Faith Without Works is Dead
If the rapture of the Bride of Christ does actually take place on the forthcoming Feast of Trumpets, on Rosh Hashannah, September 16-18, 2012, we need to make ourselves as ready as possible by repentance, forsaking of our sinful ways and finding some good works to perfect our faith and give it life.
We are all sinners and need to be reminded of the insufficiency of intellectual assent to faith in Jesus' salvation offer and of the critical importance of faith producing good works.
The Jewish understanding of the Feast of Trumpets as an annual trumpet call to stand trial before God and seek His cleansing grace, is most relevant for Christians today. After all, Christians must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or bad according to what was he has done in the body.
Christians know that they are indeed justified by a living faith in Christ’s finished work at Calvary. But they need to be reminded that good works need to flow out of their faith, or otherwise their faith is dead and not a living faith at all -- simply good-sounding words that even unbelievers and luke-warm believers can say, without doing any works that prove they mean what they say.
As they say, actions, or things done in the body, speak louder than words.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”(2 Cor. 5:10 NIV1984)
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds’. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.(James 2:14-19 NIV1984)
“You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. (James 2:20-24 NIV1984)
“In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:25-26 NIV1984)
It is my prayer than we will all take time during these last remaining days here before our calling forth to be with the Lord to perform some acts of kindness to help those in need, or to pray for those who are suffering.
These things should be done with rejoicing since we have been given the gift of abundant life in the most auspicious of times when the return of the Messiah Himself is so very near.
All praises, honor and glory to His Holy Name!
With love,
Robert
