Participants:
Series Code: TAM
Program Code: TAM000020S
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00:30 Let's pray. Father, what a wonderful day
00:35 that this has been. 00:37 We've felt Your presence, and we know that Your presence will be 00:41 with us today as we study this very important subject 00:45 about the faith of Jesus. 00:48 We ask, Father, that You will instruct us. 00:52 Help us to understand the balance between the commandments 00:56 of God, and faith in Jesus. 00:59 And we thank You Father, for hearing our prayer, 01:02 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, Amen. 01:07 I'd like to begin by reading Revelation 14:12. 01:15 This is the concluding verse of the third angel's message, 01:19 and it says this: 01:25 We already studied the patience of the saints. 01:32 Which was the last subject that we studied. 01:39 Now I need to tell you that that final phrase of the third 01:44 angel's message is translated differently in the diverse 01:51 versions of the Bible. 01:52 There are some versions that translate, who have the faith of 01:59 Jesus, and there are others who translate, 02:02 those who have faith in Jesus. 02:05 In fact, if you looked at the number of Bible versions 02:09 that are available today, you would find that they're 02:12 about equally divided, as far as the correct 02:15 translation is concerned: faith of Jesus, or faith in Jesus. 02:21 I personally believe, as we study along, that the proper 02:26 way of translating this phrase is faith in Jesus. 02:31 Here are those who keep the commandments of God, 02:34 and have faith in Jesus. 02:37 You see, we're going to find that there is a balance between 02:41 keeping the commandments of God, 02:42 and having faith in Jesus Christ. 02:46 Now if you were actually driving down a road, and it was snowing 02:53 very, very hard, and the road was slippery, and on both sides 02:58 of the road you had very deep ditches, which of those two 03:02 ditches would you rather fall into? 03:04 Would it be the left ditch, or would it be the right ditch? 03:08 I'm sure you're thinking, we wouldn't want to fall into 03:12 either the left or the right ditch. 03:14 Well, it's not any better to fall in the right ditch 03:19 or the left ditch, or vice versa, because in both cases 03:24 you're off the main road. 03:26 And in the same way, we're going to notice in our study today, 03:29 that there are those who emphasize the commandments of 03:33 God, but they don't emphasize faith in Jesus. 03:37 And there are those who emphasize faith in Jesus, 03:40 but they want to discard the commandments of God. 03:44 But Revelation 14:12 has a perfect balance: 03:48 a balance between faith and works, a perfect balance 03:54 between law and grace. 03:56 And, by the way, I must say that the Greek construction 04:02 of the expression, the faith of Jesus, or the faith in Jesus, 04:07 is actually written in such a way that either 04:12 translation is allowable. 04:14 grammatically either translation is allowable. 04:18 But once again, I believe that the correct translation is, 04:22 those who have faith in Jesus. 04:26 You see, we're going to find that there are two dangers 04:29 that Christians face: One danger is to emphasize faith 04:34 to the exclusion of works, and the other danger is to emphasize 04:41 grace at the expense of law. 04:44 Actually, both need to go together, 04:49 and that's why the third angel's message mentions both. 04:52 They keep the commandments of God, 04:54 and they have faith in Jesus. 04:59 Now there are two ditches that we need to be careful about. 05:02 The first ditch, which we will call the right ditch, 05:06 is what is called legalism. 05:10 It's the idea that you can be saved by keeping 05:13 the commandments of God. 05:15 That you can be saved by your works. 05:17 Now we find several examples of this very dangerous ditch 05:23 on the right hand side of the road in Scripture. 05:26 The first example that I would like us to notice is the story 05:30 of a rich young ruler. 05:32 This story is found in Matthew 19. 05:35 I'm not going to read the whole story. 05:38 I'm going to tell you the first part of it. 05:40 A rich young ruler comes to Jesus and says, What do I need 05:44 to do to have eternal life? 05:46 This young man wants eternal life. 05:48 And I want you to notice what Jesus had to say to him. 05:54 Matthew 19, beginning with verse 17. 06:11 What kind of life was Jesus talking about when He said, 06:14 If you want to enter into life? eternal life. 06:16 Because the young man said that he wanted eternal life. 06:19 So Jesus says, If you want eternal life, 06:21 what do you need to do? 06:23 You need to keep the commandments, verse 18. 06:41 By the way, that one is not one of the last six. 06:44 Instead of the one that says, Thou shalt not covet, 06:47 Jesus puts in, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 06:50 Because loving your neighbor is the opposite of covetousness. 06:54 It's the positive way of putting the commandment that says, 06:57 Thou shalt not covet. 06:59 Now when the young man hears this he's pretty excited. 07:04 Notice what we find in verse 20. 07:07 The young man said to Him, All these things I have 07:10 kept from my youth. 07:12 In other words, I am a commandment keeper. 07:14 I'm ready to receive eternal life. 07:17 But he says, What do I still lack? 07:23 That, by the way, means complete. 07:26 If you want to be complete, or perfect, 07:44 Let me ask you, Was this young man really keeping 07:47 the commandments of God? 07:48 No, he was externally keeping them. 07:52 He was keeping them according to the letter, but his service 07:56 was a service that did not come out of love. 07:58 In other words, it did not have the motivation of faith. 08:02 It did not have the motivation of love. 08:04 Therefore his commandment keeping was only external. 08:08 Question: Will external commandment keeping 08:12 give you eternal life? 08:15 The Bible says no. 08:17 This young man did not receive eternal life, because he did not 08:22 love his neighbor as himself. 08:24 Externally he kept the commandments of God, 08:26 but those commandments were not kept through a motivation 08:31 of faith in the heart. 08:34 Let's notice another story that illustrates the idea that you 08:38 can be saved by your works. 08:40 Notice the story of the Pharisee and the publican 08:45 in Luke 18:9-14, Luke 18:9-14. 09:03 Did these people feel like they were really law keepers? 09:05 They most certainly did. 09:07 They felt pretty righteous. 09:09 Notice what it continues saying. 09:10 Here Jesus is going to tell the story. 09:24 Interesting, he didn't pray to God, he prayed with himself. 09:38 In other words, I thank You that I'm a commandment keeper, 09:41 and I don't break the commandments like these. 09:51 Notice the contrast. 10:10 By the say, that means forgiven. 10:22 Were these individuals really commandment keepers? No. 10:26 Did they keep the commandments externally? 10:29 Did they appear to have good works? 10:32 Were they keeping the Sabbath, and were they tithing, 10:35 and were they fasting, and not eating certain things? 10:38 Most certainly! But that was not true commandment keeping, 10:43 because it did not come from a changed heart. 10:46 It did not come as a result of faith. 10:49 So external keeping of the commandments will not do it 10:52 unless the inward motivation of faith is there. 10:56 We have another story. 10:58 The story of the prodigal son. 11:00 Do you remember the story of the prodigal son? 11:02 We usually emphasize the son that left home and came back, 11:05 but there was an older son in that story. 11:07 You know, when his brother came back smelling like swine, 11:12 because he worked among the swine? 11:14 His father called a party, and killed the fatted calf, 11:18 and called all the friends and relatives together to celebrate 11:21 the return of the son. 11:23 And the older son hears that his brother has come back, 11:25 and he's filled with anger. 11:28 And notice what he says to his father in Luke 15, 11:31 beginning with verse 29. 11:49 Did he claim to be a law keeper? 11:51 Why did he keep his father's law? 11:53 Because he loved his father, or because he wanted to earn 11:58 the favor of his father? 12:00 It's because he wanted to earn his father's favor. 12:02 It was not an obedience to the commandments 12:05 that came from the heart. And so he says: 12:20 He doesn't even say my brother. He says: 12:31 Are you catching the spirit of what it means to claim 12:34 to keep the commandments of God, 12:35 but with the wrong motivation? 12:37 not with faith, works without faith? 12:41 Trying to justify yourself by your works without the 12:44 motivation of faith and love from your heart. 12:48 I want you to notice also another parable that Jesus told. 12:51 The famous parable of the vineyard workers. 12:54 It's found in Matthew 20, Matthew 20. 12:58 The Bible says that the owner of the vineyard went out several 13:03 times during the day. 13:04 He went out at 6 in the morning, then he went back at 9, 13:07 and then at noon, then he went at 3 in the afternoon, 13:10 5 in the afternoon, to find workers, because he needed 13:12 all the time more workers for his vineyard. 13:15 Finally, at 6 o'clock pay time came. 13:19 There were some individuals who had worked twelve hours. 13:22 There were others who had worked nine. 13:24 Some had worked six, some had worked three, 13:27 and some had only worked one. 13:29 And when pay time came, the owner of the vineyard 13:32 paid them all the same. 13:34 And those who worked more, notice what they 13:38 said in Matthew 20:10. 13:48 So they worked in order to get what? in order to get more, 13:53 Not because they wanted simply to work out of grace, 13:57 they were working because they felt that if they worked 14:01 they deserved more. And so it says: 14:45 So you'll notice that working in God's vineyard does not earn 14:50 more for some than for others. 14:52 They're all paid salvation by God's grace, not by the work 14:59 that they performed, not by what they earned. 15:02 Now it's interesting to notice the motivation that led the 15:06 Pharisees to obey God and to keep His law. 15:10 Notice Matthew 6:1, 2, 5, Matthew 6:1, 2, 5. 15:18 Here Jesus says: Take heed that you do not do your charitable 15:24 deeds before men with what motivation? to be what? 15:29 to be seen by them. 15:32 Why did the Pharisees do their works? to be what? 15:35 to be seen by them. 15:37 Otherwise you have no reward, from your Father in heaven. 15:41 Verse 2: Therefore when you do a charitable deed, do not sound 15:46 a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues 15:52 and in the streets, that they may what? have glory from men. 15:57 Assuredly, I say to you, They have their reward. 16:01 Notice verse 5: And when you pray, you shall not be like the 16:05 hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues 16:10 and on the corners of the streets, that they 16:13 may be seen by men. 16:15 Assuredly, I say to you, They have their reward. 16:19 Why did the Pharisees perform their works? 16:21 Why did they keep the law? 16:23 Was it because it came from their hearts, 16:26 because they loved God? 16:27 Because they had faith in God? Absolutely not. 16:30 They kept the commandments externally because they wanted 16:34 to be seen by men, and they wanted God to recognize them, 16:38 and save them, because they were keeping 16:41 the commandments of God. 16:42 That is what is called legalism. 16:45 So if you emphasize only the commandments of God, 16:48 to the exclusion of faith, you have what? you have legalism. 16:53 And, by the way, do you know that Jesus says that we're 16:56 supposed to do good works to be seen by men? 16:58 You say, Well now, wait a minute! 17:00 Didn't we just read that the Pharisees 17:02 stood in public places? 17:04 They blew the trumpet so that they could be seen; 17:06 their works could be seen by men? Yes. 17:08 But Jesus said that our works should be seen by men. 17:11 But I want you to notice the difference. 17:13 Matthew 5:16, Matthew 5:16. 17:20 Let your light so shine before men, that they may what? 17:26 see your good works... 17:29 That's the same as what the Pharisees. 17:33 You know, they wanted their good works to be seen. 17:36 But Jesus says that they may see your good works and what? 17:40 and glorify your Father in heaven. 17:44 There's the difference. 17:45 You see the Pharisees kept the law because they wanted 17:48 to be seen by men, because they wanted to earn God's salvation 17:52 by showing how good they were. 17:54 Jesus says, You cannot be saved by keeping the commandments. 17:58 You cannot be saved simply because you follow 18:02 externally a list of rules. 18:05 I want you to notice Matthew 23: 25-28. 18:11 We're still dealing with the first ditch, 18:12 the right hand ditch. 18:14 The ditch that has to do with the idea that you can keep 18:16 God's law, God will save you, and human beings will recognize 18:21 your greatness because of all of the good things that you do. 18:31 What's a hypocrite? 18:33 It's someone who appears to be one thing, when inside they are 18:38 what? they're another. So He says: 18:44 The what? There it is: 19:32 So what was the problem of the Pharisees, 19:35 the problem of the Jews? 19:36 They claimed to keep God's law, to keep God's commandments, 19:41 but they did not have love. 19:43 They did not have faith. 19:45 They had the wrong motivation. 19:47 They wanted glory for themselves. 19:50 They wanted God to save them because of the good works that 19:55 they were performing. 19:56 But folks, there's another ditch. 19:58 It's the left hand ditch. 20:01 It's called antinomianism. 20:04 You say, What is antinomianism? 20:06 It's the idea that you can be saved, and you don't have to 20:10 keep the commandments. 20:11 In other words, one side of the ditch is where people say, 20:15 I'm saved by my works, and the motivation 20:18 of faith is not there. 20:20 On the other side you have those who say, I'm saved by grace, 20:24 through faith, and my works don't matter at all. 20:27 Keeping the law is unnecessary, because Jesus kept the law 20:31 for me, or because the law was nailed to the cross, 20:34 or because the law was meant for the Jews. 20:37 Are you understanding the other side of the spectrum? 20:40 And there are texts, primarily from the writings of the apostle 20:44 Paul, that antinomians love to use. 20:47 For example, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 2:16. 20:55 Here the apostle Paul says: 21:01 This is important. 21:28 So the apostle Paul says, By the works of the law no one 21:32 will be what? no one will be justified. 21:35 And so some Christians say, See, you don't need to have any 21:38 works, because the apostle Paul says that you're not 21:40 justified by works. 21:42 But we need to read carefully what the apostle Paul is saying. 21:45 He's not saying that good works are not necessary, 21:48 he's saying that we cannot be justified, 21:51 or saved by those good works. 21:53 He's not talking about works that come as a result of 21:57 salvation, he's talking about works that are performed 22:01 with the intention of God saving us. 22:04 In fact another favorite text is Galatians 5:4, where the apostle 22:10 Paul says to the Galatians, 22:25 So some people, they say, See, the apostle Paul says that we 22:28 don't have to have good works. 22:30 We don't have to keep the law. 22:31 All that we have to do is believe in Jesus. 22:33 All we have to do is have faith and we're justified; 22:37 no works necessary. 22:39 But what they don't do is continue reading 22:41 there in Galatians 5. 22:43 You see, after the apostle Paul says these words that I just 22:46 read in Galatians 5:4, You have become estranged from Christ, 22:50 you who attempt to be justified by law; 22:53 you have fallen from grace. 22:55 The apostle Paul continues in the same chapter talking about 22:58 the fruit of the Spirit. 23:00 Those are not works that we perform for God to save us, 23:05 those are works that are performed once God has saved us. 23:09 They are the fruit of salvation. 23:11 They are the result of having faith in Jesus Christ. 23:15 They don't save us, but they show that we're saved. 23:18 In fact, notice Galatians 5: 16-26. 23:22 The apostle Paul says, 23:47 Does the law condemn those who are guided by the Holy Spirit? 23:51 Absolutely not. Now notice verse 19. 24:20 Does the apostle Paul have a lot of bad things to say about 24:22 all this list of sins? 24:24 Those who commit these sins, are they led by the Holy Spirit? 24:27 Is the apostle Paul saying that those who have been saved 24:31 should be led by the Spirit, and they should no longer 24:33 practice these things? 24:34 In Galatians 5, the very same chapter, 24:37 notice what he continues saying here at the end of this verse. 24:41 He continues saying, verse 21: 25:00 Does God expect a change in the life? 25:04 Does he expect us to forsake these sins? 25:07 In the same chapter where he says that if you think that you 25:10 can be justified by law, you've fallen from grace. 25:14 Then he says, but if you've been justified by grace, 25:17 you will produce in your life the fruit of the Spirit, 25:20 and you will not continue to practice these sins. 25:24 Is he balanced in his view? 25:26 He most certainly is. 25:27 He believes in the commandments of God. 25:29 He also believes in what? faith in Jesus. 25:33 Now notice what he continues saying in verse 22. 25:52 Let me ask you, Have you ever seen a law against peace? 25:55 Anybody ever seen a law against love? 25:59 Anybody ever seen a law against kindness, 26:03 or a law against self-control? Absolutely not. 26:08 You see, those who live according to the Spirit, 26:11 there is no law that condemns them. 26:13 Those who practice the list of sins that we noticed here 26:17 will not inherit eternal life because they do not have 26:22 the fruit of the Spirit that flows from their 26:24 conversion experience. Notice verse 24: 26:31 Including all of the works that we read... 26:44 Did the apostle Paul believe in good works? 26:46 Did he believe in keeping the law of God? Yes. 26:48 But as the fruit of salvation, not as the cause of salvation. 26:54 Now there's some other texts that people who are against 26:56 the law use; people who say, Ah, it's only grace. 26:59 It's only faith. You don't have to worry about works. 27:02 You don't have to worry about the law. 27:04 Let's notice some of those verses, and then also notice 27:07 the context that we find immediately after those 27:10 declarations by Paul. Romans 3:28. 27:22 So man is what? justified by what? by faith apart from 27:28 the deeds of the law. 27:29 So some Christians conclude; they say, See, we don't need 27:32 the law anymore, because it says we're justified by faith 27:35 apart from the deeds of the law. 27:37 Unfortunately, they don't read just three verses farther down. 27:40 Notice verse 31: 27:51 Let me ask you, Is there room for faith and the law? 27:55 According to Paul, yes. 27:57 He says, We don't do away with the law by faith, 28:00 we establish the law. 28:02 Even though we're not justified by the law, 28:04 we establish the law by faith. 28:07 Another favorite passage by those who say that you don't 28:10 have to keep the law; you don't need works. Romans 5:20. 28:23 So some people say, See, where there's lots of sin, 28:27 there's lots of grace. 28:29 So lets sin a lot so that there's lots of grace. 28:32 Unfortunately, they don't read Romans 6:1, 2 right below that. 28:38 The apostle Paul knew that they were going to use 28:41 this verse in this way. 28:42 And so he says in verse 1 of chapter 6: 28:46 What shall we say then? 28:48 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 28:53 Did he know somebody was going misuse that statement, 28:56 that where sin abounded, grace would much more abound? 29:00 He sure knew that that was going to be misused. 29:02 So he says, What shall we say then? 29:04 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! 29:08 How shall we, who died to sin, live any longer in it? 29:14 Is that clear? Another favorite text, and this is the all time 29:18 favorite, is Romans 6:14. It says there: 29:31 And so people say, See, you Adventists, you're under the law 29:35 because you think you have to keep the commandments. 29:37 But we are under grace. 29:39 Unfortunately, they don't read the next verse. 29:42 Notice what the apostle Paul says: 30:07 Let me ask you, Being under grace, does that excuse us 30:12 trampling upon God's holy law? 30:15 Does that excuse us from sin? 30:17 Of course it doesn't, according to the apostle Paul himself. 30:20 So when Paul give a controversial statement, 30:24 immediately he balances it off, and he says, Listen, just 30:28 because you're under grace doesn't mean that you can 30:30 trample upon the law. 30:31 Just because where sin abounded, grace abounds all the more, 30:35 doesn't mean that you can disobey God's law. 30:37 Just because you're justified by faith without works of law, 30:40 doesn't mean that you get rid of the law, you establish the law. 30:44 is what the apostle Paul has to say. 30:45 You see, the apostle Paul knew that there were going to be some 30:49 people who would have a disdain for the law of God. 30:54 They would profess Godliness, but they would not be concerned 30:58 about their life, which means that they 31:01 really don't have faith. 31:02 They really don't have the inward motivation of love. 31:05 Notice Titus 1:16, Titus 1:16. 31:10 Here it's speaking about a certain group of individuals 31:13 who claim to be Christians. 31:19 So are these Christians? Yeah. 31:30 In their what they deny Him? 31:31 They profess one thing, 31:45 Is the apostle Paul balanced here? 31:47 Is he saying that if you profess Jesus, 31:50 your works should demonstrate it? Absolutely. 31:53 Notice 1 John 2:3, 4. 31:55 We read this in our last study together. 1 John 2:3, 4. 32:17 Is this the correct balance? 32:20 It most certainly is. 32:22 See, there's a group of people who say, I know Him, 32:24 and I don't have to keep the commandments. 32:26 There are others who say, I keep the commandments, 32:29 but they don't know Him. 32:31 The key is to know Him, and keep His commandments; 32:35 to have faith and trust in Him and to keep His commandments. 32:38 Notice also, Jesus spoke about people who claim to be 32:42 Christians, but whose works show that they trample 32:45 upon the law of God. 32:46 Matthew 7:21, Matthew 7:21. 32:54 Are those Christians if they say, Lord, Lord? Absolutely! 33:16 And what is Jesus going to say? 33:18 Oh yeah, you were mine, because you said you were mine. 33:20 No, notice verse 23. 33:34 What was their problem? 33:35 They claimed to follow Jesus, but what did 33:37 they do with the law? 33:39 They trampled on the law of God. 33:41 And so you have these two ditches: you have the ditch of 33:45 those who say that they can be saved by keeping the law, 33:48 and you have the ditch of those who say that they can be saved 33:52 by faith without any works, or without obeying God's holy law. 33:58 What do we need to do to stay on the road? 34:02 The fact is that there is a perfect balance between 34:06 faith and works, grace and the law. 34:09 Let's notice several of those verses. 34:12 Go with me to John 15:8. Here Jesus says: 34:24 That's the fruit of the Spirit. 34:29 How is it that we show that we're Christ's disciples? 34:32 by bearing what? much fruit! 34:36 Not the works of the flesh, but fruit. 34:39 Now a favorite passage of those who believe that the law was 34:42 nailed to the cross, and Christians don't have to keep 34:44 the law, and works aren't really that important, 34:47 is Ephesians 2:8, 9. 34:49 Notice what it says: 34:50 For by grace you have been saved through faith; 34:54 and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 34:58 Not of works, lest anyone should boast. 35:02 Does the apostle Paul say clearly that we cannot be saved 35:05 by our works in these verses? 35:07 He absolutely makes it clear. 35:08 We cannot be saved by our works. 35:10 He explicitly says that it is the gift of God: Not of works, 35:16 lest anyone should boast. 35:17 The only problem is people don't read verse 10. 35:21 Does God expect good works from those who have been created new 35:25 in Jesus Christ? Absolutely! Notice verse 10: 35:33 See, we're in Christ Jesus when we receive Him as our Savior, 35:37 and we're baptized. And so it says: 35:48 See, God is the one who does the works in us. 35:55 Now the passage that I especially want to dwell on 35:59 for quite an extensive period of time, is the passage 36:03 that we find in James 2. 36:05 See, people love to quote the apostle Paul, but when it comes 36:09 to James they kind of want to shuffle that one under the rug. 36:12 Now lets notice James 2:14-24. 36:17 Here you will find the balance between faith in Jesus, 36:21 and keeping the commandments. 36:23 You see, the end time generation, folks, is not going 36:26 to legalistically keep the commandments. 36:28 They're not going to keep the Sabbath legalistically 36:31 like the Jews did. No. 36:32 They're going to keep the Sabbath because they have a 36:35 loving relationship with Jesus. 36:37 Because they have faith in Jesus, they're going to keep 36:40 the commandments of God, and also have faith in Jesus, 36:45 in perfect balance. 36:46 Notice James 2:14. 36:55 Notice that they don't really have faith. 37:02 Is it possible to say that you have faith and not have works? 37:05 Absolutely! He's saying that there are some people 37:09 that were that way. 37:16 Actually, in the Greek it says: Can this kind of faith save him? 37:20 A faith that is workless, can that kind of faith save him? 37:27 Verse 15. 37:47 In other words, faith alone... 37:50 And, by the way, this is the reason why Martin Luther did not 37:53 like the epistle of James. 37:55 In fact he called James the epistle of straw. 37:58 And if he'd had his way, he would have cut the epistle of 38:01 James out of the Bible. 38:04 Because Luther was fighting against the Roman Catholic 38:07 Church that taught that works, works, pilgrimages, you know, 38:11 work your way to heaven. 38:12 And so Martin Luther fought against that with everything 38:15 he had, just like Paul had fought against the Jews. 38:17 So he didn't understand how James could say that faith 38:21 without works is dead. And so he says: 38:32 You see, faith and works are a package deal. 38:35 You can't have one without the other. 38:39 You have to have both together. So he says: 38:57 How do we show our faith? 38:59 We show our faith by our works. 39:02 Let me ask you, Can we claim to have faith in Jesus 39:04 and live like the Devil? 39:06 We can claim it, and we can claim to be saved, 39:10 and watch what the world watches, and dress the way 39:13 the world dresses, and be entertained the way the world 39:16 is entertained, and do what the world does, and we can say, 39:19 I have faith. I'm a Christian. 39:21 But if your life doesn't change, if there are no works, 39:24 if you do not keep God's commandments out of love 39:27 for Him, it's a sham. 39:29 It's not a true relationship. 39:30 And so he says, Show me your faith without your works, 39:34 and I will show you my faith by my works. And then he says: 39:40 By the way, that word believe is the same word for faith 39:43 that is used throughout this passage. 39:52 So if you just believe that there's one God; 39:55 you know people say, Well, we all believe in the same God, 39:57 don't we? But it's a superficial belief. 40:01 It's a belief up here that God exists. 40:03 That's not going to save you. 40:04 Do you think the Devil believes that God exists? 40:06 He not only believes it, he knows it. 40:09 And so James is saying: 40:21 And then he's going to use Abraham. 40:23 See, this is what threw Martin Luther for a loop, 40:25 because Martin Luther said, Fide, sola fide: faith alone, 40:30 without works. And what does James say? 40:46 Really what is he saying? 40:48 Abraham was justified by a faith that works. 40:53 He's not saying that he was justified by works. 40:56 He's already said that you need faith and works together. 41:00 So he's saying, Don't you know that our father Abraham was 41:03 justified by a faith that works? 41:06 That's what he means. 41:07 And so he continues saying: 41:13 Did it take a lot of faith for Abraham to be willing to offer 41:17 his son on the altar? 41:18 How did Abraham show that he believed God when God said, 41:21 Go offer your son, and I'll spare him. 41:24 How did he show that he really believed God? by what he did. 41:28 His works proved that his faith was true. 41:31 And then it says in verse 22, Do you see that faith was what? 41:36 working together. You see, it's a package deal, 41:40 a faith that works. 41:41 And so it says, Do you see that faith was working together with 41:46 his works, and by works faith was made what? 41:49 perfect or complete. 41:51 So in order to have a complete saving relationship, 41:54 what do you need? A faith that what? that works. Verse 23. 42:16 When he says, by faith only, he's talking about faith is the 42:20 only thing you have, and you don't have works. 42:22 You cannot be justified by a faith that's alone, 42:25 because the true faith that justifies is a faith 42:29 that has works with it. 42:30 Are you understanding what I am saying? 42:32 He's not saying that you're saved by works, 42:34 like the Jews believed, by keeping the law. 42:37 He's saying that if you have faith, you will keep the law, 42:40 if you have the faith you will produce works. 42:43 In other words, works are the fruit of Salvation. 42:48 And so he says in verse 25: 42:56 By the way, according to the context, by a faith that works, 43:14 Let me ask you, What's more important? 43:15 the body, or the breath? 43:22 What's more important? a body less Spirit, 43:26 or a spiritless body? 43:27 They both have to go what? together in order for you to 43:33 have a living person. 43:35 In the same way, faith and works have to go together in order to 43:39 have a genuine living relationship with God. 43:43 You see, James and Paul are fighting against 43:46 two different enemies. 43:48 The apostle Paul is facing the enemy who says, 43:51 I'm saved by my works. 43:52 Paul says, No way, you're saved by faith. 43:55 And those that James is fighting against, they're saying, 43:59 We don't need to perform works. 44:02 And James is saying, Wait a minute! 44:04 If you had real faith, you would produce works. 44:07 In other words, James and Paul are not fighting each other. 44:10 They're fighting two different enemies 44:13 of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 44:15 Paul is saying how you are saved, and James is telling you 44:19 how a saved person lives. 44:21 In other words, Paul is talking about the root of our salvation. 44:26 James is talking about the fruit of our salvation. 44:30 So those in Paul's day needed to hear about grace. 44:34 Those in the days of James needed to hear about the law, 44:37 because of the error that they were teaching at that time. 44:42 You see, works for Paul and James, are defined differently. 44:47 See, for Paul works of law are evil works. 44:52 See, the expression, works of law, isn't talking about 44:56 good works at all. 44:57 Those are evil works, because works of law, by definition, 45:01 are works that somebody performs in order to manipulate 45:05 God into saving them, whereas works for James are good works 45:10 because they flow from a saving faith relationship with Jesus. 45:14 So, in other words, works for Paul and James 45:17 are defined differently. 45:18 Works for Paul are evil because those are actions that are 45:23 performed in order to earn salvation. 45:25 For James works are different. 45:27 Works are genuine fruits of faith that come from 45:31 my relationship with Jesus Christ. 45:34 By the way, Do you know that the apostle Paul also said 45:37 that we need a faith that works? 45:39 See, don't think that James is contradicting Paul. 45:43 Notice Galatians 5:6, Galatians 5:6. It says there: 46:04 So does the apostle Paul say that faith needs to work? 46:07 Yes, it needs to work through what? 46:10 It needs to work through love. 46:12 In other words, faith and works are like two sides of a coin. 46:17 Which side of the coin is more important? 46:19 Faith and works are like two oars of a row boat. 46:24 Let me ask you, Which oar is more important? 46:26 the right oar, or the left oar? 46:27 If you use the right oar, which is the oar of works, 46:32 you're going to go in circles to the left. 46:35 If you use the left oar, which is claiming to have faith, 46:39 but you don't have any works, you're going to go to the right. 46:42 In order to have a balanced, progressive Christian 46:45 experience, you have to have both oars working together. 46:49 Now listen up! Works are the visible manifestation of faith. 46:56 Did you catch that? 46:57 Works are the visible manifestation of faith. 47:02 And faith is the inward motivation for works. 47:06 In other words, we're not saved by faith alone. 47:12 We're not saved by works alone. 47:14 We're not saved by a combination of faith plus works. 47:19 We are saved by a faith that works. 47:24 And a faith that works is the only true, 47:27 genuine kind of faith. 47:30 He who says I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, 47:34 is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 47:41 Now I'd like to read several passages before we 47:44 draw this to a close, that show the balance between grace 47:48 and commandment keeping: Faith in Jesus and keeping 47:52 the commandments of God. 47:53 Titus 2:11-15. Listen to this: 48:00 The what? 48:06 What does the grace of God bring? 48:10 So the same people say, Oh, the wonderful grace of God! 48:13 It has nothing to do with the law or with works. Hold on. 48:16 The grace of God teaches us something. It says: 48:24 Grace teaches us something. 48:26 That we should do what? 48:38 Does grace have anything to teach us about 48:40 the way we behave? Most certainly. 48:48 Now notice this. This is Paul by the way. 49:05 Why did Jesus redeem us? so that we would be what? 49:08 zealous for good works. 49:10 Did the apostle Paul have a very high concept of good works, 49:14 and fruit of the Spirit? 49:15 He most certainly did. 49:17 He wasn't that individual that Christians claimed that he was. 49:20 That it's all about faith. 49:22 It's all about grace. 49:23 Your lifestyle doesn't matter. 49:25 The law doesn't matter. 49:26 You don't have to keep the commandments. 49:28 They were for the Jews. 49:30 They were nailed to the cross, and so on. 49:33 The apostle Paul is balanced in his theology. 49:36 Notice Titus 3:5-8, Titus 3:5-8. 50:05 And now notice the fruit. 50:07 He said, very clearly, that it's not by works of 50:10 righteousness that we've done. 50:12 He saved us by His mercy. 50:13 But then notice what He says in verse 7. 50:17 In other words, once we've been saved, 50:31 The word believed is the same word for faith. 50:42 So what happens when you're saved? 50:44 You will maintain what? good works. 50:47 By the way, it's interesting to notice that for each of the 50:51 seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus doesn't say, 50:57 He doesn't say, I know your faith. 51:01 What does He say? I know your what? 51:04 I know your works. 51:07 Now I want to read you an interesting statement that we 51:11 find in the book, Selected Messages, Volume 1, Page 373. 51:16 Listen to this: 51:48 But then she says: 51:56 Now I want to read you a statement that's found in the 52:00 same book, Volume 3, Page 172. 52:04 It's speaking specifically about this expression: 52:07 the faith of Jesus, and you're going to notice that the author 52:12 says that the best way to translate this 52:15 is faith in Jesus. 52:17 She explains what it means. 52:19 Notice what she says: 52:32 She's speaking about Seventh-day Adventists. 52:48 The gospel is that Jesus saves us apart from 52:50 works that we perform. 52:52 But then, on the other hand, you have the law, 52:55 which is keeping His commandments 52:56 as a result of salvation. 52:58 She continues saying: 53:22 Notice what the expression means. 53:25 It means what? It means... 53:51 Are you understanding why these two expressions 53:55 appear side by side? 53:57 They keep the commandments of God, and have faith in Jesus? 54:01 It's because both of these things are necessary to have 54:06 a balanced Christian life. 54:07 The only way that you can keep the commandments of God is by 54:12 having faith in Jesus. 54:14 It's neither one or the other isolated, 54:18 but both of them together. 54:21 Now some people wonder about the two covenants. 54:25 They say, Well, you know, wasn't the old covenant a covenant 54:28 of the law, and the new covenant is a covenant of grace? 54:31 Of course not. Let me explain it very briefly 54:34 as we draw this to a close. 54:35 Do you remember that the Bible says that Moses went up to the 54:39 top of Mount Sinai, and God said, I want to make 54:41 a covenant with Israel. 54:42 And I want you to go down and give them a message. 54:44 Tell them I want them to be My special people. 54:47 Whether they're willing to obey My voice and keep My covenant. 54:50 Moses says, Okay, I'll go down. 54:51 So Moses goes down and says, God has sent a message with me. 54:55 He wants to know if you want a formal covenant 54:57 relationship with Him. 54:58 If you want to be His special people. 54:59 What do you think? 55:01 They say, Oh, all that the Lord has said, we will do. 55:05 They didn't know what they were saying. 55:06 That was a legalistic answer because their hearts 55:10 were not transformed; their hearts were not changed. 55:13 How long did their promise last? 55:15 A few days at the most, because a few days later they were 55:19 worshipping the golden calf, because their hearts 55:22 had not been changed. 55:23 Much later, for that reason, God spoke about a new covenant. 55:27 Notice Jeremiah 31:31-34. 55:30 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, 55:33 when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, 55:36 and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant 55:39 that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them 55:42 by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; 55:44 my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, 55:48 says the Lord. See, I gave them this covenant, 55:51 and they broke My covenant. 55:52 He says, I'm not going to make a covenant like that anymore. 55:54 By the way, the reason why that covenant had problems, 55:58 was because Israel did not have it written on their hearts. 56:02 They just looked at the covenant as being rules and regulations 56:05 on tables of stone. 56:06 God wanted to write it on their hearts. 56:08 In fact notice verse 33: 56:24 So what was the problem with the first covenant? 56:28 Did the first covenant have law? yes or no? yes. 56:31 Does the second covenant, does the new covenant 56:33 have the same law? Yes. 56:36 The law doesn't change in the two covenants. 56:38 What changes is the place where the law is written. 56:41 You see, in the old covenant it was just on tables of stone. 56:45 Israel said, We'll do it. 56:46 They couldn't, because they didn't have faith. 56:48 They didn't have love for God. 56:50 Their hearts hadn't been changed. 56:51 God says, I'm going to take that same law and I'm going to 56:55 write it in your heart. 56:56 I'm going to write it in your mind. 56:57 And that way you will obey Me, not because you have to 57:02 in order to be saved, in order to show men how good you are, 57:06 but you will keep My law because it comes from your heart, 57:10 because you love Me. 57:11 This is what Jesus meant when He said, If you love Me, 57:15 you will keep My commandments. 57:19 And so God wants us to keep the commandments, 57:24 and also to have the faith of Jesus. Let's pray. |
Revised 2023-04-20