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FAITH AND WORKS

Psalms 62.12
12.and steadfast love belongs to You O Lord. You repay to all according to their work.

Our faith in GOD reflects itself in our works. In order for GOD to judge our faith in Him, first thing He do is to look at our works, because our works is the reflection of our faith.

John 9.4
4.We must work the works of Him Who sent Me while it is a day, night is coming when no one can work.

"While it is a day." Means while it is possible, while it is still opportunity, while we still alive. Subsequently "Night is coming" means no more opportunity or possibility to perform GOD'S works. This period is well described during tribulation time.

John 14.12
12.Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do, and in fact will do greater works that these, because I am going to the Father.

Word "believes" has much wider meaning, it all depends under which context this word placed. Here it means literally "Faith." And can be read, "The one who have faith in Me, will also do the works I do.

Acts 20.34-35
34.You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions.

35.In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Luke 14.13-14)

Here Paul mentioned one work out of many that Christians suppose to do, "Support the weak." A person could be weak in many things, in material things and even in health.

Titus 1.16
16.They profess to know GOD but they deny Him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Oh how many times I heard people profess GOD, but then it comes to do something, even very little, which may cost nothing, for the sake of the Lord or human being, suddenly such people trying to avoid this obligation and their responsibility toward GOD and their fellow man. And sometimes do absolutely opposite of what they said or promise.

James 2.14-22.24.26
14.What use is it my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

15.If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

16.and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is what?

Here are mentioned some other works that Christians suppose to do. Concerning clothing, hardly anyone needs it today. But I seen quite number of churches that do not donate the clothes they collected but selling it. Concerning food, indeed, some families struggle to feed themselves for whatever reason, particularly single mothers. I seen some churches participating in food donations, but unfortunately not all. But it could be done and on individual level, and each of us certainly have ability to help some family who struggles to put the food on the table, particularly now, when so many lost their jobs, apartments, and homes.

17.Even so faith, if it has no works is dead by itself.

18.But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

As I mentioned before, the one cannot exist without another.

19.You believe that GOD is One, you do well, the demons also believe and shudder.

(Demons know the Christ - (Mark 1.34) (Luke 4.41) (James 2.19)

"You believe that GOD is One." Believe in what? What Christ is GOD? Yes He is GOD, and even demons believe in shudder, and more, the demons not only believe they know Who He is.

What else we believe in GOD? Is that enough to believe? So what the difference is between Christians and demons, if we are all "believe" in GOD? One of such differences is work for the glory of GOD.

20.But are you willing to recognize you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

I really like how James, without "political correctness" call some people "foolish," because their think that faith can exist without works. Indeed, such people are fools.

Some scholars believe that this James is the blood-brother of Christ. If I remember right Jesus had 4 brothers and some sisters.

21.Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

22.You see, that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfect,

24.You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

26.Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

No comments needed.

Revelation 2.23.26

23.and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the One Who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as you works deserve.

We will be judge by GOD according to our works. Because faith is the spiritual entity and only can be proven by charitable physical works to show how strong it is. And if someone of you think that we will be judged according to our faith without works, the judgment perhaps will be that such person have no faith, because he or she has no works. There is no work, there is no faith.

26.To everyone who conquers and continues to do My works to the end. I will give authority over the nations,

As you can see, certain rewards will be great, but again, according to the works.

Revelation 20.12
12.And I saw the dead great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Also another Book was opened, the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books.

Revelation 22.12
12.See, I am coming soon, My reward is with Me to repay according to everyone’s works.

There are many different works Christian can do to prove their faith and to please the Lord. Of course we cannot heal or resurrect from the dead like Christ did, but we can do good charity and use our own resources whatever they are not only to help our brothers and sisters in our own church but also and to strangers. And as Christ promised, we would not lose our reward.

 

Literally every Baptist presents this statement in defense of the doctrine - faith only:

"Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Let analyze this statement.

"by Grace" means by GOD.

"saved through faith" If faith equals = works, this means that works also equals = faith, because both of these entities cannot be separated. So we can read, "saved through works of faith." As we already know faith is dead without works, and can be proven only through works.

"and this is not your own doing." Indeed, if we have works of faith, this means that Holy Spirit is active in us, and helping us doing our works of faith.

"it is the gift of GOD" Yes, to posses a Holy Spirit truly is a gift of GOD (according to our works of faith).

"not because of works." Not because of works alone without faith. Those who are boasting about their charitable works but doing them not for the sake of the Lord to show His glory but for themselves, for their own sake, to look good in the eyes of the people and be likable among men, such works of course do not do any good for a Christian.

And here is the difference between secular workers and Christians. Secular workers do their charitable good works for many reasons but not for the glory of the Lord. Christians on the other hand do the same good charitable works only for the name and glory of the Lord. The point is that those who do good works only for themselves should not boast.

"created in Christ for good works." This part speaks for itself.

"which GOD prepared beforehand." Yes, GOD always gives to us opportunity to do good works in order to test us and to prove our faith. Just like GOD did with Abraham, testing Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham could say no to GOD and GOD would not demand or punish Abraham, but certainly would find another man to create for Himself His own priestly nation.

Of course to sacrifice own son it is not a good deed, but GOD replaced it with a good deed, because GOD justified Abraham's faith through his deed. Abraham's faith proven by his obedient action, and GOD gave Abraham a goat for sacrifice, which is good deed.

Isaac in this case was forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. In order for GOD to prove His faith in His promises to humanity He does not spare His only Son.

So, if Abraham did not spared his only son for GOD but was ready to sacrifice him, and so GOD did not spare His only Son for the salvation of humanity. And because of it Abraham became an example of highest faith in GOD through his work for GOD.

"that we should walk in them." Walk in good works for GOD." GOD always gives us opportunity and chance to do good works. Sometimes people can ask for a simple favor, or for something their need, or for some help, and we think that it comes from a person who are asking for these things, but actually it is not. Many these things comes from GOD "which GOD prepared for us beforehand" in order to test us by good works and see our faith in Him.

And if we hypocritically reject a person's plea or saying to him or her that we will pray for him/her (which is often Christian do), by this we rejecting to do GOD'S work while having resources and time to help.

And what is going to happen then we eventually will facing our Lord?

Matthew 25.
33.and He will put the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His left. (Zechariah 10.3)

34.Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come you that are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,

35.I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a Stranger and You welcome Me.

36.I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

37.Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw You hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?

38.And when was it that we saw You a Stranger and welcomed You, or naked and gave You clothing?

39.And when was it that we saw You sick or in prison and visited You?’

40.And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me.’

41.Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from Me into the Eternal Fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. (Matthew 13.49-50)

42.I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink.

43.I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked, and you did not give Me clothing, sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

44.Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of You?’

45.Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

46.And these will go away into Eternal Punishment, but the righteous into Eternal Life.”

And no matter how people will try twist, and bent, and misinterpreted these words in these statement that you presented, the true meaning of it always will remain the same and unchanged.

 

I do not want argue anymore about issue that we justified by grace alone, it became pointless now, because all statements I dad presented in defense of works of faith are conveniently ignored.

But you Dave G absolutely right when you mentioned that some people pretended to do the works for Christ, but in reality do it for some other reasons, this aspect of "Christian" hypocrisy and deceit you exposed very well.

 

1Corinthians 4.20
20.The Kingdom of GOD depends not on talk (the demagogy), but on power (of works).


Matthew 5.19
19.Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Even those who teaches Gospel but do not do that they teach, even they have a slight chance of salvation. And for such people as well the Grace of GOD, Mercy, His Compassion, and abundance of Love, revealed itself for the sake of every sinner.

But on the other hand it also said:

Ezekiel 18.23
23.Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked?", declares the Lord GOD, "Rather than that he should turn from his ways and live. (verse 32) (Ezekiel 33.11)

Proverbs 14.12
12.There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 16.25
25.There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

And here again, just like someone declares himself saved, and one of high position and respect think that he deserves Kingdom of GOD, and just like people who praise the Lord and participate in church affairs think that they worthy to be taken to Heaven, the last word, judgment, and action, always belong to GOD.