A Call to Act: Faith Without Works is Dead
Many people ask the question, "What is faith?" The Bible has some good answers to the question. Faith without works is dead, according to James 2:20. The Bible is full of promises and principles, with a promise being a commitment to do something and a principle being an action necessary to receive a promise. To receive the promises of God, you have to act on His kingdom principles and possess them by force. Some read the promises of God in the Bible but fail to receive them. The reason for this is simple. The promises are obtained when the principles of God are acted on.
The Bible is full of promises and principles. A promise is a commitment to do something, and a principle is an act that is necessary to receive a promise. The Bible has many examples of promises and the actions required to receive those promises. This is why James wrote that faith without works is dead.
The word "if" appears over 1400 times in the King James version of the Bible. If is a conditional clause. This means there are certain conditions that have to be met before you can receive a promise. Some never consider this, but God has laid out promises and the things you need to do to receive. Scripture says, for example, "Give and it shall be given" (Luke 6:38). From this verse, you can see both the promise and the action needed to receive the promise.
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
God’s promises give you grounds for expectation. Where you find faith, you find expectation. As already said, God’s principles are the steps needed to receive the promises. Some read the promises of God in the Bible but fail to receive them. The reason for this is simple. The promises are obtained when the principles of God are acted on. James said it like this. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).
In the Old Testament, the Promised Land belonged to the children of God, but the promise was not enough, they still had to possess the land.
“But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.” (Leviticus 20:24)
The English word possess, Hebrew yaresh, means to seize, dispossess, and take possession by force. It also means to dispossess the former occupants. Possess is a call to action. It’s a call to war with those holding hostage the promises of God for your life. James said it. He wrote about an aggressive faith.
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:17)
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20)
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26)
It’s not enough to love God. Millions love God but are not walking in His promises. This is because the promises are not received by loving God alone, but acting on His kingdom principles. This is the point James was making, all the promises of God must be possessed. It’s worth repeating, the word possess is a call to action. So where you find a promise in the Bible, look for the condition. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:23). The mountain is a metaphor for trouble. Notice, however, the promise and the principle. The promise is that the trouble will move out of your life, but the condition required is two-fold. First, you have to believe in your heart, and second, you have to speak to the mountain.
Your partners,
(c) Apostle Jonas Clark
www.jonasclark.com
Your partners,
(c) Apostle Jonas Clark
www.jonasclark.com
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