An Active Faith Is A Genuine Faith

Consider any relationship- We’ve all heard the saying “talk is cheap”, and it rings true in our walk of faith. We expect the actions of others to reflect the words they speak. Words can be empty promises if they aren’t followed up with active attempts.

"But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2:18

Now before I jump in, I want to start off by stating that; Our salvation is not earned by our works! I will, however be sharing that faith and repentance are necessary for salvation! The Gospel doesn't require obedience. The Gospel produces obedience!

"And having been perfected, He (Jesus) became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." Hebrews 5:9

God changes our hearts upon salvation, we then are given the Holy Spirit which gives us new desires and purpose! A purpose aligned with Gods will! We can not take full credit for the things that God has given us. 1 Corinthians 3:7 says "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." I figured many people wouldn't be all that interested in reading this blog with the original title I had in mind..and now that you've made it past the intro, I'll go ahead and share the preface of this entry:

7 Reasons Why Faith and Obedience Go Hand-and-Hand

1) Faith Is Active - To Love God, Is To Obey God!

John 14:23 "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.'

We can say “we love God/ Jesus” all we want, but God knows the intentions of our hearts. His word is explicitly clear- so I’ll just let the scriptures speak for themselves.

"But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did." 1 John 2:5-6

"In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome." 1 John 5:3

Many people like the idea that Jesus showcased love and inclusivity! Though Jesus sat with sinners, the take away should ultimately be; that His impact would lead them to change (repent). Let's briefly reflect back to the story of the lady who was caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). A group of Scribes and Pharisees (Religious leaders) confronted Jesus, interrupting His teaching. They brought in a woman, accusing her of committing adultery! Claiming she was caught in the very act. They told Jesus that the punishment for someone like her should be stoning! Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” When the accusers heard this, they went away.

Jesus did not tell the woman accused to go and "do what makes you happy" or "go and follow your heart". No, He said to her "Go now and leave your life of sin." If we're honest we will see that Jesus sits with us too!! He sits with us in our shame, our guilt, and our sins. Light is meant to expose darkness! The message of The gospel is exclusive because:

A) Jesus is the only way to God. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

B) We must be born again. “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God (heaven) unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)

The bible says God is love, and we see in Romans how His love is demonstrated.

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Romans 5:8

Because Jesus so graciously loves us, we must come to a place where we also turn away from our sins as we pursue Him! Though no one is perfect, (only Jesus lived a perfect life) we must acknowledge that following Jesus requires sacrifice! People misquote scripture, and hold tightly to only the positive words of Jesus. Let me remind you, that when Jesus walked this earth and began His ministry many listeners would question His teachings, and challenge His actions. Many scattered away after hearing His parables and sermons. Why do you think that was? Because they weren't willing to turn away in order to follow Him.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." Matthew 16:24-25

2) To take a Step in Faith; is to Trust God

I’ve been reading the book of Genesis this season, and the main thing that is so abundantly clear is how active our faith truly is. There are endless examples of God requiring people to step out in active faith. Not only were they faithful by trusted His word, they responded to Gods requests by stepping out in Faith, and doing it. God does the same with His children today! Anyone can own a Bible, and wear a cross, but our actions prove our faith in God.

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18

3) Recognizing The Consequences To Our Disobedience

Speaking of Genesis, we see firsthand in the garden, that our disobedience has great consequences. God being so generous, gave Adam and Eve dominion over all! He had one rule. "Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil." Not only did God command them not to eat, but God told them what their consequences would be (Genesis 2:17). Sadly this rebellion, and disobedience is inherently passed down to each and every one of us living today.

The way we respond to God's commands (His word) goes far beyond a mental knowledge, resulting in an active commitment! We also see that our disobedience breaks fellowship with God. Because God is holy He does not tolerate sin. Adam and Eve's actions speaks volumes following their disobedience. They hid.. If you're a Parent you will most likely agree that we don't have to teach our children to disobey..

It's stressful being out in my backyard because we don't have a fenced yard. Me and my Husband are always on guard when we're out there with the boys. There is one major rule in our yard, and it is to- stay in the yard !! We reiterate this rule, along with the potential consequences! One day, I quickly went into the house to grab water for the boys. I came back out but I didn't see them! My knees buckled. My voice cracked as I cried out their names! I ran around the house but, no child in sight! What seemed like forever, must've been a minute..Eventually I heard their little voices and saw them playing on the drive way! It was frightening to lose sight of them.. and honestly, I was upset they didn't obey the rule. Through this experience I was reminded that God's commands for us aren't to burden us, as we may feel. They're established for our good.

As a child, I broke the rules too. I lied. I stole. I rebelled, and took advantage of my privileges. I did however, come to a place where I learned that my disobedience ultimately left my Mom (single parent) disappointed. Knowing I let her down crushed me...Why?. Because my Mother mattered to me. Despite the times I didn't always want to do what I was told, I still chose to obey her out of love and respect.

4) An Obedient Heart, is The Evidence Of A Regenerate Heart!

God desires obedient hearts - Jesus said -

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Matthew 15:8

It is wise, and spiritually mature for us to self examine the motives of our hearts!

Here are some excuses I used to justify my sinfulness:

"God knows my heart",

"Only God can judge me"

"This sin is ok because I'm not hurting anyone".

These excuses are destructive. I was prideful. Sadly these beliefs kept me separated from God. For most of my life I had created a "god" within my own imagination that suited my lifestyle. Rather than truly acknowledging Jesus' atoning sacrifice for my sins. His grace is not given, so that we would walk back into darkness, and remain slaves to sin. There's no freedom in that! The Gospel is good news because there is freedom and forgiveness found only in Christ!

"To atone means to compensate or pay for something. Jesus Christ's Atonement references His payment for the sins of mankind. It has the power to provide hope and alleviate the burden of sin for anyone."  

"What shall we say then? Shall we go on sining so that grace may increase? By no means we are those who have died to sin how can we live in it any longer." Romans 6:1-3

The Gospel produces obedience in us.

Our response to this truth, is evidence of a regenerate heart.

5) Obedience is a gift

The scriptures are very clear:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Salvation is a free gift given by God to those who have truly received the Good news of the Gospel! As born again Christians, we know that we can not earn salvation. However, all religions throughout history teach that salvation is achieved by good works. Do this... earn that.. This is unbiblical. It Diminishes the work on the cross, and nullifies the unmerited gift of God's grace. Salvation is not based on achievement, "good works", titles, sacraments, or church attendance.

Salvation is freely given by grace alone, 
through faith alone, 
in Christ alone. 

6) "Faith Without Works Is Dead"

The Bible clearly states our obedience matters. James 2:26 says "faith without works is dead".

"But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe—and shudder! You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" James 2:16-19

Therefore faith without obedience is an empty profession.

"While obedience is accomplished through sacrifice, its purpose is to free us to receive what God gives. God commands us to make sacrifices because He wants to give us something infinitely better than anything we already have: Himself." - Cam Jones

7) We Are Called To Be: "Doers Of The Word"

"Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." James 1-22

Ever put together furniture without the instructions? I'm guilty of briefly skimming through the instructions, only to discard them along with the other cardboard scraps before I've even begun the task. I'm left pretty confused. When retrieving the discarded box in search for those instructions it's apparent, they were important after all. Similar example of us skimming through the word without obeying it.

There was a time when my faith was at a surface level. I thought that by simply believing in God that that's good enough for me! With this belief I lacked any accountability for my sins. I lacked a fear of the Lord, and knowledge of what repentance even meant. Though I heard the Gospel plenty of times, and assumed I was saved because I believed in God. My life changed when I actually received the Gospel! I began to acknowledge the gift of God's love and forgiveness! Neither of which I deserve. I would get so uncomfortable when sin and repentance was mentioned because I really disliked feeling convicted. And truthfully, I didn't want to change nor deny the things I was so quick to excuse..But I learned that the gospel is offensive because it exposes our sins. When we're humble enough to see our need for saving grace, we realize that repentance is a fundamental principle to the gospel!

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

"Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:4

In the early stages of seeking God, before I was saved. I would think to myself: I want to be a believer, but just not a devoted believer! The truth is my faith was conditional! I didn't want to become some "hardcore Christian" either. I'll call myself a Christian, as long as I can live my life! This was my ultimatum. But God humbled me, and made it very clear. There is no such thing as a half-way Christian. Either you're all in, or you're not! God doesn't want a mere portion of what we're willing to offer Him. He wants us to surrender it all! God will use the hardest things for us to give up, whether that's our future, our health, our lifestyles, our reputation or our current circumstances. You see, I was 'committed' to God on my terms. "I'll call myself a Christian, as long as I can live my life". Maybe this is relatable to you? I know surrendering seems scary, because most of your life you've been approaching faith on your terms as well? You may feel like you aren't worthy (none of us are), or you may feel like you have to be "better". That you need to get your life together, and live more 'holy'. I truly hope this reminder encourages you: The Gospel doesn't require obedience! The Gospel produces obedience. Only God can change our hearts, and our desires. Every genuine testimony of faith will have a before and after.

God revealed to me something profound, and life changing! I received a vision. In this vision I was standing in front of a door frame. On the other side of the door was a bright light! Though the room I was currently in, felt familiar. I was drawn to this radiant light. As I was making my way inside, all but my one foot was entering through the door frame. I was stuck, and I couldn't progress any further. Days after I had this vision, it began to make more sense to me. This was a picture of my faith. My conditions were hindering my walk! All that was required of me; was repentance, and faith (despite how scary it seemed). The moment I gave my life to Christ, I was made new. I was given a new outlook on life, and a new purpose. But more than anything -I held a new reverence towards God, and His word! The more I began to know God, the more I was able to trust God. I now see; there are opportunities every day to live out an active faith.