"Living Faith" -4

"And you hath He quickened (Brought To Life), who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in times past ye walked (Moved) according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Ephesians 2:1-3) The biggest misconception among some Believers, is that righteousness is only generated by Jesus Christ, and that it is not passed on us who believe, but merely a covering that then takes the place of any action required on our part. This is a very touchy subject, and one which can cause large splits in churches; this I know from experience! Some would go as far to say that Paul and James were facing off with apposing view points regarding what works were to mean in a Believer's heart and life. I am under the belief that they were standing back to back to fight off two very apposing views; one that would teach us that without the works of the Law we cannot be saved, and the other that teaches that faith is all you need and works do not matter. Yes, I truly believe that it is our faith in Jesus Christ which brings us to salvation; there must be faith in Jesus to forgive us of our sins, and cleanse us of all unrighteousness; but there also must be faith that He has placed us on a path of righteousness. So then; if we are in Christ, and He is manifested within us, where then is the proof of this fellowship, if it is not by works? We can look to Abraham for a good example of this transaction that takes place. If ever there was a man who could be pointed to as someone who could point to the God in which he trusted, Abraham could be placed among the top of the list. James gives us the account of Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac as such an example (James 2:21-23); but what about him also stepping out from his home; was not that also an act of faith? Not quite as bold as being willing to sacrifice his son, but it was the first step, which constituted an action that was based upon faith in God. I have known people who said that they were trusting God to provide for them in an area of their life, yet were doing little to show their belief in that faith. For example, they would say things like, God will provide a job for me; yet, they would just sit there by the phone waiting for their future employer to call. To some, that might seem so spiritual and the perfect example of placing all of your faith in God; but to others, it might seem foolish and a complete waste of time. I am one that is among the second group; believing that God, although completely able to make that phone ring, is also a God who expects us to step out in faith; the stepping out part means that you need to step out of your house and find the job that God has provided for you! This is very similar to what faith represents, in that there is motion given to our faith that moves us towards God; or towards a job in the example given above! What this translates to, is that the righteousness which we have been given, requires a righteous way of life. In other words; we cannot say that we have been made righteous, and yet still live in sin... "For as the body without the spirit (Life Force) is dead, so faith without works (Movement) is dead also." (James 2:26)