What good is it, my brothers; if a man claims to have faith but has no works (of faith)? Can such faith save him? Faith by itself, if not accompanied by works (of faith), is dead. But someone will say; you have faith; I have works. Show me your faith without your works (of faith), and I will show you my faith by my works (of faith.) You see that a person is justified by works (of faith) and not by faith alone. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works (of faith) is dead also.” James 2:14,18,24, 26.


Phillip Malanchthon said, “It is faith alone that saves, but faith that saves is not alone.”


The other night, Mike Huckabee ended his television show with these words, “More importantly live your faith.” Bob Dylan wrote, “You talk about a life of brotherly love, show me someone who knows how to live it.” Once the Lord spoke to me saying, “Personalize your revelations.” Another way of saying this is, “practice what you preach” or, “do what you know to do.” As Christian believers it is not enough to profess that we know the Truth; we must also practice the Truth we know! We must learn to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in all things, and at all times. Why? Because the Holy Spirit has been sent by Christ in order to “lead us into all Truth!” It is equally important that we trust and obey the Holy Scriptures. Why, because “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work! Furthermore, “they are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, we must train ourselves around God’s Word and in His Spirit to practice the Truth we profess! Saint Francis de Sales put it this way, “Live Jesus, Live Jesus!”


It is not enough to have good intentions, because “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Our “good intentions” and “professed faith” must be backed up with good actions, not inaction, or, if you will, with “sins of omission.” Remember, “faith without works (of faith) is dead.” In like manner, neither should our professed faith be accompanied by wicked behavior, or if you will, “sins of commission,” such as “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.” Paul charged, “I warn you again as I warned you before, they that practice these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Dear reader, do you profess to be a Christian and still practice any of these things? If so, I beg you, repent, lest you lose out on your inheritance in Christ that has been obtained by grace through faith. Again, Paul proclaimed, “They that practice these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God!” He called activities like the ones mentioned above, “the works of the flesh.” He instructed Christian believers to walk in the Spirit and promised that if the did so they would not fulfill the works of the flesh. Walking in the Spirit means being led by the Holy Spirit. This is accomplished through yielding one’s will in trusting obedience to the Holy Spirit’s directives instead of yielding one’s will to the dictates of the flesh. If we are to ever over come self, Satan, and sin, like Jesus did, we must get real good at doing this daily.


Christian believers have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. Even though this is the essence and foundation of our Christian faith, we must also practice “doing righteously even as Christ is righteous.” Paul spoke of “the obedience of faith.” There is a first out resurrection that we must attain to because we don’t want to be a part of the second resurrection when the slothful, sleeping, and dead church will be judged along with all sinners and unbelievers. “He that has this hope (of the first resurrection) purifies himself, even as He is pure.” Those who pursue this purification, by grace through faith, have the “hope of righteousness.” Those who live in willful and deliberate defiance to the Word, and Will of God should not deceive themselves into thinking that they have this hope. We must not think in terms of happiness now and holiness later, but we should embrace the concept of holiness now and happiness later! Better yet, we should realize and remember the wise words of John Wesley, “holiness is happiness!”


“We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works (of law) lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works (of faith) that God ordained beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Through predestination, our position in Christ is secure, for we have obtained an inheritance being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Nevertheless, the actual possession of our eternal inheritance is not yet accomplished because Christian believers are “waiting for the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory.” Jesus said, “He that overcomes shall inherit all things,” and “not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he that does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.” As Christian believers, our inheritance is relegated to us but not fully delegated to us yet, because “many are called but few are chosen.” The chosen “delegates,” or, if you will, “the elect of God” are those who by grace through faith overcome self, Satan, and sin through “the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.” These Spirit baptized witnesses
(martyrs) of God will accomplish the latter, (loving not their lives unto death) even as Jesus did, by first being baptized in the Holy Spirit and then remaining filled with the Holy Spirit, and also by living and walking in the Holy Spirit and thereby, doing the will of God, instead of their own will. These are the ones who will share in the rule of Christ’s millennial kingdom with Him, and in the eternal kingdom of Heaven, the New Jerusalem that is coming to a new earth (wherein dwells righteousness) in the near future! Jesus said, “If you seek to gain your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will gain eternal life. And what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his eternal soul?”


So what shall be said about those professing Christians that reject the requirement that Christ made of those who would be His disciples? “If you would be my disciples indeed, you must deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Me. Jesus said, “Broad is the road that leads to perdition and many go that way, but narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Jesus proclaimed, “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Only those who begin in Christ, continue in Christ, and finish in Christ through faith in Him, (which also results in faithfulness to do His Father’s will) shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven. We must, by the mercies of God, be willing and enabled by the Holy Spirit to daily surrender our lives, (spirit, soul, and body) unto God upon His altar of sacrifice.

Now, let’s see how all of this pertains to our relationship with our fellow human beings? Or, if you will, in the words of Steve Taylor, “Will we live to forgive?”


Jesus taught His disciples, “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who do you harm, and pray for those who despitefully use you. If a man ask for your coat, give him your cloak also. If he compels you to go a mile with him, go two miles. If anyone strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other also.” He went on to say “Be holy because your heavenly Father is holy. He gives the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, and He causes the sun to shine on the righteous and on the unrighteous alike.” We are to do likewise with our possessions. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “If your enemy hungers, give him something to eat; if he thirsts, give him something to drink, for in so doing you will heap coals of fire upon his head.” In other words, you will share your fire with him! We are to “Return no evil for evil, but overcome evil with good.”


The other day I said to a Christian friend and co-worker of mine who was being offended by one of our unbelieving co-workers, “If a blind man stumbles into you and knocks you down causing you pain and injury, your initial reaction may be hurt and anger. But once you realize that he is blind, it would be difficult and even unreasonable for you to bear anger and resentment in your heart against him. Right?” He agreed!


This is the way that Christian believers are to react toward non-believers. But what about those Christians who act wickedly towards other Christians? How are we to respond to those who know right from wrong, and those who know the Light and claim to walk in the Light, and yet still do “dark things,” and thereby cause us pain and injury. The same way we react towards the “lost,” is the way we are to react towards the “found!” Why? Because Jesus said, “The disciple is not greater than his Master, but he shall be like his Master.” In keeping with this thought, “Jesus was wounded in the congregation of His friends.” He was forsaken by His disciples, and even denied by one of the three who was closest to Him. He was despised and rejected by those He loved and came to save! His responses to all of these was, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”


So you see my brothers and sisters, I'm going to say it again. It is one thing to profess to know the Truth and an entirely different thing to practice the truth we know! It is in knowing the Truth that we are justified, but it is in the doing the Truth that we are just, and thereby known of God. To have been justified by grace through faith and to still do unjustly at times is the great dilemma and disparagement of those striving to live the Christian life. This is why we must understand that “if we live in the Spirit,” we must learn to “walk in the Spirit.” In doing so “we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Once we have believed in Christ for our salvation, we must learn to both live and walk in the goodness of that salvation. The following scriptures point to how this is possible. “If we were saved by His death, how much more shall we be saved through His life.” “In Him we live and move and have our being.” “Christ ever lives to make intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” “The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.” “Those who are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” “Therefore, mortify the misdeeds of the body through the Spirit.”


The basis of our covenant relation with God through Christ, and our redemption in Him is to be found in the exchanged life. He took our sins upon Himself on the cross and in exchange offered us the free gift of His righteousness. We must learn to settle down into and be not removed from Christ and the righteousness found in Him, even as branches abide in the vine and bear much fruit, we must learn to abide in Christ so that we might do likewise. Our sin nature, or, if you will, who we were, was condemned in Christ’s body on the cross and thereby His righteousness was imputed (stored up) unto us. Now through communion with Him around His Word and in His Spirit, his very righteousness is imparted unto us to the glory of God as we are made brand new creations in Him. “If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new!”


Now, none of us have learned to live and walk in this perfectly. Even the great Apostle Paul proclaimed that he had not attained to the perfection of Christ (the first out resurrection from the dead), but he said that he “followed after” and “pressed towards” this great goal. As a matter of fact, he said that those who are “perfect” are the souls who are doing likewise. So, my fellow Christian believers, be sure to forgive unbelievers for their offenses against you, because they have been blinded by Satan, and led captive by him at his will. Therefore pray for them, bless them, and do good to them. If you do so, it will be the most convincing sermon that you will ever preach! Also, be patient and forgiving of yourselves and each other. All of you give each other a lot of slack and “bear one another’s burdens (moral shortcomings) and thus fulfill the law of Christ” as you continue to “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you, both to will and to do of His own good pleasure.” And remember the exhortation of Jesus Christ, “If you forgive others their trespasses against you, your heavenly Father will forgive yours; But, if you don’t forgive others their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive yours.”