The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Hebrew 11:6 (NIV)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The Bible also tells us that faith without deeds or works is dead – it is no faith at all!
James 2:26 (AMP)
For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.
From the above two verses we see that when we have faith in Him it is pleasing to God but if our faith is not accompanied by actions or works of obedience, our faith is dead, it is useless.
In these times, where many Christians fall down in their spiritual walk is in the ‘works of obedience’ bit. What does this mean to us?
Well, Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 2 where he tells us that we are God’s workmanship and because we have been born-again (put our faith in Him through Christ Jesus being our Lord and Saviour) we must be ready to be used to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do long ago by following His path for our lives (His will) – we, as born-again believers, being completely submitted to His will and fully compliant with his Word.
Ephesians 2:10 (AMP)
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
So, it pretty much stands to reason that the key to us putting our faith into action is knowing what good works the Father has prepared for us to do!
Let’s have a look at what Jesus taught us about this from his life on earth:
John 4:34 (NIV)
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
John 5:19 (NIV)
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
John 6:38-39 (NIV)
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
Jesus came into the world to bring God’s salvation to mankind, whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life and those that don’t believe in Jesus will have eternal death (separation from God) in Hell.
John 3:16-17 (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
So, from the above verses form the Book of John we see that the purpose of Jesus is to be our Saviour, to do the will of the Father, to lose no one that the Father has given to him and to do only what he has seen the Father do.
Now we have already seen from Ephesians 2:10 above that God has prepared in advance the good works He wants each and every one of His children to do and in Ephesian 5 we are told to be imitators of God – do everything in Love!
Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
And in 1 Corinthians 11 the Apostle Paul tells us to imitate him as he imitates Jesus!
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT)
And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
In the Book of Acts we have a prime example of how Good leads his children into the good works He has prepared for us to do. Let’s take a look:
Acts 13:2 (NIV)
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
In the above verse we see that it is the Holy Spirit that guides us into the work that God has prepared for us. This is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us once he ascended into heaven to take his place at the right hand of the Father. It is now the Holy Spirit that guides us in all truth. He will make known to us the works that the Father has prepared for us to do and he sets us apart to do them!
John 16:12-15 (NIV)
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
In Galatians Paul reveals to us that the work God had prepared for him to do long ago was to preach Jesus to the Gentiles.
Galatians 1:15-16 (NIV)
15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
So, in all this we see that we believe in Jesus by faith, but our faith must be accompanied by deeds or works and these works should be the works that God has prepared for us to do and these works are shown to us by the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus sent the Comforter to us, to lead us and guide us in all truth, and why Paul exhorts us to be baptised in the Holy Spirit and to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 (AMP)
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.
It is Jesus that baptises us with the Holy Spirit:
Luke 3:16 (NIV)
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews in chapter 11 tells us exactly what faith is:
Hebrews 11:1-2 (AMP)
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. 2 For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.
And the chapter goes on to tell us about how it was this kind of faith that the great men of the Old Testament gained divine approval (salvation). It also shows how these great men put into action their faith.
- By faith Abel brought an acceptable offering to God.
- By faith Enoch walked closely with God and did not face physical death.
- By faith Noah was obedient and built the ark and he and his family were saved from the flood.
- By faith Abraham left his home and went when God called him.
- By faith Sarah was able to bear a child when she was past childbearing age.
- By faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice and believed that God would provide a lamb.
- And so on with Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, the Judges, Samuel, David and the prophets – all put their faith into action and believed the Word of God.
In the Book of James we are told by the writer just how important it is for a Christian’s faith to be accompanied by good works:
James 2:14-26 (AMP)
14 What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.]
Faith without good works (the bearing of good fruit) is not sufficient to ensure our salvation.
James 2:15-17 (AMP)
15 If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? 17 So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].
John 15:8 (NIV)
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Practical demonstrations of good works that anybody can do!
James 2:18 (AMP)
18 But someone may say, “You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do].”
Stressing here that faith must be accompanied by good works!
James 2:19-20 (AMP)
19 You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror—they have seen His wrath]! 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless?
Here James is giving the Church a serious wake-up call. If demons shudder at God’s wrath, then why don’t we. A further warning that faith alone is not enough to save you!
James 2:21-23 (AMP)
21 Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? 22 You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and this [faith] was credited to him [by God] as righteousness and as conformity to His will,” and he was called the friend of God.
Here James highlights that works of obedience, expressed Abraham’s faith in and dedication to God!
James 2:24 (AMP)
24 You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his faith].
A believer’s good works of obedience shows his dedicated faith in Christ Jesus! We are justified by the good works we do in Christ Jesus!
James 2:26 (AMP)
25 In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works too, when she received the [Hebrew] spies as guests and protected them, and sent them away [to escape] by a different route?
A further example from the Old Testament of faith in action through good works!
James 2:26 (AMP)
26 For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.
Another warning from James that our faith if not accompanied by good works of obedience is a dead faith!
Faith in action – be doers of the Word – be obedient to the Word!
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
James 1:22-25 (NIV)
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
When we put our faith into action in obedience to the Word and do the good works that we are supposed to do, we will be blessed in what we do, and we will be able to withstand the storms of life without crumbling!
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven
I pray in the name of Jesus that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to put my faith in Christ into action. I pray that you, Lord, by your Holy Spirit, will show me the good works that you have prepared for me to do long ago so that my life and actions may bring glory to Jesus and that I might be a blessing to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!
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