And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
God makes no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers for salvation, giving the Holy Spirit to Gentiles just as to Jews. Hearts are cleansed by faith alone, not by circumcision, ceremonies, sacrifices, or keeping of the ceremonial law. That cleansing is God's inward work through the blood, merits, and propitiation of Christ, received by repentance and receiving Him as personal Saviour. The faith that purifies is living, active faith that works by love and rests wholly on Christ, not mere profession, mental assent, or outward form. Such faith sanctifies through truth and obedience, transforms character into Christ's likeness, and draws believers together in fellowship, unity, and peace.
Council Setting and Decision
At Antioch, while earnest work was winning many souls, certain Jewish believers from Judea of the Pharisee party asserted with great assurance that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the entire ceremonial law in order to be saved. That demand caused widespread controversy in the church and consternation to the believing Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas promptly opposed the teaching as false and opposed imposing it on the Gentiles, while many of the believing Jews at Antioch favored the position of the newcomers from Judea. Paul's stand there and afterward at Jerusalem was a defense of Christianity against the narrow restrictions of Judaism.
The apostles and elders met over circumcision and the law of Moses as counselors, allowing the Holy Spirit to judge the matter rather than settling it by force of church authority. In that apostolic council Paul related his conversion and the work God had done through him among the Gentiles. The Spirit confirmed the message that God had accepted Gentile believers along with Jewish believers by giving the Gentiles the Holy Spirit, showing that God himself had decided the question and that the council was to follow the Spirit's guidance. The council therefore set aside prejudice, accepted God's work among the Gentiles, expressed agreement with Paul's position and ministry, and sent that agreement in an address to the churches, though the same prejudice later had to be faced again.
The decision was that Gentile converts were not required to be circumcised or to observe the ceremonial law and Jewish rites and customs, rejecting Jewish exclusiveness. God made no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers but purified their hearts through faith, and that ruling concerning Gentile converts and the ceremonial law remained in force. The outcome affirmed the work of Paul and Barnabas among the Gentiles, supported Paul's mission, recognized his calling as equal in standing to the other apostles, and helped unite Jewish and Gentile believers. It belongs to the New Testament order of simple church organization ordained for the unity and perfection of the church, even though some Jewish Christians zealous for those customs opposed it.
The difference was brief, concerning circumcision and whether admission to the church should be granted to uncircumcised Gentiles, and it did not last but was soon settled. Through divine illumination and sanctification by the Spirit the believers were perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. That oneness belonged to the union that prevailed after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, when believers were all of one heart and one mind. Such unity in understanding and judgment is and always will be the fruit borne under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
No Distinction Between Believers
God puts no difference between Jewish and Gentile believers for salvation, giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles just as to the Jews and purifying their hearts by faith. That cleansing comes through the blood of Jesus Christ, not through circumcision or keeping the entire ceremonial law, so Gentile believers are to be received as equal members of the church and not burdened with the ceremonial law. At Antioch, while earnest work was winning many souls, certain Jewish believers from Judea of the Pharisee party asserted with great assurance that one must be circumcised and keep the entire ceremonial law in order to be saved, causing widespread controversy and consternation to the believing Gentiles, which Paul and Barnabas promptly opposed as false while many believing Jews favored the newcomers.
Gentiles are not inferior or unclean before God because they are uncircumcised, for Christ's blood can cleanse them from all uncleanness. Having been accepted by faith, they share equally with Jews in Christ's church, in God's promises, and in the blessings of the gospel without having to be circumcised.
God makes no distinction between people of any background in purifying hearts by faith. That heart-purifying faith works by love and purifies the soul, receiving truth into the heart, opening the way for God's blessing, enabling obedience to the great principles of God's law and to sincere, active Christian principles, and fitting believers to guide sinners toward repentance and reformation. It enables believers to represent Christ's character to the world.
Christ's plan of salvation includes every race, and He paid an infinite price for all, so living faith that works through love and cleanses the soul calls believers to reject racial discrimination and to care for people who are neglected, poor, or despised.
Cleansing Through Faith Alone
Acts 15:9 teaches that God purifies hearts by faith, not by circumcision, the ceremonial law, ceremonies, or sacrifices. He makes no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers in this, giving the Holy Spirit to both and receiving Gentile believers as equal members of the church without burdening them with Jewish rites. That purification is more than acknowledging truth or performing outward observances. The cleansing comes through the blood of Jesus Christ, through His merits and propitiation, for He suffered and died to complete salvation. His blood can cleanse from all uncleanness and from all defilement, so that even the uncircumcised Gentiles who were regarded as inferior and unclean were accepted by faith. The heart cannot cleanse itself.
Purification is God's work, received when a person repents and seeks pardon through Christ's merits, receives Christ and believes in Him as personal Saviour, abides in Him at all times and under all circumstances, and cooperates with Him while He carries the work forward in the heart. It is man's part to receive Christ, learn of Jesus, trust the Lord, bring thoughts into captivity to Him, and walk in obedience as a co-worker with Christ, and while man cannot create faith he cooperates with Christ in promoting its growth and triumph. Through this continually exercised faith that works by love the soul is cleansed and receives a constant supply of grace. It must be received now without waiting, by coming just as one is, looking unto Jesus as Author and Finisher of faith and continually making improvement. Merely hearing Scripture without receiving and living its truth does not produce it, and those who keep themselves in their own hands in counsel with their own unconverted souls do not have this blessing.
True cleansing is inward by faith, distinct from outward religious acts. Fasting and ceremonies do not cleanse when the heart remains selfish, unjust, and unchanged. A heart cleansed from sin is renewed by the Holy Spirit, who works by love to purify the soul, restore God's image, bring the human will into conformity with God's will, and transform the whole person into Christ's likeness. A pure heart is needed to know God as holy, and honoring Him requires believing that He has pardoned and forgiven sin through accepting Jesus as personal Saviour.
Nature of Purifying Faith
The faith that purifies the heart and soul in Acts 15:9 is faith that works by love. It is saving faith, an abiding principle that draws its power from Christ, disciplines and ennobles the character, frees the soul from defilement, and brings it into connection with Christ so that His virtue meets the soul's need. When people repent and seek pardon through Christ's merits, He imparts this faith that works by love, and through faith in Christ and obedience to God's law they may be sanctified and made fit for the company of holy angels and the redeemed in the kingdom of glory. True faith of this kind is holy, rises above sensual pleasure, and gives strength for difficult work and self-sacrifice for Christ, enabling people to represent Christ's character to the world.
This is living, active, working, abiding saving faith that rests wholly on Christ and brings a person into vital contact with Him in complete devotion. It is sincere, intelligent trust that clings to the risen Saviour as the only hope, accepts His provision, engages the affections, and governs the life. It is not mere mental assent, profession, talk, prayer, knowledge of truth, outward form, lip service, emotional excitement, or merely assuming the truth is already known. Mere doctrine, science, or hearing without receiving truth does not purify, and speculative faith can instead lead into deception, while faith that claims belief in God but does not work is dead and of the same character as the faith of evil angels who believe and tremble. The claim that one need only believe while continuing to break the commandments is deception, for genuine purifying faith works through love and produces obedience to God's commandments in exalting the Lord.
Purifying faith means deeper trust, with hearts softened and subdued in cooperation with Christ. It means receiving Christ as personal Saviour and believing in Him, receiving His Spirit and light and love, being fed with Christ Himself, and being imbued with the Holy Spirit so the unbelieving world can see what it is to be a believer in the truth. It means abiding in Him at all times and under all circumstances, laying self and every burden at the cross to be molded, taking God at His word and trusting His promises and merits, with a constant supply of grace received by constant exercise. This faith is the gift of God given by grace to poor, defective human beings because God values man so highly that He gave Jesus to a life of poverty, sorrow and death, with His Spirit offered day by day as sufficiency so believers promote the glory of God and shine so others are led to glorify God. It is the same faith by which Abel obtained witness that he was righteous, faith in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world that made his sacrifice acceptable to God.
This faith must be sought by earnest prayer and faithful practice, cherished daily, cultivated so it can grow strong, and exercised constantly without drawing back. It is kept by coming to Christ in humble, sincere dependence, learning of Jesus, increasing in grace and knowledge, and cooperating with Christ as its author and finisher in promoting its growth and triumph. While believers cannot create faith, God takes them as rough stones out of the quarry of the world by the cleaver of truth and places them in His workshop to be purified in heart by genuine faith, and they bear testimony to the quality of their faith by continually making improvements looking unto Jesus. Genuine faith that works by love brings conversion and must be guarded against pride and self-glory, for eternal welfare is determined by faith.
Fruit in Life and Conduct
Purifying faith sanctifies through the truth and through obedience to the whole law of God, and doing His will is the result of possessing it. It is living, saving faith that brings vital contact with Christ, rests wholly upon Him in complete devotion, and works by love to purify the soul and produce obedience to His commandments, even when obedience costs earthly gain. This purification is never separated from a changed life, for living faith is shown in good works and obedience and is made complete by works, while faith without works is dead, unproductive, and worthless. Mere profession, talk, knowledge of truth, or mental assent does not purify, for faith that claims belief yet does not work is of the same character as that of evil angels who believe and tremble; self must die and the life must follow Christ's obedience. When the heart cannot cleanse itself, repentance and seeking pardon through Christ's merits impart this working faith, by which believers may be sanctified and made fit for the company of holy angels and the redeemed in glory.
This faith is an abiding principle drawing its power from Christ, disciplining and ennobling the character, freeing the soul from defilement, and bringing it into connection with Christ so His virtue meets its need. It does not excuse neglect of duty or leave the person unchanged, but motivates action, purifies from selfishness, and requires fighting to overcome sinful habits and develop Christlike character. It is more than agreement with doctrines, for it works through love and cleanses the soul, while humility, meekness, and obedience are its fruits rather than faith itself. As part of the renewal Christ accomplishes, it restores God's image, brings the human will into conformity with God's will, and softens and subdues human nature by a holy, sanctifying power. The truly converted therefore stop accusing and condemning others, recognize the need for cleansing from past sins, and humble themselves before God rather than claiming virtue or greatness. The transformed character bears love, humility, meekness, patience, kindness, honesty, purity of thought and word, and willing obedience, removing objectionable inherited and cultivated traits.
The love of Christ thus received draws believers together in harmonious action and Christian fellowship as they share that love with others, melting barriers, sweeping away differences, and producing true unity in Christ. Faith brings the soul into communion with Christ, who dwells in the hearts of the meek and lowly; it works through love, brings peace and rest, and leads to self-denial and self-sacrifice. It enlightens the mind, brings freedom from sin and defilement, renews spiritual life by divine grace, keeps believers grounded in the hope of the gospel, and gives strength under difficulty. So purified, believers are fitted for service and witness, turning away from self to lead sinners to repentance.
Its effect appears in practical daily life, for genuine faith has a purifying, refining influence upon character seen in conduct, speech, dress, and dealings. It makes a person careful in Christian talk and deportment in family and household just as in church, not careless, rough, impatient, or retaliating, but showing grace that removes friction; neat, orderly, and cleanly in dress as one of value in God's sight as His child; and guarded in words and thoughts, refusing to defile the mind with impurity, as one living as a spectacle to world, angels, and men and getting ready for the society of heavenly angels. Every family believing the truth needs this faith cherished daily to set the house in order, consecrate themselves by earnest surrender, believe God accepts and blesses them, and let Him work through them in solemn, sacred work for children and in new fields opening on every side, shaping the whole household. Physicians, ministers, and other workers likewise need this faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and where it is lacking, as among the workers reproved for its absence, there is vulnerability to temptation and failure in practical trials. Mere profession without this inward work leaves the self-righteous exposed, as with the Jewish nation that rejected Christ.
Those so purified have the mind of Christ and walk even as He walked, crucifying self and expressing God's holiness, forbearance, tenderness, compassion, and love, refusing to judge by sight of the eye or hearing of the ear, and staying yoked with Him to do good even when misjudged, falsified, and mistreated. The faith that accepts the last warning about Christ's return must purify both heart and life, leading believers to reject evil and unrighteous acts and to purify their souls by obedience to the truth. Every true believer shows this faith in action, for genuine, sure, and abiding faith works by love and is demonstrated by works in a pure and upright life and holy character as evidence of receiving Christ as personal Saviour, without which profession gives no evidence of faith. Those made pure and prepared to meet the Saviour when He comes with power and great glory will be stripped of all selfishness, bigotry, and spiritual pride, becoming meek and lowly imitators of Christ. They will not make self the center, idolize self, or spend means on selfish gratification, but will use what they have to bless others and carry the good news to them, with character formed fit to abide the day of His coming, meet Him in peace, and live with angels in glory.
God makes no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers for salvation, giving the Holy Spirit to Gentiles just as to Jews. Hearts are cleansed by faith alone, not by circumcision, ceremonies, sacrifices, or keeping of the ceremonial law. That cleansing is God's inward work through the blood, merits, and propitiation of Christ, received by repentance and receiving Him as personal Saviour. The faith that purifies is living, active faith that works by love and rests wholly on Christ, not mere profession, mental assent, or outward form. Such faith sanctifies through truth and obedience, transforms character into Christ's likeness, and draws believers together in fellowship, unity, and peace.
Council Setting and Decision
At Antioch, while earnest work was winning many souls, certain Jewish believers from Judea of the Pharisee party asserted with great assurance that Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the entire ceremonial law in order to be saved. That demand caused widespread controversy in the church and consternation to the believing Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas promptly opposed the teaching as false and opposed imposing it on the Gentiles, while many of the believing Jews at Antioch favored the position of the newcomers from Judea. Paul's stand there and afterward at Jerusalem was a defense of Christianity against the narrow restrictions of Judaism.
The apostles and elders met over circumcision and the law of Moses as counselors, allowing the Holy Spirit to judge the matter rather than settling it by force of church authority. In that apostolic council Paul related his conversion and the work God had done through him among the Gentiles. The Spirit confirmed the message that God had accepted Gentile believers along with Jewish believers by giving the Gentiles the Holy Spirit, showing that God himself had decided the question and that the council was to follow the Spirit's guidance. The council therefore set aside prejudice, accepted God's work among the Gentiles, expressed agreement with Paul's position and ministry, and sent that agreement in an address to the churches, though the same prejudice later had to be faced again.
The decision was that Gentile converts were not required to be circumcised or to observe the ceremonial law and Jewish rites and customs, rejecting Jewish exclusiveness. God made no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers but purified their hearts through faith, and that ruling concerning Gentile converts and the ceremonial law remained in force. The outcome affirmed the work of Paul and Barnabas among the Gentiles, supported Paul's mission, recognized his calling as equal in standing to the other apostles, and helped unite Jewish and Gentile believers. It belongs to the New Testament order of simple church organization ordained for the unity and perfection of the church, even though some Jewish Christians zealous for those customs opposed it.
The difference was brief, concerning circumcision and whether admission to the church should be granted to uncircumcised Gentiles, and it did not last but was soon settled. Through divine illumination and sanctification by the Spirit the believers were perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. That oneness belonged to the union that prevailed after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, when believers were all of one heart and one mind. Such unity in understanding and judgment is and always will be the fruit borne under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
No Distinction Between Believers
God puts no difference between Jewish and Gentile believers for salvation, giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles just as to the Jews and purifying their hearts by faith. That cleansing comes through the blood of Jesus Christ, not through circumcision or keeping the entire ceremonial law, so Gentile believers are to be received as equal members of the church and not burdened with the ceremonial law. At Antioch, while earnest work was winning many souls, certain Jewish believers from Judea of the Pharisee party asserted with great assurance that one must be circumcised and keep the entire ceremonial law in order to be saved, causing widespread controversy and consternation to the believing Gentiles, which Paul and Barnabas promptly opposed as false while many believing Jews favored the newcomers.
Gentiles are not inferior or unclean before God because they are uncircumcised, for Christ's blood can cleanse them from all uncleanness. Having been accepted by faith, they share equally with Jews in Christ's church, in God's promises, and in the blessings of the gospel without having to be circumcised.
God makes no distinction between people of any background in purifying hearts by faith. That heart-purifying faith works by love and purifies the soul, receiving truth into the heart, opening the way for God's blessing, enabling obedience to the great principles of God's law and to sincere, active Christian principles, and fitting believers to guide sinners toward repentance and reformation. It enables believers to represent Christ's character to the world.
Christ's plan of salvation includes every race, and He paid an infinite price for all, so living faith that works through love and cleanses the soul calls believers to reject racial discrimination and to care for people who are neglected, poor, or despised.
Cleansing Through Faith Alone
Acts 15:9 teaches that God purifies hearts by faith, not by circumcision, the ceremonial law, ceremonies, or sacrifices. He makes no distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers in this, giving the Holy Spirit to both and receiving Gentile believers as equal members of the church without burdening them with Jewish rites. That purification is more than acknowledging truth or performing outward observances. The cleansing comes through the blood of Jesus Christ, through His merits and propitiation, for He suffered and died to complete salvation. His blood can cleanse from all uncleanness and from all defilement, so that even the uncircumcised Gentiles who were regarded as inferior and unclean were accepted by faith. The heart cannot cleanse itself.
Purification is God's work, received when a person repents and seeks pardon through Christ's merits, receives Christ and believes in Him as personal Saviour, abides in Him at all times and under all circumstances, and cooperates with Him while He carries the work forward in the heart. It is man's part to receive Christ, learn of Jesus, trust the Lord, bring thoughts into captivity to Him, and walk in obedience as a co-worker with Christ, and while man cannot create faith he cooperates with Christ in promoting its growth and triumph. Through this continually exercised faith that works by love the soul is cleansed and receives a constant supply of grace. It must be received now without waiting, by coming just as one is, looking unto Jesus as Author and Finisher of faith and continually making improvement. Merely hearing Scripture without receiving and living its truth does not produce it, and those who keep themselves in their own hands in counsel with their own unconverted souls do not have this blessing.
True cleansing is inward by faith, distinct from outward religious acts. Fasting and ceremonies do not cleanse when the heart remains selfish, unjust, and unchanged. A heart cleansed from sin is renewed by the Holy Spirit, who works by love to purify the soul, restore God's image, bring the human will into conformity with God's will, and transform the whole person into Christ's likeness. A pure heart is needed to know God as holy, and honoring Him requires believing that He has pardoned and forgiven sin through accepting Jesus as personal Saviour.
Nature of Purifying Faith
The faith that purifies the heart and soul in Acts 15:9 is faith that works by love. It is saving faith, an abiding principle that draws its power from Christ, disciplines and ennobles the character, frees the soul from defilement, and brings it into connection with Christ so that His virtue meets the soul's need. When people repent and seek pardon through Christ's merits, He imparts this faith that works by love, and through faith in Christ and obedience to God's law they may be sanctified and made fit for the company of holy angels and the redeemed in the kingdom of glory. True faith of this kind is holy, rises above sensual pleasure, and gives strength for difficult work and self-sacrifice for Christ, enabling people to represent Christ's character to the world.
This is living, active, working, abiding saving faith that rests wholly on Christ and brings a person into vital contact with Him in complete devotion. It is sincere, intelligent trust that clings to the risen Saviour as the only hope, accepts His provision, engages the affections, and governs the life. It is not mere mental assent, profession, talk, prayer, knowledge of truth, outward form, lip service, emotional excitement, or merely assuming the truth is already known. Mere doctrine, science, or hearing without receiving truth does not purify, and speculative faith can instead lead into deception, while faith that claims belief in God but does not work is dead and of the same character as the faith of evil angels who believe and tremble. The claim that one need only believe while continuing to break the commandments is deception, for genuine purifying faith works through love and produces obedience to God's commandments in exalting the Lord.
Purifying faith means deeper trust, with hearts softened and subdued in cooperation with Christ. It means receiving Christ as personal Saviour and believing in Him, receiving His Spirit and light and love, being fed with Christ Himself, and being imbued with the Holy Spirit so the unbelieving world can see what it is to be a believer in the truth. It means abiding in Him at all times and under all circumstances, laying self and every burden at the cross to be molded, taking God at His word and trusting His promises and merits, with a constant supply of grace received by constant exercise. This faith is the gift of God given by grace to poor, defective human beings because God values man so highly that He gave Jesus to a life of poverty, sorrow and death, with His Spirit offered day by day as sufficiency so believers promote the glory of God and shine so others are led to glorify God. It is the same faith by which Abel obtained witness that he was righteous, faith in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world that made his sacrifice acceptable to God.
This faith must be sought by earnest prayer and faithful practice, cherished daily, cultivated so it can grow strong, and exercised constantly without drawing back. It is kept by coming to Christ in humble, sincere dependence, learning of Jesus, increasing in grace and knowledge, and cooperating with Christ as its author and finisher in promoting its growth and triumph. While believers cannot create faith, God takes them as rough stones out of the quarry of the world by the cleaver of truth and places them in His workshop to be purified in heart by genuine faith, and they bear testimony to the quality of their faith by continually making improvements looking unto Jesus. Genuine faith that works by love brings conversion and must be guarded against pride and self-glory, for eternal welfare is determined by faith.
Fruit in Life and Conduct
Purifying faith sanctifies through the truth and through obedience to the whole law of God, and doing His will is the result of possessing it. It is living, saving faith that brings vital contact with Christ, rests wholly upon Him in complete devotion, and works by love to purify the soul and produce obedience to His commandments, even when obedience costs earthly gain. This purification is never separated from a changed life, for living faith is shown in good works and obedience and is made complete by works, while faith without works is dead, unproductive, and worthless. Mere profession, talk, knowledge of truth, or mental assent does not purify, for faith that claims belief yet does not work is of the same character as that of evil angels who believe and tremble; self must die and the life must follow Christ's obedience. When the heart cannot cleanse itself, repentance and seeking pardon through Christ's merits impart this working faith, by which believers may be sanctified and made fit for the company of holy angels and the redeemed in glory.
This faith is an abiding principle drawing its power from Christ, disciplining and ennobling the character, freeing the soul from defilement, and bringing it into connection with Christ so His virtue meets its need. It does not excuse neglect of duty or leave the person unchanged, but motivates action, purifies from selfishness, and requires fighting to overcome sinful habits and develop Christlike character. It is more than agreement with doctrines, for it works through love and cleanses the soul, while humility, meekness, and obedience are its fruits rather than faith itself. As part of the renewal Christ accomplishes, it restores God's image, brings the human will into conformity with God's will, and softens and subdues human nature by a holy, sanctifying power. The truly converted therefore stop accusing and condemning others, recognize the need for cleansing from past sins, and humble themselves before God rather than claiming virtue or greatness. The transformed character bears love, humility, meekness, patience, kindness, honesty, purity of thought and word, and willing obedience, removing objectionable inherited and cultivated traits.
The love of Christ thus received draws believers together in harmonious action and Christian fellowship as they share that love with others, melting barriers, sweeping away differences, and producing true unity in Christ. Faith brings the soul into communion with Christ, who dwells in the hearts of the meek and lowly; it works through love, brings peace and rest, and leads to self-denial and self-sacrifice. It enlightens the mind, brings freedom from sin and defilement, renews spiritual life by divine grace, keeps believers grounded in the hope of the gospel, and gives strength under difficulty. So purified, believers are fitted for service and witness, turning away from self to lead sinners to repentance.
Its effect appears in practical daily life, for genuine faith has a purifying, refining influence upon character seen in conduct, speech, dress, and dealings. It makes a person careful in Christian talk and deportment in family and household just as in church, not careless, rough, impatient, or retaliating, but showing grace that removes friction; neat, orderly, and cleanly in dress as one of value in God's sight as His child; and guarded in words and thoughts, refusing to defile the mind with impurity, as one living as a spectacle to world, angels, and men and getting ready for the society of heavenly angels. Every family believing the truth needs this faith cherished daily to set the house in order, consecrate themselves by earnest surrender, believe God accepts and blesses them, and let Him work through them in solemn, sacred work for children and in new fields opening on every side, shaping the whole household. Physicians, ministers, and other workers likewise need this faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and where it is lacking, as among the workers reproved for its absence, there is vulnerability to temptation and failure in practical trials. Mere profession without this inward work leaves the self-righteous exposed, as with the Jewish nation that rejected Christ.
Those so purified have the mind of Christ and walk even as He walked, crucifying self and expressing God's holiness, forbearance, tenderness, compassion, and love, refusing to judge by sight of the eye or hearing of the ear, and staying yoked with Him to do good even when misjudged, falsified, and mistreated. The faith that accepts the last warning about Christ's return must purify both heart and life, leading believers to reject evil and unrighteous acts and to purify their souls by obedience to the truth. Every true believer shows this faith in action, for genuine, sure, and abiding faith works by love and is demonstrated by works in a pure and upright life and holy character as evidence of receiving Christ as personal Saviour, without which profession gives no evidence of faith. Those made pure and prepared to meet the Saviour when He comes with power and great glory will be stripped of all selfishness, bigotry, and spiritual pride, becoming meek and lowly imitators of Christ. They will not make self the center, idolize self, or spend means on selfish gratification, but will use what they have to bless others and carry the good news to them, with character formed fit to abide the day of His coming, meet Him in peace, and live with angels in glory.