Real Faith or False Faith
Faith is not an emotional feeling we work up inside of us. Faith is confidence that God's Word is true & a strong belief that if we act upon God's Word it will bring God's blessing.
1.Real Faith is not Dead faith
James 2:14-17
14'What good is it , my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him. "Go, I wish you well;keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.'
2.Real faith is not Demonic Faith
James 2:18-19
But someone will say, "You have faith;I have deeds." Show me you faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder.
What demons believe about God:
- Demons believe in the existence of God & deity of Christ
Mark 3:11-12
11Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was. - They believe in the existence of a place of punishment
Luke 8:31
And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. - They also recognize Jesus Christ as the Judge
Mark 5:1-13
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
9Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. - They submit to the power of God's Word.
3.Real faith!
James 2:20-26
20"You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
- Faith focused on God's Word-faith is only as good as what it is focused on..
We are not saved by faith in faith. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ as shown in the Bible. - Real faith involves our mind, our heart and our will.
'I see who Jesus is, I want this Jesus to be my Lord, I will follow Jesus.'
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