true faithversesfalse faith” through – Righteous works of the Spirit!

A Living Faith!

Any “faithful” pastor would want to warn his “brethren” about the reality of non-saving “faith” and James is no exception! Up to this point, James has shown us what a “dead faith” is and now he will show us by contrast how a “living faith” manifests itself in the life of a truebeliever” – Praise the Lord!

James continues structuring his argument as if in a debate with a Jewish attendee within his “assembly” who is arguing that a “faith” with noworks” is valid. In so doing, refers to an Old Testament patriarch as a prime example:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? – James 2:21-22

When James says "Abraham our father” he has in mind that “Abraham” is the “father” not only of the Jews racially, but of “all” who “believe” in God unto “salvation,” whether they are “Jew” or “Gentile.” Therefore, “Abraham” is the “father” of the “faithful” Jew and Gentile. We are one in Messiah – All those who believe!

Incidentally, this verse has really caused trouble for many people. Was “Abraham” really “justified by works” of his own when he offered “Isaac his son on the altar” to be sacrificed to God? No! What does it mean to be “justified” before God? It means to be considered right with Him. However, one cannot be “justified by works” before God. No personal merit of any kind is possible, only by “faith” can one be made “righteous” before God. The good news of the “Gospel” is that the holy “righteousness” of Jesus Christ is “imputed” to your spiritual account and you become “justified by faith” when you “received” Him – God grants His imputed righteousness!

God through our “faith” acting in response to His sovereign “grace” deposits into “us” the very “righteousness” which He possesses and we stand right before Him. Therefore, “Abraham” was “made perfect” by his “faithin God ”working togetherwith his “works” of “obedienceto God and he experienced this blessing – This is our sound salvation!

REAL REFLECTIONS:Abraham” wasn't a perfect man. His “faith” was so weak, he lied about Sarah being his sister when they were in Egypt to protect her. His “faith” was so weak, he foolishly committed adultery conceived a baby with the handmaid “Hagar” and produced “Ishmael” who fathered the Arab nations – A theological thorn in the side of God’s people!

James then continues his argument by quoting Old Testament “Scripture” to further emphasize the “faith” of “Abraham” and precisely how he was “justified” before God: 

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only – James 2:23-24

Here James unpacks a passage from Genesis 15:6 and understands exactly what it means. “Abraham” was “justified by faith” before God but he was “justified by works” before men A very important distinction!

In fact, James is quoting the very same text Paul quotes in the book Romans:

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debtRomans 4:3-4

THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: Jesus Christ would in the future die for the “sins” of “Abraham” just as He has in the past died for the “sins” of every “believing” person. Therefore, “Abraham” was clearly “justified” before God byfaith” outlined in Genesis chapter 12 for his “obedience” to God’s commands of which was later made manifest through “works” before men some 40 years later outlined in Genesis chapter 22. The closest thing that “Abraham” ever came to a theology of “resurrection” was the birth of his son “Isaac” out of the dead womb of his wife “Sarah” in her old age. And yet his “faith” was so strong he “believed” that his son would come back to life again. In other words, “Abraham” indeed “believed” God to the degree that he was willing to sacrifice the life of his son because he was so strong in “faith” that God would raise “Isaac” from the dead – He believed and obeyed the Lord!

This man “Abraham” was a co-partner with the Holy One and it was made manifest through his outworking genuine spiritual character. Incidentally, it wasn’t until 2 Chronicles chapter 20 verse 7 and again in Isaiah chapter 41 verse 8 where Abraham is referred to as the “friend of God” In fact, Jesus put it this way in John 15: "You are My friends if you do whatsoever I command you." In other words, we too are “friends of God” – If we obey His Word!

James then chooses a woman from the Old Testament of whom is so remarkably unlike “Abraham”:

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? – James 2:25

What a contrast! This man “Abraham” is a good man, a great leader and received direct revelation from God. This woman “Rahab” is evil, a common follower and received very indirect revelation about God. Believe it or not, the Messiah came through the loins of “Rahab” the harlot! This woman “Rahab” lived in Jericho and ran a brothel where women prostitutes would sleep with men for money and that was how she made her living. But by God’s “grace,” this woman takes in the “messengers” realizing who they are and Whom they serve…

And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath… Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall – Joshua 2:11 & 15

Now when that woman “believed” this truth about the “Lord” she was “justified” before God. She “believed” that God was the true God of miracles who had led His people out of Egypt and who had defeated the Amorite kings! She “believed” all she “knew” about God at that time in her life and thus “faith” was “imputed” to her for “righteousness.” At that point “Rahab” was “justified” by her “faith” being vindicated before man by the action she took to save the life of those “messengers” of God – Justification made manifest!

In both cases with “Abraham” and “Rahab” the visible vindication of their “justification” was putting their life, dreams and hopes on the line for God! That is the kind of “work” that God wants us to “understand” is demonstrated in true “faith” before men. In fact, Jesus further commanded “faith” in this way: “If you're not willing to take up your cross and follow Me, you're not worthy to be My disciple” – All or nothing for Him!

And James then concludes this chapter with a vivid vantage point of a decaying corpse:

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also – James 2:26

Here is a somber analogy and in both cases, the result is death. If the “spirit” is missing from the “body” it is “dead” and if “works” are missing from “faith” it too is “dead.” A “body” without the divinely imparted “life” is nothing but a rotting corpse and has absolutely no value. And likewise is a phony “belief” without godly “behavior” – A decaying death!

QUESTIONS TO PONDER: Do you have a “belief” without godly “behavior?” Do you “believe” but do not “obey” God? Or rather do you loathe “evil” and “pride” by seeking “humility” in Jesus Christ? Is your “faithuseless or is it a savingfaith” of the soul? – What about you?

That's the very question James wants to ask us too! Another great test of “living faith” is in the moment of life when everything is at a crossroads… Will “we” choose to honor God no matter what the cost? “Abraham” did and “Rahab” did – Their faith was alive!

In closing:

When you place your “faith” in Jesus Christ, His “righteousness” is “imputed” to you for the forgiveness of your “sins” and therefore you cannot earn it. You “receive” it as a free “gift” from God – That's the miracle of salvation by grace through faith!

Likewise, “Abraham” was “justified by faith” before God but he was “justified by works” before men. Can you discern the difference? That's the whole point James is making! Therefore, our “works” are the only way our “faith” can be clearly seen and verified by other people as valid. In other words, the only way I can “know” I'm genuinely “redeemed” by God is to see the growing pattern of “godliness” in my life – The evidence of true saving faith!

That said, there may be a time in the life of a true “Christian” when there is a “fruitless” season of barrenness. At that time they may even lose the “assurance” of their “salvation” because they can't see this reality due to a prolonged time of willful “disobedience” in their life. But they must take heart. Why? Because true “assurance” is a beautiful “gift” from God! Eternal security is a Biblical fact and our “assurance” of “salvation” is something we enjoy because of our “obedience” to God and His Word – Thank you Jesus!

With these important thoughts in mind… You may be a true “Christian” living in a barren season of life. However, if there is a consistent pattern of unrepentant sin along with no evidence of God’s “work” seen in your life, the Scriptures are clear… You are not a “Christian” – Very serious indeed!


Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued study of The Book of James: Putting Faith to Work!

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!
Shane <><

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Heartbreaker

 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Ephesians 3:14-19

Having an election every four years is one of those things that I believe our forefathers were really smart about.  They knew how we as people might change our minds like the wind, and while today you are very popular, you might have people wanting your head on a stick the next.  This can create some spirited debates that cross multiple lines.  As Christians, we vote with our conscious, but we do not always agree.  One might believe being pro-life is the greatest priority while others might lean toward poverty.  One talks about civil rights while the other talks about LGBT rights.  One might even say they are all important, but then the question becomes who do you know that checks all of the boxes?  Hearing all this at times stresses me out.  It was at that point I began to pray for peace and serenity.  In that prayer, I remembered something from long ago.  It contained a simple phrase.  Let my heart break for what makes Your heart break.  While this does not necessarily solve the debate, it gave me clarity as to what I can do going forward.

As we grow in Christ, a heart for God will provide us with the will to do what our minds know is God’s will.  Often times, we will struggle to determine what is best in a situation.  When faced with the dilemma of two or more seemingly even choices, Paul gives us a good basis for a course of action.  Going to our knees in search of spiritual guidance is an absolute must, and praying for God to instill in our hearts what He desires is important because while the mind can have the right idea, the idea fails to come into being without the drive of our heart.  Thus our prayers are not only for wisdom but also those things that motivate us to do His work.  I know there have been times where I did not do the right thing because my heart was not in it.  Yet when I pray to God to make my heart right, my mind and spirit align with it to make for an unshakable faith.  Spiritual growth becomes exponential when our hearts, minds, and spirits align with what God wants.  The mind knows the word, and the spirit is God in us.  But only the heart can move us where God wants us.


Our hearts, minds, and spirit must all be aligned for us to truly do God’s work here on Earth.  As we continue in our walk of faith, we know that God wants every bit of us.  But it is the heart that love comes from, and as Paul said, “Love never fails!” (1 Corinthians 8a)  So when our hearts our broken for what God sees as wrong, we will never be on the wrong side.  Where is your heart broken today?  Is it broken because of what you want or what God wants?  My prayer is that we look to God with our hearts open to enable Him to break our hearts for that which breaks His.  Amen.  

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Tues Devo: Mind games

1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”” (NASB)

The greats know how to mentally prepare for the moment. No matter if that is a sporting moment, big sales pitch, job interview, crucial family conversation, or asking the wife if you can be gone all weekend to watch football games (6 weeks away….just sayin’).
The moment is not about mechanics – that is what practice is for. Practice builds the mechanics and helps develop your muscle memory. The moment is about your mind. Are you ready to persevere when things get tough? Are you ready to be agile and switch tactics when you see the right opening?
But what is so key about the moment is that you don’t know when it will truly come. Sure, you have an idea of when things will get a little tougher – but it may happen before that. Or, will you let your guard down if that anticipated time comes and goes – only to get blindsided by the real moment? This is why the mental preparation is so crucial. Your mental preparation is about more than just the moment or test itself. It starts by getting into good habits that will naturally help you get through that moment successfully. It includes the identification of the moment – seeing the signs that something is coming. It includes being ready to adjust as you stand in that moment – knowing how to balance the tools and gifts you have been given. And finally, your mental preparation to evaluate after the moment is over – which merely starts your mental preparation for the next moment to come.

How is your mental preparation going? Whenever we are not in the moment, we are to be preparing for it. Let us all follow what Peter instructs: Have the hope fixed correctly, be remembering of God’s grace to us, Obey His commands, be different than you were before Jesus took over your life!

Have a blessed day,