If you were sitting in your living room and thunder clouds started to form outside, would you take down the laundry off of the clothesline, or close the windows on your truck? If so, you really believed a storm was coming and your faith led you to action. Actions will always follow those who have true faith inside their hearts. It’s one way to discern those who have it.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have recieved, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Whats it mean to believe something in vain? Vain means producing no results, or useless. A result is the outcome of something you have done or worked on. Believing something in vain simply means nothing resulted.
There are many examples of true faith and the actions that happened as a result in the scriptures. We will look at a few of them.
Hebrews 11:4 ” by faith able offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts….”
This is called faith righteousness. His faith led him to do something very nice toward God and He was blessed. This is Faith in God that leads to action. Without actions, there is no faith happening. Just saying I believe is not enough to get us to heaven, we must show God that we believe by obeying, serving, and loving Him.
Hebrews 11:6 ” But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that dilligently seek Him.
How could you ever do God’s will if you really don’t believe in Him? Pleasing Him means to do the things He wishes and ultimately doing what He wants us to do. I have always told others that God will reward you when you seek Him.
Revelation 22:12 ” And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Works by themselves are not enough to get us to heaven. The reason why is because we are sinners that need to come to Jesus and get forgiven. We are saved by grace, but it’s through faith. If it’s really faith one possesses, it will result in actions and activities towards God, and ultimately obeying Christ’s Holy Word in order to please Him.
Hebrews 11:7 ” By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith
Noah had a very large faith in God and that led to a huge work. Look at the results, a HUGE ark. If he had believed in vain, he would have had nothing to show for it.
Listen to what Jesus said
John 14:11 ” Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”
Faith results in works. No works, no faith. Don’t deceive yourselves.
James 1:22 ” But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Abrahams faith resulted in him looking for God’s kingdom. 11:10 Sara’s faith in God resulted in her conceiving seed. 11:11 Abrahams faith led him offer up His Son. 11:17-19 Faith will result in something! Over and over in this chapter you will see faith and actions. Moses faith led him to reject the treasures and glories of egypt to serve God in the desert. God rewarded him and chose him to lead the israelites out of egypt.
A lot of the New Testament that we have today are a result of Pauls faith in God.
1 Cor 15:10 ” But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than the all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Look at the example of our Lord Jesus.
John 21:25 ” And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”
Look at all the Apostles, the prophets, the disciples throughout the scripture and you will see their works and deeds that accompanied their faith. Consider the writings of the blessed Apostle James.
James 2:17-18 ” 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.”
If you are truly a Christian in your heart you will serve and obey Jesus, with a constant desire to become pleasing to Him. You will also have works that truly are the evidence of what you believe. No works = No faith.
Do you have any works toward God that show others that you believe in Him?
In love
Eric
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 