Tag: Salvation

Where Did Hell Go?

by JacobTheology

Many today deny the existence of Hell, but the Bible portrays Hell as a real place of punishment. Here’s why we should teach on it.

For many centuries, the existence of Hell was a given for Christians around the world. But recent movements in the Church have challenged the idea of Hell.

A Pew Research Survey conducted in 2014 found that a substantial portion of the American populace – 58% – still believed in Hell. A similar survey conduct in 2007 returned a figure of 59%. Many denominations and churches still include Hell in their official doctrine.

Clearly, the doctrine of eternal punishment is still alive and kicking. More than half of Americans claim to believe it. Roughly 7 in 10 Americans identify as Christian, meaning that a majority of American Christians must still believe that Hell is real.

But in truth and practice, the doctrine of Hell is losing influence. And it’s losing influence quickly.

This is a problem.

The Importance of Believing in Hell

Before I begin, please let me say this: I am not here to shame or guilt anyone. I am not yelling at you or condemning you if you don’t believe in Hell. The work of a Christian is not to condemn, but to deliver the Gospel. The work of a Believer is to obey God’s Word and to make that Word known to others… in its entirety.

This is why belief in Hell is important.

Belief in Hell is important because the Bible talks about Hell. It is an integral part of the Gospel. Jesus Himself references Hell many times in the New Testament. He tells us that it is a place we most certainly do not want to go.

Revelation also talks about the Final Judgement, where it is very clear as to the fate of those whose names are “not found recorded in the Book of Life.” It tells us that the unsaved will depart to be in the “lake of fire” which was originally prepared for the devil and the devil’s angels. This is none other than Hell.

Those age-old images of Hell being a place of blazing fire and acrid smoke do not come from a vacuum. The Bible is rather clear in its portrayal of what happens to those who die without Christ.

To deny Hell, you see, you must deny certain portions of Scripture. You have to claim that the lake of fire is either metaphorical or that it doesn’t really exist. You also have to work some pretty serious gymnastics around much of what Jesus said. There are theologians today – popular theologians, too – who claim that Hell is simply a Western (or even American) invention.

But this is not the case. Scripture proves it. Has Hell always been correctly understood? Absolutely not. But there is no denying that it exists.

Additionally, Hell is central to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save people and give them eternal life. He often spoke of repentance and salvation, urging people to place their faith in Him.

Finally, Jesus died a horrific death on the cross for the penalty of our sins. His death was among the ugliest imaginable. He was not painlessly executed, nor was He quickly executed. Instruments of death such as the gallows and the guillotine can be seen as incredibly merciful when compared side-by-side with the crucifixion death of Christ.

Christ came, lived, ministered, suffered, died, and rose again for a purpose.

There are many today who claim that Jesus was a “good teacher.” But if He was only a teacher, why was He killed? And why was He so assured of its necessity? Plenty of people have been killed throughout history for causes they believed in, but Jesus’ convictions were startlingly different. He did not die solely because of what He believed in; He died because He knew in advance that He must die!

His mission was His crucifixion.

The gravity of what Christ did is made even greater – infinitely greater – by the fact that He was the Son of God. Christ was Himself a member of the Holy Trinity. He was God in His own right. While on Earth, Jesus had every right to call upon the strength of ten thousand angels and have them execute justice on His behalf. He had every right to put to shame His opponents, His persecutors, and His murderers.

But He didn’t.

Why?

Because His death was necessary. Without the willing death of Jesus, there is no salvation for people like you and me. Our salvation is so important to God – and so mind-blowingly expensive – that it took the literal slaughtering of God’s only Son to accomplish it.

And therein lie the questions.

If there was no threat of Hell whatsoever, then why did the very Son of Almighty God Himself hang on a cross for six hours in pure agony? If eternal punishment and torment were not the fate of sinners dying outside of grace, why was Christ’s death necessary?

The truth is, Christ’s death was necessary because sin is a big deal and Hell is real. Any of our sins – small and great, visible and invisible – are capable of sending us there. Without Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we are literal and metaphorical toast. We would be plunged directly into Hell at the final judgement, sinners without mercy being separated from God’s goodness forever and ever.

This is a central, core doctrine of Scripture. The Gospel is so sweet because sin is so horrible and Hell is so terrifying. When we stop preaching and teaching about Hell, the urgency of the Gospel message is diluted. Without Hell, Christ becomes nothing more than a good man who gave His life so that we could be enlightened, successful people.

I’m sorry, but if there is anything Christ is not, it is merely “good teacher” or “ticket to prosperity.”

When we deny the reality of Hell, or even fail to touch on the subject from time to time, we are effectively reducing the significance of the Gospel. Does not the Gospel stand in such sharper relief when considered against the backdrop of Hell? Christ did not die to make you rich, happy, healthy, or otherwise prosperous. He didn’t die to offer you ‘enlightenment’ or ‘spiritual release’ in this life.

Rather, Christ died because God loves you. Your sin will send you to a place of eternal punishment known as Hell. If you die in your sins, you will perish apart from mercy. You will be subject to the full justice of God, which demands eternal payment.

But Christ died so that you would not have to experience Hell. He died to keep you out of that eternal lake of fire. That is why He came, died, and rose again. Christ satisfied the justice of God, and it is only because of His sacrifice that you are declared totally righteous in the sight of God.

Final Thoughts

To sum everything up, belief in Hell is important for two primary reasons:

  1. The Bible teaches on it, and the Bible is infallible and inerrant
  2. The Gospel’s urgency depends upon sin and Hell

Denial of Hell is symptomatic of a broader trend of denying (or otherwise running from) fundamental truths of the Bible. While denial of Hell will not make you unsaved – again, I firmly believe that there are many saved Christians out there who either deny Hell or are unsure of its existence – to deny Hell is to deny a bedrock reality of the Bible. Christ spoke openly on Hell, and Revelation teaches on its reality. For the serious Bible scholar, there is no getting away from Hell’s reality in Scripture.

Indeed, a conclusion that I have come to is this: orthodoxy is orthodoxy for a reason. Hell is orthodoxy. It’s an established and broadly-accepted doctrine in historical Christendom. Many theologians whose minds far outstrip my own have thought, wrestled, prayed, studied, and come to the conclusion that there is a Hell and it is eternal.

Hell is real. It’s eternal. It awaits all sinners who die without the blood of Christ. This is uncomfortable, but true. It does not go over well to the unsaved masses of our culture.

We live in a society that is viciously anti-judgement – even though our society does hypocritically judge – and Hell is God’s judgement. Naturally, therefore, people don’t want to hear about Hell. Churches built upon being “seeker-sensitive” will oftentimes avoid Hell. To preach on Hell is to turn away potential congregants.

Additionally, it is becoming increasingly popular in the contemporary age to go against the grain of established truth. You hear things such as, “What’s true for you may not be true for me.” And while there is a grain of truth to such an idea, this relativism should never be applied to issues of theology or Scripture. Denial of Hell is a slippery slope down which many have already slid a great deal.

If one denies Hell, it is only one more step to deny God’s wrath. If one denies His wrath, it is only one further step to deny His justice. If one can deny His justice, it is only one more step to deny the need for a Savior.

And if one denies the need for a Savior, he or she can effectively deny Christ and therefore Christianity.

As Believers, we ought to aim to confront Hell not as a frightful fantasy, but as a weighty reality. The idea of Hell compels action. There are people out there who are on their way to eternal destruction. Sinners who die without Jesus don’t merely cease to exist or go to a less-good afterlife; they go to Hell. They are stuck there for all eternity, and by then, it’s too late.

This is why evangelism and witnessing are so important. Why go to all the trouble of witnessing to others? Why go to the trouble of spreading and sharing Christ? Just so that someone can be enlightened and live a good life?

I submit to you that the sweetness of the Gospel and the urgency of spreading the Gospel stem at least partially from the reality of Hell. This fundamental truth of Christianity is important, and is necessary to a better walk with the Lord. If you’re in a ministry position, it is important that you teach others about Hell. It is important that this doctrine does not go silent.

For our sake and the sake of those who have yet to know Jesus, we must acknowledge and deal with the truth of Hell.

May God richly bless you.

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The Lordship of Jesus

by JacobChristian Living

Jesus is Lord. What does this phrase mean? In this article, we’re taking a look at the lordship of Jesus Christ, and what it means for our lives.

Jesus is Lord.

We hear that phrase often; it’s painted on roadway signs and plastered on church marquees all over the nation.

But what does it really mean?

Philippians 2:9-11 tells us,

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:9-11, ESV]

Not only is Jesus Lord, Scripture tells us that there will come a day when every person will assent to His lordship.

Clearly, the lordship of Jesus is important. It’s fundamental to who He is, and how He relates to us as human beings.

Here are three aspects of Christ’s lordship over our lives.

1. Jesus is Sovereign

Jesus Christ is God. He is a member of the Trinity, which consists of three separate persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Each is separate, yet also God. They are different, yet the same. The Trinity is a mystery which has been pondered by theologians and scholars of the most brilliant sort for thousands of years. I would venture to say that no human being has ever had a perfectly correct understanding of the Trinity.

The best we can do is approximate.

We can know that there is a Trinity, yet still be unable to fully grasp the nature of the Trinity. It is a mystery that will remain partially hidden to us until we go to be with the Lord.

But I digress. Jesus is God, which means that He is sovereign.

What does “sovereign” mean? From Merriam-Webster, the term ‘sovereign’ is defined as follows:

  1. Possessed of supreme power
  2. Unlimited in extent; ABSOLUTE
  3. Enjoying autonomy; INDEPENDENT

In other words, sovereignty goes beyond merely being “powerful.” A person is sovereign if he or she possesses absolute, unequivocal, unchallenged authority and independence.

Throughout much of the Middle Ages and into the Enlightenment, kings and queens in Europe were often referred to as “sovereigns.” Today, independent countries are referred to as “sovereign nations.” This means they have unchallenged and absolute authority to govern the lands within their borders.

Sovereignty is exclusive. It’s pre-eminent. It’s paramount. If someone or something is sovereign, it possesses the highest possible level of authority.

Jesus, therefore, possesses the “highest possible authority.” Let’s ponder that statement for just a moment.

Today, we have sovereign nations. The United States is a sovereign nation. No other nation – not Mexico, nor Canada, nor Russia, nor India, nor any other country – has the right to govern territory within the American border.

That right is exclusively reserved for the government of the United States.

The government has charge over the land; therefore, it is the highest authority in the land. But does the government of the U.S. truly own the land? Furthermore, does the government own the people?

No.

Can the government compel anyone to do anything it wants? No.

Even if the U.S. were a totalitarian dictatorship, like North Korea or the now-defunct Soviet Union, it would still be imperfect in its wielding of power.

Why do totalitarian states set up prison camps?

Because people tend to disobey. Even the most powerful and far-reaching governments the world has ever created cannot enforce perfect obedience on their people.

Thus, the “sovereignty” of any person or any government will be imperfect. It won’t be truly absolute. A king may declare himself sovereign, but he can be disobeyed. He can be attacked by other kings. His authority does not extend perfectly to the furthest reaches of the earth.

But Jesus’ authority IS absolute.

Jesus, being God, is the Creator of all things. Nothing exists that was not created through Him (John 1:3). Therefore, Jesus’ sovereignty is true sovereignty. It’s absolute.

Try as you might, you cannot escape His might.

You can float out into international waters and be free of national government. You can build a rocket, fly to Mars, and declare yourself free from all authority in the world. Odds are, the world will not be able to seriously challenge you from your new perch.

But try as you might, you can never escape God’s grasp. Go to the depths of the ocean, and you’ll find Him. Fly to Mars, and you’ll find Him. Launch yourself to another solar system at the speed of light, and once you arrive, you will be no further from the grasp of God than when you started.

Jesus is sovereign. His authority is absolute. It is based on His ownership of all things.

Nothing – yes, NOTHING – exists apart from His direct creation. Every star you can see, every planet you can visit, every mountain peak and every valley and every prairie you can walk through – all was made by His hand.

He owns all things, including you. You can’t escape Him. You cannot challenge Him. His authority is supreme, never-ending, and all-encompassing.

Jesus is sovereign. This is the basis of His lordship. As the late S.M. Lockridge so eloquently put it, “His lordship is based on His ownership.”

S.M. Lockridge on the lordship of Jesus Christ

2. Jesus is Just

We have established that Jesus, being God, is all-powerful. Nothing exists apart from Him, and nothing is outside the scope of His rule and reign. This is Jesus’ sovereignty.

But what about the character of Jesus Christ? Throughout history, we have seen examples of sovereign rulers and sovereign nations that have abused humanity to extents hardly imaginable.

We have examples of genocide, of mass murder, of exploitation, and of horrendous injustice. The character of a sovereign person or government is crucial. Is Jesus a “just king” or an “unjust king?”

The answer: He is just. In fact, there is no authority more just than His authority.

Jesus is fair. He is just. He is righteous, correct, and perfect. He is infallible. He is the cornerstone upon which all notion of equity exists.

True justice does not exist apart from Christ.

What do I mean by this?

I mean that Jesus sets the rules, and He enforces the rules as they ought to be enforced. It’s as simple as that.

Christ is just. He invented justice.

Any concept that we have of justice is just a reflection – and an imperfect one at that – of the true standard set down by our Lord.

At the end of time, all men and women who have ever lived on the earth will be called forth to give an account of their lives. Hebrews 9:27 and Romans 14:12 guarantee this. It’s also talked about in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 20:12.

Everyone – male and female, Jew and Gentile, believer and unbeliever – will stand before God and be judged. And this justice will be perfect. There will be no attorney, no jury, and no painstaking gathering of evidence. All the evidence will be held in God’s hands, because God sees and knows everything perfectly. All thoughts and all actions will be laid bare.

And His sentencing will be perfectly just.

There will be no abuse of power. There will be no corruption. The judge, the lawyer, the plaintiff, and the criminal of this life will stand before Christ as equals. Christ is the perfect judge, the “Judge of judges” if you will, and His sentencing is perfectly correct.

Some people will be sent to eternal damnation (Revelation 20:11-15), and others will be sent to eternal life (Matthew 25:46).

What determines one’s fate? It is not his or her actions in this life. Rather, it’s this: did that person repent of his sins and believe upon Jesus?

Herein lies the most wonderful aspect of Jesus’ justice: He freely gives pardon. We are all guilty apart from Him, but if we turn to Him and believe in Him – trusting Him for forgiveness – then we receive forgiveness. We are declared ‘innocent.’

There are men in this world that have done despicable things which no human court could ever forgive. There are men who have murdered, abused, and slaughtered. Many of these men have been sentenced to life in prison or even death.

But let’s just say that the worst of the worst – a killer, a rapist, an abuser – leads a life of crime and is then sentenced to death for his atrocities. Yet right before his execution, he repents of his sins and believes upon Jesus.

That man is going to Heaven.

There are also men who have done great deeds, who have given to the poor and made the service of humanity the entire thrust of their lives, who will be judged and found guilty by God. Why? Because they never repented and believed upon Jesus. 

This is the most perfect aspect of the justice of Jesus. It doesn’t work like our justice. We judge based upon deeds – and we should, because society would fall apart if we didn’t – but God ultimately judges based upon one thing: have we given our trust to Him?

Apart from Christ, we stand condemned. With Him, we stand absolved.

This brings us to the third aspect of Jesus’ lordship:

3. Jesus is Good and Merciful

We need not fear, because Jesus is merciful. And He is good.

Ponder this for a second: the Creator of the universe, the ultimate and supreme authority, is a good authority. He’s the best possible authority. We could not have asked for a better God and a better Savior.

Up to this point, we have shown that Jesus is sovereign and that Jesus is just. But Jesus is also merciful, and He is full of love.

This great power – a sovereign king, a just king, far above our ability to comprehend – freely offered His life for our salvation.

Allow me to be blunt, and to ask a question: who in your life would you die for?

If you’re like most people, you might say that you’d die for your kids. You might say you’d die for your spouse, your siblings, or your best friends. Perhaps there is nobody in this world that you would die for.

My point is this: people don’t die for those they care nothing about. Speaking as a typical human, I would not be inclined to die for a random stranger. I would not be inclined to die even for an acquaintance.

But what about an enemy? What about someone diametrically opposed to me? Would I die for such a person?

If someone were to come to you, spit on you, and tell you how worthless you were, would you turn around and sacrifice yourself for that person?

My guess is no. We would have a tough enough time not fighting back. We would have a tough enough time simply holding our tongue and being civil in return. I doubt we’d be filled with such genuine affection for that person that we would freely offer to die for them.

Where am I going with this? Well, Jesus showed His ultimate mercy for us in that He died for us. But Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6-8).

In other words, He died for His enemies. Those who are without God are against God, and those who sin are sinning against Him. When Christ came to the world, He was hated and spit upon and driven out of cities. He was ultimately captured, beaten, mocked, and murdered.

Yet what did He say during his crucifixion? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

That’s right; He was showing sacrificial love to the very men who drove nails into His flesh.

Few of us could imagine even coming close to such a display of sacrificial love and mercy. And we’re humans. We’re flawed. We’re imperfect, and we have all done things that are deserving of punishment.

But as for Jesus? He was the only person who ever lived a perfect life. And He was also the only person who ever offered His life in genuine love for those who hated Him. He deserved that the world would die for Him, but He flipped the narrative and died for the world.

This is mercy. This is love. This is the most tangible, visible, marquee-flashing-on-the-side-of-the-road sign of Christ’s mercy and grace.

He is good. He is merciful. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, perfectly just, and impartially merciful. He is entirely good and complete in love.

This is our Savior and our Lord.

How We Respond

The very nature of Jesus’ lordship demands that we respond. We cannot simply file this away in the back of our minds. We cannot pass ‘go’ and collect 200 dollars.

Jesus is worthy of our time. He is worthy of our respect.

And He is Lord.

Therefore, we must submit to Him as Lord of our lives. We must not only acknowledge His lordship in thought, but we must actively submit to Him in deed. Scripture says, 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. [1 John 5:1-3, ESV]

From this, it is clear that we are called to obey God’s commandments. Our first and foremost response to the lordship of Jesus ought to be love, and love for God is keeping His commandments.

There is a lie creeping into the culture – and even into the Church – that we do not have to submit to Jesus. This lie is very widespread. And it is damaging. It is damaging to the faith, to the Church, and to those who believe it.

To put it bluntly, we must submit to Jesus. It is absolutely necessary and absolutely imperative.

We are to come to Christ on His terms, not our own. We are to come to Him with a listening ear, a willing spirit, and a humble heart. We are to come to Him reverently, for He is worthy of all our respect and all our worship and all our honor.

The idea that one can simply believe in Jesus for “life insurance” so that they don’t go to Hell when they die is horribly incorrect. That’s not Christianity; it’s a product of the Western consumer mentality.

Remember: Jesus is all-powerful. He is all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-loving. And that same Christ died for you. That same Jesus Christ died for your personal sin.

What must we do in response? Treat Him as holy. Honor Him as set apart and in a tier all His own. We must submit to Him and take His yoke upon us. Scripture assures us that His yoke is easy, and that His commands are not burdensome.

Not only has our Savior been incomprehensibly merciful towards us, He continues to be so in that He is not burdensome. His yoke is easy! His commands are not unreasonable! He is deserving of all our obedience, and it is not unreasonable and impossible to obey Him.

Today, dear Believer, I encourage you to submit your life ever the more fully to Jesus. We all have areas in which we are not fully surrendered to the Lord. We all have areas which we want to wall off from Christ and declare, “Mine!”

But only trust Him; submit fully to Him. Surrender yourself more and more fully to Christ. He is worthy of it. Christ loves you more than you could ever know, and He desires that you would simply lay down your ambitions, your strivings, your desires, and your fears to embrace Him.

Run to Jesus, who is our Lord and our Savior.

God bless.

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Faith Without Works is Dead

by JacobChristian Living 
James tells us that faith without works is dead. But what does it mean to have "works" and what does it mean to have faith?

I consider James to be one of the most practical books of the Bible. I’m in the process of reading through it slowly, and it contains an absolute wealth of information.

That’s not to diminish any other book in the Bible; it’s just to communicate that James is especially packed with practical stuff.

What to do in difficult times? Check.

Putting the Word of God into practice in your life? Check.

How to honor and treat everyone equally? Check.

As I was reading this morning, I came across the passage that speaks about faith and works. This is a famous portion of Scripture. Many of you have probably heard it.

Here it is:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. [James 2:14-17, ESV]

Read back through this passage slowly. Notice especially the last line: faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, or you grew up in a Christian household, you have probably heard this phrase before.

Faith without works is dead.

We repeat that phrase so often that we lose sight of its true weight. What does it really mean?

What does “works” mean?

And what does it mean to have “dead faith?”

Faith and Works: A Study

What gets us into right standing with God? Is it our works, or is it His grace and mercy?

Answer: it’s the second one!

There was no way we could save ourselves on our own. Our best works and efforts are not anywhere near good enough to get us into Heaven. But God showed incredible grace to us by sending Christ to die for our sins.

We accept God’s grace by placing our faith entirely in Jesus Christ, and it is this faith which gives us “access” to the grace that God showers down upon us.

That’s how we are saved. God sent us a lifeboat, and it’s up to us to jump into that lifeboat. The “jumping in” is done via faith.

Without faith, we drown.

Contemporary mainstream Christianity has gotten really good at emphasizing this.

The message we are used to hearing is this: Do NOT focus on works. Works don’t save you. Focus on who you are in Jesus Christ. You’re saved by grace, through faith, so just focus on having faith and resting in the grace of God.

Is this a true statement? Yes.

But it’s often distorted.

It is entirely true that we cannot be saved by works. We can’t earn our way to Heaven. That is made clear again and again throughout all of the New Testament.

Anyone who teaches you that works are what get us into Heaven is wrong.

But the contemporary church has leaned so heavily into emphasizing grace that the practical side of our faith is often overlooked.

That brings us to our first question:

What do Works Have to do With Faith?

James tells us that faith without works is dead.

Here’s the deal: works are like a thermometer that measures the health of our faith.

When you’re sick, you often take your temperature.

For instance, I woke up in the middle of the night just a few days ago. I felt like I was radiating heat. This isn’t normal for me, so I got up to take my temperature.

My temperature was normal. This was strong evidence that I wasn’t sick.

Similarly, your works are a thermometer for your faith. Works don’t get you into right standing with God, but they do show evidence that you have saving faith.

That’s why James was telling his readers that faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

True saving faith in Christ will result in works. Are these works perfect? Absolutely not! And even the strongest and most mature of Christians can go through “cold seasons” where their works are diminished.

But all those who have true faith will show works.

You cannot have faith without works – they’re a packaged deal. Works originate from faith, and faith will always result in works of some kind.

If you have no works at all, then it’s very possible that you don’t really have saving faith.

This is why James wrote these words to his readers. It is possible to go through life supposing that you have true saving faith, when in reality you lack it. You can be deceived.

This is a harsh truth that is not spoken of much in churches today.

We’re living in an age where a mere one-time profession of faith – a prayer, baptism, etc. – is taken as an undisputable sign of salvation. Even if the person who once professed faith in Christ shows absolutely no evidence of works, he or she is assured of salvation.

But this is incorrect. All those with saving faith will bear works. We should be very concerned for those who claim to be Christian but live exactly like those who don’t know God.

What are Works, Exactly?

James gives us a specific example of “works” in the passage. How he does it is rather interesting: he gives us an example of a failure to do a work. 

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? [James 2:15-16, ESV]

From this, it can be seen that one of the foremost works which ought to be present in a Christian’s life is generosity. Are you generous with your finances and resources? Are you generous with your time?

Open generosity is a hallmark of the Christian life.

But is generosity the only kind of work there is? Not at all. If we jump over to Galatians, we can read an entire list of the “fruits of the Spirit.” These include:

  • Love
  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Patience
  • Kindness
  • Goodness
  • Faithfulness
  • Gentleness
  • Self-control

This is a large list!

Indeed, if we wanted to get out a notebook and write down all of the possible works that could be done as a result of saving faith, there wouldn’t be enough notebooks in all the world to contain the writing.

My point is this: “works” are not specific actions that fit into certain categories. Rather, works are the overflowing of faith.

Whatever good thing is done in faith is a “work.”

But that’s the key phrase: whatever good thing is done in faith.

Just as faith does not fail to produce genuine works, genuine works cannot occur without faith. They’re a packaged deal. They’re two sides of the same coin.

Without faith, it is impossible for us to please God (Heb. 11:6). But if we have faith, every good work we do out of that faith is pleasing to Him. Having true faith flips the entire paradigm on its head.

If we don’t have faith, we won’t please God and we won’t do any truly good works, even if we’re a model citizen. You see, there are men and women in this world who are upstanding people. They help their neighbors, donate to charity, volunteer at shelters, and provide a place of safety for others.

They never break the law and they are what everyone else would consider “moral people.”

Yet if they do not do these things out of a sincere faith in God, then their works are still not “good” in the sense that God requires them to be. They’re doing good works by human standards, but they still do not please God.

But if we do have faith, we will please God and we will do good works, even if we’re still struggling mightily against serious sin issues.

Works are those things that we do because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

What if I Don’t Have Any Works in My Life?

This is a question that every Christian will likely ask at some point in their walk with the Lord. Some may ask it rather frequently.

There are also many people who consider themselves Christians, yet aren’t truly saved… and they may ask this question as well.

So what gives? What if I look at my life and I see no evidence of faith-based works?

If this is you, then congrats: you’re the reason why James wrote this particular piece of Scripture. You see, Scripture is filled with wake-up calls designed to shake us out of complacency. How can we grow if we don’t know there’s a problem?

For this question, I’ll handle two cases: (1) – the person who is a genuine believer, but fears that he or she doesn’t have works, and (2) – the person who isn’t truly a believer.

1 – If you’re Truly a Christian

If you sincerely believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, and you’ve confessed that with your mouth, then you’re a true believer. You have true faith.

But sometimes you doubt.

Perhaps you’re going through a season of life where your works are not showing like they ought to be. At this point, I would prompt you to ask a question: have I ever been in a place where I was truly living for God?

It’s so easy for many of us to go through hot seasons and cold seasons. One month, we’re reading our Bibles diligently, praying regularly, and sharing the love of Christ with our friends, family, and neighbors.

Another month, we’re cold. We’re burned out. We’re still there; we still believe and we still follow Christ, but it’s harder. The fire seems to have gone out of us.

If that’s you, and the “fire” seems to have gone out, then it’s very likely that you’re not showing as many works as you did were when you were crazy for God. This may cause you concern.

I know, because I’ve been there. I’ve experienced this.

One thing you should know is this: every Christian goes through ups and downs. 2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to be ready both in season and out of season. Just like trees, plants, etc., we will experience times when we’re bearing fruit left and right, and times when our fruit may be much more limited.

But we will always be held to Jesus Christ. Always.

If you’re walking through a spot in your faith right now where things just aren’t as bright as they used to be, then the best thing to do is call out to the Lord.

Call upon Him in faith, and He will hear you. Get regularly into the Word, even if it’s difficult for you to do so.

You know, there is a certain aspect of the Christian faith that is about discipline.

Getting into the Word will not always be easy. Prayer will sometimes be tough; you may need to fight tooth and nail for every moment. Even being around God’s people may not always be what you truly desire to do.

But do these things anyway. Obey, even if you don’t feel like doing so. Take the steps of obedience in faith, even when it feels mechanical and legalistic.

In all relationships, there are seasons where love involves a lot of intentional action and not much good feeling. Ask any married couple who’s been married for longer than a few years, and they’ll tell you that love is not merely about feelings.

It’s the same in our walk with God. It’s not always about feelings. It’s about loving Him and keeping His commandments in faith. We don’t do this to enter Heaven; we do this because our love for Him compels us to do so.

Obey, Believer, even if things feel tough. Stay in the Word and in community, even if these things are incredibly difficult for you.

2- If You’re Not a Christian

If you’re not a Christian, there’s one thing that you should do today: call on the name of the Lord.

Call upon Him in faith, trusting yourself fully to Him. Have you ever done that before? I know that many people have “prayed and asked Jesus into their hearts,” yet come away from the experience no different than before.

I was one of them.

When I was nine, I was led to ask Jesus into my heart. Yet my life did not change. I did not feel different; there was no sense in which my desires or affections changed.

Many of my friends have been this way as well. There was a time in their life – perhaps at church camp, during Sunday services, or at a youth rally – when they repeated the “prayer of salvation.”

Yet many of them saw no change in their lives. There was no change in how they talked, dressed, walked, and otherwise conducted themselves.

None whatsoever.

Why is this?

It’s because their profession of faith was never truly theirs. They professed Christ as Lord, but they didn’t really have faith in Him! It was the same with me. When I asked Jesus into my heart, I did not truly have faith in Him.

It wasn’t until some years later, when I went through a tough time in my life, that I called upon the Lord out of genuine faith.

That is when I was saved and made His.

Today, dear reader, you have within your hands a decision to make: are you going to call upon the Lord in faith, or will you let it slide? You can put this off; you can say that you’ve got the next 10, 20, or 30 years to live it up.

But do you really?

We are not guaranteed tomorrow, let alone ten or twenty more years in this world. The safest, most rational thing you can do is to entrust yourself right now to the Lord Jesus. The safest and best thing you can possibly do is to give your life to Him.

And make no mistake – He wants your entire life.

Jesus wants your finances, your desires, your talents, your actions. He wants all of you. Jesus came and died for you, so that you could be made righteous in the sight of God. There is no other way but Him.

For more in-depth information about who Jesus is and how you can become a child of His, please visit this page.

Closing

As I draw this to a close, remember that – above all – God wants your everything. He wants your efforts, strength, desires, and your faith.

And your faith, if it is genuine, will produce good works.

Works are not what earns our way into Heaven, but they are an indicator that you possess the faith that will save you. Come before the Lord and ask Him to increase your faith, and to increase your love and joy and satisfaction in Him. It is His greatest desire that we would draw near to Him in faith and conform our lives to what He wants.

Let us press forward, doing good works for the Kingdom, earnestly desiring to strive hard after God.

God bless!

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