ANB 50, how faith acts part 1

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all . . .
(Even though your faith in Jesus Christ has set you free from the law) . . .Speak and act as one
who would be judged by the law. What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has
faith, and has not works? Can faith save him? . . . Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead,
being alone. . .A man may say, ‘you have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without
your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You have faith that there is one God,
you do well. The devils also believe, and tremble. . .Was not Abraham our father justified by
works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? You see, he was trusting God so much that
he was willing to do whatever God told him to; his faith was made complete by what he did, by
his actions, by his good deeds. By works faith was made perfect.” (James 2:10-22 (several
versions with paraphrasing combined).

What we see here is the author’s, really God’s, call for us who are justified by faith to show our
faith by our good works. Why does the author say faith is made complete or made perfect in
works? This is because, I believe, perfect faith leads you to do things in line with that faith. If
you truly believe, or have faith in something, you will act accordingly. If you are not acting in
line with your faith, you really have no faith, because you don’t truly believe what you say you
believe. If you believed certain things you claim to believe, wouldn’t you act differently
concerning those things.?

First (in part 1) let’s talk about what your faith in Jesus Christ should lead you to do. If you are a
Christian then there are certain things you should understand. (Sadly, I feel some Christians do
not understand these things). You were a sinner under God’s law. You sinned and you were
condemned to hell by this law. Yet God paid your fine with His own blood. When you accepted
Jesus Christ you acknowledged your sin, repented therefrom, accepted what Jesus Christ did for
you to save you from your sin, then pledged your life to Him (at least all Christians should have
done these things).

So what should your really believe, or what about this process should you have faith in? You
should have faith that if you died without having accepted Christ Jesus you would go to hell.
You should have faith that your sinful acts would have led you to condemnation, but now you
are in Christ Jesus and there is no condemnation in Him. When you truly understand just what
He did for you, saving you from your sin, you will understand what the author in James says
when he writes, ‘Speak and act as one who would be judged by the law.’ Let me put this another
way. Your sinful actions would have given you death. Jesus Christ has given you life. Now that
you live, will you go feed on what would have brought you to death. This would be like Jesus
Christ Himself eating from the animals’ trough. How disgusting and unthinkable. Once you
have passed from death to life, will you go surround yourself with that which causes death? No,
of course you should not.

It is when you understand that you would have HELL without Jesus Christ that you truly become
thankful for His sacrifices. Yes, believe me, I’m thankful I move mountains, I’m thankful I walk
in prosperity and health. I’m thankful for the Holy Ghost. I am so thankful for all of those
things. Yet one thing He did for me that was meant to show His love for all the world, and this
will I thank Him for above all. I will thank Him for sending His Son to die so I didn’t have to.
Now that I am so thankful, and I have revelation knowledge of what He did for me, I will take up
my cross and follow him. I hate sin. I hate that Jesus had to die for me because of it. I hate my
sinful ways. I love my Lord Jesus, and I will strive to be like Him. Jesus Christ died so he could
present me before God a pure vessel, a holy one. I will not work to taint the white garment He
has given me.

So what are we talking about? Do you have faith in the one God? Do you even have faith in
Jesus Christ? Excellent, satan also believes, and trembles. Please don’t think that I am saying
your works will get you to heaven, they never will. What I am saying is your faith, your God-
given faith in Jesus Christ, should cause you to run to God and embrace all that He is and all that
He says.

You see, satan, before he was the devil, was the head angel. He believed in God, no doubt. But
he took his belief in God and ran from God’s Word. satan, despite all his first hand knowledge
of God, acted contrary to God. So despite his belief in God he acted contrary to God. satan, that
stupid old snake, actually thought he could defeat God. satan’ s pride led him to war against
God. satan’s treachery caused his downfall from heaven. So what do we see? satan surely knew
something of God, but despite what he believed, he acted contrary to God. So we have to pose
the question, what did he believe? Satan could not have believed God was truly Lord over all. If
satan had so believed satan’s selfish nature would never have led him into an unwinable fight.
No, satan believed God was fallible, that God could be defeated, this is why he fought God. So
what do you see? satan’s works show his unbelief. By observing satan’s rebellion to God’s
Word, we see he was deceived about God, and never truly believed in His power.

The same is true for a Christian who says they believe in God but does not hearken to His Word.
Satan believed something, so do you. So the question is, what do you believe? Do you believe
that Jesus Christ came to save you from your sin? I believe this, and I tremble. I tremble at His
perfection, and His call to me to strive to be like Him. I believe that God hated my sin (and still
hates any sin I will ever commit), but He loves His people as much as He loves Jesus (John
17:23). I believe that Jesus Christ was perfect and saved me from my sin. If you were saved
from a kidnapper, would you run back to his arms. I was saved from sin, and I hate it, and I
work to fight against it. Or do you believe that God doesn’t care if you sin? Do you think God
will just wave His arm and you’ll run into Heaven laughing and playing with all the martyrs and
ones who served Him faithfully? Make no mistake, you will enter heaven if you accepted Jesus
Christ, but before you do you will give account of what you did on earth. If you traded
Godliness for sinfulness before you enter Heaven you will have one unpleasant conversation
with God about it (please read Romans 14:12 and Matthew 12:36). But the real question I
believe is this; have you ever accepted Him?

This is what your belief in Jesus Christ should lead you to do, ‘put off the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.’ (Ephesians 4:22). What the author in James is saying is
this, ‘try to show me your faith that has no works, you cannot do this, because faith without
works is no faith, faith without works is dead.’ If you had true faith you would strive to be
perfect as Jesus Christ was perfect. You will strive to embrace the light you believe Jesus Christ
has given you. Faith without works is dead. Faith, however, is perfected and made complete
with works. You show God and others your faith by your works. So what are your works? Do
you have faith? What is the evidence of your faith?

“Every tree is known by his own fruit.” (Luke 6:44)

“Every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18)