The New Testament is clear that there is an inseparable bond between faith and works. Faith lays the foundation of our spiritual journey. We manifest our true beliefs through our works of faith. We are justified before God by these actions. It is not enough to say we believe. We must prove it with corresponding works.
James 2:14-24 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 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. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
A dead faith will not get you to Heaven.
Works that must accompany our faith are acts of obedience, words and acts of grace, words and acts of mercy, compassion, and the love of God.
When we receive salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit inside us. We become God’s house swept clean of all evil, and our lives should become an ever-growing expression of God’s love.
Matthew 12:43-45 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
The Holy Spirit immediately begins to work in our hearts changing how we think, speak, and behave. He changes our desires and gives us a hunger and thirst for God that causes us to desire Him and His ways.
However, when we refuse to change, desiring our old life, denying God’s right to be master over His own house, our justification is incomplete. God’s new house is a house divided. The kingdom of God within you is divided. Instead of Jesus being king, our selfishness is king. If we continue, our salvation is eventually forfeited. Claiming salvation without works of repentance results in spiritual death.
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
Luke 16:6-9 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.”
In this parable, we are the fig tree. Jesus is the vineyard’s keeper. The man seeking fruit is the Father. We see from this parable that the Lord Jesus advocates on our behalf with the Father. He asks Him for more time to help us change and repent. This allows us to bear the fruit of the Kingdom of God in our lives.
John 15:5-6 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If we hold on to our old life, we will lose it. If our words and actions remain carnal and selfish, there will be no evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life. When we meet the Lord, He will be forced to say, “I never knew you.”
Matthew 16:24-25Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Our journey of faith is not merely about receiving salvation. It is about cultivating a life that reflects the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts and lives must be in alignment with God’s will, producing the fruits of righteousness that He desires. As we abide in Christ, allowing Him to shape and guide us, we ensure that our faith is not in vain. By denying ourselves and following Jesus, we embrace the fullness of life He promises, avoiding spiritual rebellion and eternal separation from Him
If we confess Jesus as our Lord but never demonstrate that love, there no longer remains anything God can do. There is no salvation without acts of repentance. God gave us the ability to say NO to HIM! He will never violate that right.
Repentance is the act of faith that demonstrates our belief in Jesus Christ. However, if we refuse to change and turn from our old lifestyle, sinning willfully, we insult (Blaspheme) the Holy Spirit. We commit the unpardonable sin.
Hebrews 10:26-31 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The Unpardonable Sin
We cannot accept Jesus as our Savior and not honor Him as Lord and King. If we remain Lord of our lives after our initial confession of faith, the Kingdom of God in our hearts is divided, and IT WILL NOT STAND.
Matthew 12:25b-26 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
It is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit within us to say, “I am a Christian” and have no expression of Christ in our lives. This is a dead faith and a reproach on Christ.
Matthew 12:31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Only a professing Christian can commit the unpardonable sin.
Our faith requires more than a mere verbal confession; it demands a life surrendered to Christ, reflecting His love and lordship. By abiding in Him, denying ourselves, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit, we honor God and are justified in His sight.
Our actions must eventually align with our professed faith or we commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is a dead faith, without works, and without justification.
JESUS IS COMING!
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