Issue 2009 #3
Table of Contents:
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Faith That Works
What is Faith? "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Believing what God says in His Word is faith. If I am to have faith I must find some promise in the Word of God on which to rest my faith. Faith is not something that suddenly leaps into our hearts in a moment of crisis. Faith is knowing God so that we can count on Him in the ordinary events of life, as well as in emergencies. It is recognizing that God is just as near and equally available whether our sea is calm and our voyage is prosperous, or the storm is upon us and we face shipwreck and death. The Christian believer has put his faith in Jesus Christ and bases that faith on the Word of God.
You are saved by grace through faith. "For with the heart one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.'" (Romans 10:10-11). Our assurance is affirmed in I John 5:12-13 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."
Faith and Works. James 2:17 & 26, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. . . . .For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." A boatman painted the word faith on one oar and the word works on the other oar. Those he rowed across the river asked why. He would answer, "To row my boat safely across the river I need both oars. See how far faith without works will take me?" Then he would row vigorously with the oar labelled faith. His boat would go round and round. "When I pull with both oars, I go straight across the river. Just so, as we journey through life, we need both faith and works to keep us going straight on the heavenward path."
Faith and Prayer. Matthew 21:22, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Faith is not only believing God can, but that God will. Ephesians 6:18 says, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--"
We need to combine faith and prayer and works. I have given the four-spiritual-laws booklet to people, asking them to carefully read it and I arrange a time to get together later. I trust she/he will pray the suggested prayer to receive Jesus into her/his life. The results are encouraging.
Western Tract Mission is a good example of faith and prayer and works in their ministry with tracts, correspondence courses, and mailing the new booklet, Inner Peace Factor into many homes in Saskatchewan.
- Frank Eidse
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