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James 2:14-19 BSB
Faith Without Deeds
We live in a day and time when “faith” in Jesus Christ is being marketed as words only. You claim that Jesus is Lord, and you believe in his death and resurrection, and/or you “pray the prayer” to “receive Christ,” but it is in formality only. For it is not followed up with walks of obedience to the Lord in daily practice, and with the putting of sin to death in your life – all by the grace of God, in his power, and not of human flesh. For so many of you are being told that you do not have to repent (turn from sin) and obey God.
But Jesus and Paul and the other New Testament apostles taught the necessity of death to sin and of obedience to our Lord, in practice, as critical and necessary components of our faith and of our salvation from sin and of the hope of eternal life with God. They taught that faith = obedience to God, and that disobedience = unbelief. And they taught that if disobedience to God and sinful addiction are our practice, and not obedience to God and holy living, that we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God.
Brother or Sister
Now this was speaking to the church, to people who professed faith in Jesus Christ. And the church is the collective body of Christ throughout the world, but it was also the collective body of Christ per city, such as we have illustrated for us in the book of Revelation. And they all had their local gatherings as well, which were not always in one place, for they often met from house to house, which were not big houses, so probably in small gatherings where they could actually minister to one another that way.
So when this talked about a brother or a sister in need, it was speaking of people that they knew, that they fellowshipped with, who they could see with their own eyes that these were people in need. They were family, in other words – their friends, neighbors, and fellow worshipers of the same God. And to love as God loves we are to be those who care about those in need and who reach out to help them, where we are able, and who do not ignore their legitimate needs out of pride or selfishness or whatever.
But let me add a note on here. We live in totally different times now. If you are reading this, you are on the internet. And so you are probably being asked to donate money to all sorts of different causes. If God leads you to contribute to some of them, then go with God. Okay? But be wise and discerning, for there are so many crooks out there who feed the people lies to get money out of them which, from what I have read, hardly ever gets to the people. Beware the scammers! Pray for wisdom before you donate.
Even the Demons Believe
Now, don’t stop there with the title only and make a wrong assumption about what follows. The point here is that it is not enough to just acknowledge the existence of God, of Jesus Christ, and even of what he did for us in dying on a cross for our sins to free us from our sins. Even the demons believe in the existence of the One and only true God, and they shudder, for they know what he is capable of. So, it is not enough to just believe in God’s existence and that he is the one true God. Even demons do.
But we must demonstrate our faith in God, in Jesus Christ, by our actions, by what we do, by how we live, and by the words we speak. For faith, if it is not accompanied by the works which God designed for us to do, which God had planned in advance that we should do them (see Ephesians 2:10), then it is dead faith which is of no use to us at all. Faith, which comes from God, and which is not of human flesh, must result in us denying self, dying to sin, and obeying God, in practice, or it is not biblical faith which saves.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Seek the Lord
Based off Isaiah 55
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
What Good Is It?
An Original Work / July 11, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? 17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
Faith Without Deeds
We live in a day and time when “faith” in Jesus Christ is being marketed as words only. You claim that Jesus is Lord, and you believe in his death and resurrection, and/or you “pray the prayer” to “receive Christ,” but it is in formality only. For it is not followed up with walks of obedience to the Lord in daily practice, and with the putting of sin to death in your life – all by the grace of God, in his power, and not of human flesh. For so many of you are being told that you do not have to repent (turn from sin) and obey God.
But Jesus and Paul and the other New Testament apostles taught the necessity of death to sin and of obedience to our Lord, in practice, as critical and necessary components of our faith and of our salvation from sin and of the hope of eternal life with God. They taught that faith = obedience to God, and that disobedience = unbelief. And they taught that if disobedience to God and sinful addiction are our practice, and not obedience to God and holy living, that we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God.
Brother or Sister
Now this was speaking to the church, to people who professed faith in Jesus Christ. And the church is the collective body of Christ throughout the world, but it was also the collective body of Christ per city, such as we have illustrated for us in the book of Revelation. And they all had their local gatherings as well, which were not always in one place, for they often met from house to house, which were not big houses, so probably in small gatherings where they could actually minister to one another that way.
So when this talked about a brother or a sister in need, it was speaking of people that they knew, that they fellowshipped with, who they could see with their own eyes that these were people in need. They were family, in other words – their friends, neighbors, and fellow worshipers of the same God. And to love as God loves we are to be those who care about those in need and who reach out to help them, where we are able, and who do not ignore their legitimate needs out of pride or selfishness or whatever.
But let me add a note on here. We live in totally different times now. If you are reading this, you are on the internet. And so you are probably being asked to donate money to all sorts of different causes. If God leads you to contribute to some of them, then go with God. Okay? But be wise and discerning, for there are so many crooks out there who feed the people lies to get money out of them which, from what I have read, hardly ever gets to the people. Beware the scammers! Pray for wisdom before you donate.
Even the Demons Believe
Now, don’t stop there with the title only and make a wrong assumption about what follows. The point here is that it is not enough to just acknowledge the existence of God, of Jesus Christ, and even of what he did for us in dying on a cross for our sins to free us from our sins. Even the demons believe in the existence of the One and only true God, and they shudder, for they know what he is capable of. So, it is not enough to just believe in God’s existence and that he is the one true God. Even demons do.
But we must demonstrate our faith in God, in Jesus Christ, by our actions, by what we do, by how we live, and by the words we speak. For faith, if it is not accompanied by the works which God designed for us to do, which God had planned in advance that we should do them (see Ephesians 2:10), then it is dead faith which is of no use to us at all. Faith, which comes from God, and which is not of human flesh, must result in us denying self, dying to sin, and obeying God, in practice, or it is not biblical faith which saves.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Seek the Lord
Based off Isaiah 55
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
What Good Is It?
An Original Work / July 11, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
