Faith without works?

We are at the point in the year

where alot of people lend a helping hand.

Wether it be food drives or giving coats/clothing

to those who need it or gifts for around the Christmas

season to children in need.

All of which is great to see, and really

we as "Christians" should always be there,

like the good "samaritan"...lending a helping hand

year round. Of course it's inevitable when someone

brings up doing "Gods Will" and helping out

your fellow man, the word "works" is brought up..

and of course, whenever someone starts talking

about doing "works"

people are quick to shout out "Legalism".

Granted there are a lot of people who

do works and think they are saved by them,

essentially they help others and do works

not because they want to help, but rather

because they want to feel better about themselves

and save there souls.

The fact that we all know, or should know,

is you can't be saved by the things you do,

we all were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ

and only through him are we/can we be

saved.

At the same time though, just because you "Know Jesus"

doesn't mean you are saved, we are suppose to be changed

when we come to "know Jesus"

we are suppose to live for HIM,

and put others above our own needs.

If you say you "Know Jesus"

and yet you continue to act like the world

and you don't show the love you are suppose to show,

then essentially you are just lying to yourself,

because you don't "Know" Him at all.

I'm not going to sugar coat it for you, if you claim to be a

"Christian" and to "Know Christ" don't say it...LIVE IT.

Trying to live more like Christ, and helping others

isn't about getting salvation, it's about proving

the truth and the spirit that lives in YOU.

Jesus said in Matthew 25

"Then the King will say to those on his right,

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father;

take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared

for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,

I was a stranger and you invited me in,

I needed clothes and you clothed me,

I was sick and you looked after me,

I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,

or thirsty and give you something to drink?

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,

or needing clothes and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and go

to visit you?'

"The king will reply, 'I tell you the truth,

whatever you did for one of the least of these

brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:34-40

Jesus was talking about helping the poor and those

who need help, not doing it for your salvation/yourself..

but doing it for CHRIST. People seem to get it twisted

far to often, this generation of christians, (the majority that is)

are on one of two sides...

one side refuses to do any works and thinks they can continue

living however they want because they "know" Jesus,

and then there is the other-side that chooses

to try and live like pharisees and think

they can save themselves

by living by the law and doing works.

Both sides are technically wrong..

What good is it, my brothers, if a man

claims to have faith but has no deeds?

Can such faith save him?

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes

and daily food. If one of you says to him,

"Go, I wish you well: keep warm and

well fed,"

but does nothing about his physical needs,

what good is it? In the same way,

faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by

action, is dead.

but someone will say,

"You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds,

and I will show you my faith by

what I do. You believe in one God.

Good! even the demons believe that- and shudder.

James 2:14-19

This is where people become confused

even marten Luther himself

was troubled by this passage in James.

Paul talked about Justification by FAITH

and James wasn't arguing that at all.

Yes we are saved by faith, we are saved because

we have full assurance in the heart that our

Lord and savior Jesus Christ laid down his life

for our sins, and we are freed from that bondage.

HOWEVER how are we judged?

by the fruit..right? If we are of Christ

then we should be living like it..correct?

we will produce good fruit..

one who has true faith in Christ wont produce BAD FRUIT!

Just like james was trying to explain...

If a man claims to have faith, but doesn't show it

he is nothing! If I came across a child on the side of the road

who was beatin within an inch of his life,

and I just looked down upon him and said

"God be with you" but I didn't look to help him..

how can you look at me and call me a "Christian"

how can you say I was living as Christ would?

I'd be full of shit if I claimed myself to be of Christ

and did nothing for the child.

If I have faith, and true faith in God,

i am made into a new creation,

not living for myself,

but living for the truth inside me.

We don't prove our faith by what we say...

we don't prove christ is living in us by saying

"I'm a christian" we prove it in the things we do,

in the actions we choose to take.

We don't choose to live like Christ and do "Deeds"

for our salvation, because that comes free,

we do it because the spirit and love we've accepted

into our lives changes our very being into

a new creation.

We are called to show the love that was shown to us.

Sin is Slavery...not Freedom

So I'm reading Galatians chapter 5 again,

the title of that chapter being 'Freedom in Christ'

Now Paul is talking to everyone about

the law, and how some of them have

got things twisted and confused.

Some of the people seemed to be to heavily

influenced by the "old-way" and having to

do things in a set way, and trying to work

their way into Gods good graces,

which we know it doesn't work that way.

I'm reading the "notes" for chapter five verse one through twenty one,

and at the very end it says "Sin is slavery, not freedom"

Reading that now, i'm like "yeah I can see that"

however there was a time where I thought the complete opposite.

Do you see where I am going with this?

I use to think "being of Christ" a "Christian"

a "believer" whatever you want to call it,

I use to think that was slavery, and I use to think sinning

was "freedom". When I was on the outside looking in,

when I was looking at the word of God and

at "Followers of Christ" I was thinking..

"what a bunch of sheep" why would

I ever want to become a "believer" and be

chained down from doing whatever I want.

I use to think, hell I don't have to read the bible..

I already can tell you what it's all about,

it's a book of rules, it's a book of don't do this and don't do that

live this way and not that way ect ect.

Everything that feels good is a sin, everything that you want to do

you can't do.

Now obviously I could make an argument with those things,

I could of kept on believing that way, but thanks be to God

for opening my eyes and removing the scales.

Sure when you are gratifying your flesh and sinful nature

it seems "freeing" because you are doing

what you want and selfishly giving into your human nature which is to sin.

However in the end what does it do for you?

when you are done doing whatever YOU desired,

when you are alone by yourself at some point in time

you're going to wonder what is it all for? what is the point?

guilt and shame are going to come into play, and maybe

you just drink more to make it go away or whatever

the guilty pleasure is. You're going to come to find

that nothing you do is going to satisfy you,

no amount of drinking or drugs or sex or whatever

is ever going to make you feel whole...

the only person that can do that is Jesus Christ.

Sure sinning and doing whatever you want

will make you feel good for a moment or two,

the key words would be "feel good for a moment"

it will never "satisfy" you, you will never be fulfilled following

your sinful ways, something will always be missing.

Just like what was stated last week..

"money can't by you happiness"

neither can being in the darkness

and following your sinful nature.

Why do you think there is so much depression and suicide?

To many people are forced to believe one thing or another

is going to make them happy, to many people are led

to believe that this is all there is, and when they

follow their desires...when they get what the world

tells them will make them happy and it turns out

that it actually doesn't, they figure.. what's the point?

obviously there are other reasons for depression/suicide

and I won't get into all that. The point I'm trying to make is,

who is actually the person in slavery?

is it the "believer in Christ" like the world would like you to believe

or is it the "non-believer" who gratifies his sinful nature...

Before I tell you why It's the latter let me just clarify

something real quick. Now obviously

the believer and non believer are both sinners..

the only difference is one side recognizes his faults and doesn't

willfully give into sin, and knows Jesus came and sacrificed himself

for his sinful nature, and the other side obviously doesn't believe that.

So why is a person living in sin not free?

why is sin slavery and not freedom?

First of all a price was paid for our sins

so that in itself should explain why it's not "free".

Second as stated above you don't feel at peace

gratifying your sinful nature, the more you seek for

happiness in your sins the more you will be weighed down by them...

I.E the more you put money first in your life the more

it's going to become a burden to you.

you'll constantly be working and striving to find fulfillment

but you'll never find it, never will you be complete

or at peace because something will always be missing.

We become burdened when we are far from Christ...

constantly seeking something to fulfill ourselves...

because we all want happiness.

In the end we will all face judgement,

God will either welcome us with open arms

or turn away and say he never knew us.

and again every single one of us sins,

and we will never be perfect...

but accepting Christ's sacrifice lifts the burden of sin,

Christ took all of our sins on his shoulders and he barred them all for us.

willfully giving into sin and denying your Lord and savior

is not freedom at all because you yourself are picking

those chains Christ already broke and you are putting

them right back on yourself. You are shackling

yourself to your own demise and a price will be paid.

As a follower of Christ I am free from the bonds of sins

not because I'm better then you...

not because I deserve to be...

But because Christ died for me,

because he knew I couldn't be perfect...

because he knows I am a failure, and I can't do this alone.

Where is the freedom in selfishness?

In the end we all have a choice..

it's choose life or choose death..

choose freedom or choose slavery..

we can choose to be that slave to sin,

ignore that voice inside telling us when something isn't right

and do whatever we desire

but going down that road only leads to pain and sorrow...

maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow...

but someday you are going to wonder

what is this life all for?

I followed all that my heart desired

only to find that it was all pointless and meaningless...

It is freedom that Christ has set us

free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves

be burdened again by as yoke of slavery.

Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let

yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value

to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself

be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been

alienated from Christ; you have fallen

away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through

the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision

has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing

itself through love.

Galatians 5:1-6

So I say, live by the spirit, and you will not gratify

the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature

desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit

what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict

with eachother, so that you do not do what you want.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,discord,jealousy,

fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live

like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:16-21