spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

Exploring the Question of “Works”

James 2:26- “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

In my mid-thirties, my local church began a series of sermons on different religions of the world. I learned what their teachings were, countries where each religion was most prevalent, and so on.

I was astounded by the number of religions who taught that “works” (doing good things) was the way to heaven. Yet, I’d always been taught that it was faith in Jesus Christ—and him alone—that was required for salvation.

I was confused and went to the Bible for answers. The book of James offered a clear explanation.  Faith in Jesus must come first; then works are done as a result of the working of our faith within us.

A living, active faith is shown outwardly in works. So, there was the truth: We are not saved by works. We are saved for works.

James is a short book packed full of practical applications for living the victorious Christian life.

If you are struggling with the questions of salvation in your own life, may I recommend that you open your Bible to the book of James and let God lead you to His answer for you?

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Listening First

James 1:19“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

My husband ran in the direction of my screams and killed a snake at our home. It was “harmless,” he said. “Rest easy, it wasn’t a deadly rattlesnake.”

“I guess so, but at least a rattlesnake would have given me a warning he was there.”

Warnings are important. Given so we will reduce our speed in traffic, refrain from using harmful chemicals indoors, or stop before putting a “DRY CLEAN ONLY” garment in the washing machine.

The verse from James is one of many warnings in the Bible. His message?

There’s a lot of turmoil in the world today. Emotions are at an all-time high.

The social climate is such that we can easily alienate those who we are wanting to influence.

Even though we want to be heard, believers must also be willing to give others respect so they can speak freely. When we do, we can learn so much more about “where they are coming from.” If we will listen to them and show them that we truly care, we’ll be better able to know how to answer their questions.

Choosing our words carefully and sparingly is key to communicating the love of God to others. 

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