ACE #254: Do You Believe God?

James 2:18-24New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your^[a] works, and I will show you my faith by my^[b] works.¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?^[c] 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”^[d] And he was called the friend of God.²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

I have heard all of my life that faith without works is dead.  As a child, you think you know what that means.  You imagine that it means that you can have faith, but unless you are working for the kingdom, your faith is only half of the story.  But as you grow older, you have learned to study the Word of God for yourself.  You have learned to study the Scriptures intently, with a spiritually mature mindset.  And then you realize that within the context of this Scripture, there is so much more.  Something profound...a light bulb moment...a nugget.

Abraham was, and still is, referred to as the Father of Our Faith, or the father of all those who believe (see Romans 4).  In all of this, do not miss "the nugget" - that small, precious, valuable fact:  “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Right there!  In the midst of the discussion on faith and works, its says that Abraham BELIEVED God and was considered righteous in the eyes of God.  He was so dear to God that God called him friend.  It was not about Abraham proving to others His faith and His works as much as it was about him being accountable to God for both of those things.  Abraham had so much favor that the favor he had was cast upon generations beyond him. But Abraham BELIEVED God!  Ask yourself the question, "Do I believe God?" And then, "Does God consider me righteous because of my faith?"

I encourage you today to have so much faith, that it produces good works over and over again - so much that the favor you have with God will spread to the next generation - your children and your children's children and so on and so forth.  Believe God!

 

From Luke 8:25 - "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples...

 

See also:  "Are You a Friend of God?" 
 http://theafterchurchexperience.blogspot.com/2014/02/ace-144-are-you-friend-of-god.html