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PART I: THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER
CHAPTER 8
CORRESPONDING ACTIONS
Introduction
New Testament faith is not complete without actions that
correspond to the Word of God. James, in writing to Jewish
believers, describes biblical faith as that which produces Godly
action:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man
be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to
wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart
all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For
if any be a hearer of the word, and not a
doer, he is like unto a man beholding his
natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was. But
whoso looketh into the perfect law of
liberty, and continueth therein, he being not
a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,
this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James
1:19-25).
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be
judged by the law of liberty. For he shall
have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed
no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against
judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith, and have not
works? can faith save him? 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. 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. Thou believest
that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without
works is dead? 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? 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. Ye see then how that by works a man
is justified, and not by faith only.
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot
justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and had sent them out another
way? For as the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without works is dead also.
(James 2:12-26).
Weymouth translates James 2:14 as,
What good is it, my brethren, if a man
professes to have faith, and yet his actions
do not correspond? Can such faith save him?
(James 2:14, Weymouth New Testament in Modern
Speech).
Hearing the Word
One should hear the Word of God with the heart (Luke 8:18).
He should be quick to hear (James 1:19) and he should hear
constantly (James 1:25):
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear
unto my sayings. Let them not depart from
thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine
heart. For they are life unto those that
find them, and health to all their flesh.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of
it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:20-
23).
One should hear the Word of God alone, for this is the only
way one can be saved (Romans 10: 17). The Apostle Peter states
that we have been
... born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the word of God, which
liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23).
However, not everyone has heard the Word of God and has
faith:
And that we may be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have
not faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:2).
One must beware of substitutes for God's Word such as
traditions of men:
Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ. (Colossians
2:8).
But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye
also transgress the commandment of God by
your tradition? For God commanded, saying,
Honour thy father and mother: and, He that
curseth father or mother, let him die the
death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to
his father or his mother, It is a gift, by
whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
And honour not his father or his mother, he
shall be free. Thus have ye made the
commandment of God of none effect by your
tradition. (Matthew 15:3-6).
Doctrines of demons are other dangerous substitutes for
God's Word:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1).
Saying the Word
It is essential to speak only the Word of God. To do
otherwise, is to side with the enemy, even if it is
unintentional.
Doing the Word
According to the passage in James quoted above, the
believer's actions must correspond with his faith. Since faith
is based solely on the Word of God, the believer's actions must
necessarily correspond with the Word of God. Works complete or
perfect faith. Jesus teaches essentially the same message as
James at the end of the Sermon on the Mount:
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was founded upon a
rock. And every one that heareth these
sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand: And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great
was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27).
If one hears and does, he has New Testament faith. If one hears
and does not do, then there are at least three possibilities: (1)
truth has been rejected or (2) one has mental assent instead of
faith or (3) one has genuine faith but is not exercising it. In
all three possibilities, one is acting on false information.
By having actions that correspond with our faith, our faith
is perfected or completed. When we act in line with God's Word,
we release our faith and God is able to answer our prayers.
END