Faith without works (James 02:14-22)
Contents Someone said that in the early 30s, there were a lot of invitations to the centenary and first birthday parties, in the late 40s there were problems with children, in the 50s there were wedding invitations, and in the late 60s, there was a breakdown. .Each generation will try to say that they did their best in their own way, but in reality, there is not much to be proud of as you get older.
There was a time when I was so moved by God's grace that I shed tears while living my life of faith, but looking at myself now, I don't think I have much to boast about before God. It makes sense. Then, when the end of the world comes and you stand before God's judgment seat, if you ask, 'What kind of qualification did you come to me, what would we answer? If there is nothing to offer, shouldn't I have to check myself again from now on? As Paul confessed, "I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I don't want to do" (Romans 7:19). Why is this confession coming out of my mouth?
1. It is because they had formal faith (14-17).
2. Because it is a dying faith (17).
If faith without works is called dead faith, living faith can be said to be the foundation of practice. Just as a living tree produces leaves and flowers and fruit according to the seasons, only those who have living faith can produce righteous fruit. will be.
1) Do not criticize those who are weak in faith (Romans 14:1): From judging the faith of others, know that you are arrogant. Faith and personality are different. Like a shellfish, the kernel is soft enough to sacrifice for people, but the shell is also It is a shell. However, it is only cut off over a long period of time.
Of course, even if the word is smashed, the attributes remain. When my sinful nature dies, my inner man is renewed. <<The miracles he showed to Moses: the hands that were leprous and the hands that were healed, that is, Judas who touched the money that sold Jesus. Peter's hand, which struck Malchus' ear, was a hand of disobedience and emotion, but the hand of Peter who caused the beautiful lame or the hand of the bleeding woman holding the hem of the Lord's robe became the hand of healing and power. When the stick leaves the hand of prayer, it becomes a serpent. Take control of your feelings, words, and actions.>> Proverbs 12:14 "A man is satisfied with blessings from the fruit of his mouth, and according to the deeds of his hands he receives." "
2) Faith is perfected in Christ (Ephesians 2:8) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. Ham." Therefore, no matter how good deeds are expressed, good deeds without the redemption of Jesus on the cross end up as 'good works' that are not directly related to salvation.
3) Abandon intellectual faith (19).
Faith means knowledge, assent, and trust in the truth.
Faith is not simply an intellectual awareness or intellectual acceptance of truth. Once we know it, we must admit it and then practice it. But we may intellectually admit it and still have no faith. This morning Like QT, it is a dead faith because it admits sin with its mouth and head, but does not feel it in the heart and does not show it in action.
Faith is like the key you need to enter heaven. A key is not something you wear. You have to put it in a keyhole and turn it to open it. Likewise, some believe in George Washington or Yi Sun-sin. But in reality, what do they do for me now? If you look at verse 19 in the new translation, "You believe that there is only one God, and that's a good thing. But even the demons believe and sting like that." Don't just admit it with your mouth or head. You will experience the power of God when you acknowledge and follow it in your life.