S
I have been studying and I wish to share something. So lets begin?
[h=3]Ephesians 2:8-9[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP]For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Verse 8&9 clearly states that we are saved by Grace, it is a gift from God, not of ourselves and not of works lest any man boast.
Is that point made clear to us from scripture? We are saved by God's Grace, Point blank period, and I just want to take this time to emphasize that we are saved by GRACE.
But if we look closely, this verse is conditional, we can ONLY access this saving grace, according to this verse, through our faith. So no faith, no grace. Is that point clearly seen in scripture? "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH faith;"
So what James is saying is our faith can be dead! Thats why he gave those example in verses 15&16, because you didn't do anything for your sister or brother, you just gave them some 'lip' service!
Wow to think we can have faith but it mean nothing! Is that not why James said
James 2:18 "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 is saying he can prove his faith by his works! but he would love for you to show him your faith WITHOUT any works.
He figured some would be foolish enough to think that is possible, to show their faith without any works and cling to the fact that they believe!
James 2:18"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
You believe in Jesus Christ? Amen! Good james says, the devils also believe and tremble, So what's the difference between you and them?
James 2:20"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
James 2:21-22"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?","Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect ?"
What a wonderful picture now painted for us! Because Abraham believed in God, it brought forth his works(Obedience), thus making his faith Perfect!
James 2:23"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith , Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God"
James 2:24"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified , and not by faith only."
One has to question, Justified from what? Perhaps another time, we can dig into that statement, for now, Lets turn our attention to Genesis!
[h=3]Genesis 6:5-8[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]5 [/SUP]And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
[SUP]8 [/SUP][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But Noah found grace in the eyes of the [/FONT]Lord[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif].[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Verses 7 and 8 are very important! and heres why. God said he was going to destroy man, and also God found GRACE in noah
keep this in mind as we continue reading, skipping down to verse 13.
[/FONT][SUP]13 [/SUP]And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
So here we have God telling Noah what was to come to pass, the end of all flesh, but remember God found grace in Noah so he was telling him this to save his life but it was conditional Noah had to do something! Can you guess what it was?, God told him in verse 14 to make an ark, not only that but in verse 15 he told him THIS is the fashion which thou shalt make it of, being very specific! If you guessed Noah had to make an ark you are correct! Good job, but who told him to make it? God, therefore Noah was being Obedient to God, but why? Why would Noah be obedient to God? Lets look at hebrews
[h=3]Hebrews 11:7[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]7 [/SUP][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So we can see here clearly from scripture it was because Noah had FAITH in God that he was Obedient which not only saved him but also his family because God found GRACE in Noah. Can we see very clearly how Faith without works is dead? Can you imagine if Noah had not built the ark but yet he said he believed 100% that what God said was true and that it was going to come to pass? How foolish would that have been?
What about Cain and abel? Both believed in God but one was obedient and the other wasn't, Who did God accept?
[/FONT][h=3]Hebrews 11:4[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP]By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
To say you have faith without works is foolishness according to scripture because it is dead!
James 2:15-17 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,","And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?","Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
[SUP]8 [/SUP]For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[SUP]9 [/SUP][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Not of works, lest any man should boast.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So again, we are stilled saved by God's Grace, nothing more nothing less, it is a gift from God that he gave out of love to us, therefore it is not of ourselves, we did not come up with this grace and we can't earn it through our works lest any man should boast, the only way we can access this Grace is Through our faith.
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[h=3]Ephesians 2:8-9[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP]For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Verse 8&9 clearly states that we are saved by Grace, it is a gift from God, not of ourselves and not of works lest any man boast.
Is that point made clear to us from scripture? We are saved by God's Grace, Point blank period, and I just want to take this time to emphasize that we are saved by GRACE.
But if we look closely, this verse is conditional, we can ONLY access this saving grace, according to this verse, through our faith. So no faith, no grace. Is that point clearly seen in scripture? "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH faith;"
James asked a question that had me thinking.
James 2:14"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"
Then he continues to say
James 2:15-17 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,","And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?","Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
So what James is saying is our faith can be dead! Thats why he gave those example in verses 15&16, because you didn't do anything for your sister or brother, you just gave them some 'lip' service!
Wow to think we can have faith but it mean nothing! Is that not why James said
James 2:18 "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 is saying he can prove his faith by his works! but he would love for you to show him your faith WITHOUT any works.
He figured some would be foolish enough to think that is possible, to show their faith without any works and cling to the fact that they believe!
James 2:18"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
You believe in Jesus Christ? Amen! Good james says, the devils also believe and tremble, So what's the difference between you and them?
James 2:20"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
Once again, our brother James is letting us know that our faith can be dead.
He continues on to example the difference between dead faith and perfect faith.
He continues on to example the difference between dead faith and perfect faith.
James 2:21-22"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?","Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect ?"
What a wonderful picture now painted for us! Because Abraham believed in God, it brought forth his works(Obedience), thus making his faith Perfect!
James 2:23"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith , Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God"
James wants to conclude!
James 2:24"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified , and not by faith only."
One has to question, Justified from what? Perhaps another time, we can dig into that statement, for now, Lets turn our attention to Genesis!
[h=3]Genesis 6:5-8[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]5 [/SUP]And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
[SUP]8 [/SUP][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But Noah found grace in the eyes of the [/FONT]Lord[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif].[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Verses 7 and 8 are very important! and heres why. God said he was going to destroy man, and also God found GRACE in noah
keep this in mind as we continue reading, skipping down to verse 13.[/FONT][SUP]13 [/SUP]And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
So here we have God telling Noah what was to come to pass, the end of all flesh, but remember God found grace in Noah so he was telling him this to save his life but it was conditional Noah had to do something! Can you guess what it was?, God told him in verse 14 to make an ark, not only that but in verse 15 he told him THIS is the fashion which thou shalt make it of, being very specific! If you guessed Noah had to make an ark you are correct! Good job, but who told him to make it? God, therefore Noah was being Obedient to God, but why? Why would Noah be obedient to God? Lets look at hebrews
[h=3]Hebrews 11:7[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]7 [/SUP][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So we can see here clearly from scripture it was because Noah had FAITH in God that he was Obedient which not only saved him but also his family because God found GRACE in Noah. Can we see very clearly how Faith without works is dead? Can you imagine if Noah had not built the ark but yet he said he believed 100% that what God said was true and that it was going to come to pass? How foolish would that have been?
What about Cain and abel? Both believed in God but one was obedient and the other wasn't, Who did God accept?
[/FONT][h=3]Hebrews 11:4[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP]By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
To say you have faith without works is foolishness according to scripture because it is dead!
James 2:15-17 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,","And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?","Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
So now I go back to the very first verse posted!
[h=3]Ephesians 2:8-9[/h]King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP]For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[SUP]9 [/SUP][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Not of works, lest any man should boast.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So again, we are stilled saved by God's Grace, nothing more nothing less, it is a gift from God that he gave out of love to us, therefore it is not of ourselves, we did not come up with this grace and we can't earn it through our works lest any man should boast, the only way we can access this Grace is Through our faith.
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Now my question for you is what FAITH do you think this verse is talking about? The faith that is dead?, or the perfect faith that Abraham, Noah, Abel and many others had because they were obedient to God?[/FONT]
