Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
To believe that God is one is right and good in itself. Even evil spirits share that conviction, acknowledging His existence, power and divinity and Christ's identity, and they shudder in dread before His majesty. Such mental assent to true facts about God and Christ, even with fear, has no power to save, justify, cleanse from sin or change the heart. Saving trust is altogether different, joining belief in God's word with surrender of will and heart, reliance on Christ's sacrifice, repentance, and love that purifies the life. That living trust proves itself and is completed by obedient action, for profession without works of love and keeping of God's commandments is dead and spurious.
Meaning of Belief and Trembling
To believe that there is one God is in itself good and right, and is commended as doing well. That commendation does not make such belief by itself genuine faith, for a meaningless and worthless faith that has Christ merely as an idea and not as one's personal Saviour is not enough. Faith alone without works is not enough, just as works alone are not sufficient, since faith must be joined with works.
Devils, demons, evil angels and Satan himself hold this same belief about God, and they tremble with fear, dread and awe before divine power, strength and majesty. It is a mere acknowledgment of the existence and power of God and the truth of His Word, which even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny, and which fills them with dread yet leaves them disobedient and without obedience that exalts the Lord. Satan and his angels fear Christ's strength and majesty and fear losing a soul, so that fervent, earnest prayer appealing to Christ for help causes their host to tremble and retreat.
Their belief is acknowledgment of God's existence, power and divinity and of Christ's identity and power. At Capernaum the demon recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God and feared His power, and demons believe that Christ is the Son of God, which is evidence of Jesus' divine power. While demons so recognized Him, many in Israel shut their eyes and ears to divine evidence and failed to recognize their time of visitation, refusing the faithful response shown by those who accept divine evidence.
Such trembling and recognition do not make them faithful, obedient, submissive, loyal or willing to follow God, for recognition of divine power does not bring the demon into obedience or allegiance. Belief in God and in Christ's deity and power, even when accompanied by trembling, is not by itself saving faith and does not make demons faithful or obedient. At the day of God demons acknowledge Christ's divinity and tremble before His power while wicked people are overwhelmed with fear and plead for mercy, and believing in God and fearing Him do not by themselves mean that a person loves Him or seeks to please Him, since the sinner may fear God without loving Him and belief about Christ may lead to hatred rather than love.
Belief That Does Not Save
Mere belief is only nominal faith, the assent of the mind and judgment to fact and truth, and by itself it has no saving virtue and does not justify or save the soul. Conceding that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world while holding away from Him, failing to repent of sin and failing to accept Him as a personal Saviour, leaves truth outside the heart where it would sanctify the soul and transform the character, and such faith without works is dead. Saving faith must rest on the Bible and grasp a living Saviour and God, and it must be tested by God's law as the standard of righteousness. A profession of faith that produces no good works is deficient, for faith must be shown through works, which can exert a powerful influence for the truth, and believing the truth even with fear is not living faith and has no saving virtue when it is not accompanied by works.
Believing true facts about Christ does not by itself save, whether believing He is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, or the Redeemer who came, worked miracles, died to save humanity, rose, ascended, and will return in judgment. Satan and his angels and demons believe these truths about His crucifixion and resurrection and tremble, yet remain without saving change. A person is united to Christ only by relying wholly on His saving grace, and personal qualities, reputation, wealth, good works, or church membership cannot create that union. The devil believed Christ is the Son of God in heaven and in conflict with Christ on earth, yet that belief could not save him because Christ was not woven into his life and character.
Even when such belief is accompanied by fear and trembling, like that of devils, demons, fallen angels and Satan, it remains dead and unsaving. Belief in God, even belief that produces fear, when unsupported by good works is dead, like the faith of fallen angels. Saving faith works by love and purifies the soul, coming by the inspiration of the Spirit of God as an impelling power that molds character and leads higher than mere formal actions, so that words, actions and spirit bear testimony of following Christ. True faith is shown by living out its principles in good works and care for people in need, and those who have received great spiritual light are to prove their love through diligent, true and faithful service. The Jewish rulers likewise recognized Jesus' words as prophecies of His death and resurrection and were afraid, yet their belief did not lead them to trust or obey Him.
Such general faith does not transform the character, bring repentance, cleanse life from sin, lay hold upon Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour, or bring life and character into conformity with God's will, but leaves the heart carnal with evil passions unsubdued. Genuine faith cleanses life from sin, puts away what defiles and what offends Christ, trusts Christ's blood and atoning sacrifice and His strength to overcome defects of character, and brings lives and characters into conformity with God's will. Believing a truth without living by its principles does not save, and faith must be supported with works rather than selfishly grasping for worldly goods.
A profession of faith without good works, a Christlike self-denying life and care for people in need does not trouble Satan but can serve his purposes and gives him no cause for fear. Such professors can be used in his service while their hearts remain carnal, and in Satan's own case belief is active in evil works. Professing belief while actions contradict that belief leaves the believer spiritually dead, for faith must be made perfect by works and works must justify the faith professed. Putting earthly interests before God and withholding what is due to Him shows that faith is not being lived out.
Nature of Saving Faith
Saving faith is wholly distinct from mere acknowledgment of God's existence, power and Word, which even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny and which fills them with dread. It is not nominal faith, the mere assent of mind and judgment to fact and truth, and it knows nothing of a truth held outside the heart where it would sanctify the soul and transform the character. True faith joins belief in God's Word with submission of the will to God, yielding of the heart to Him, and fixing of the affections upon Him. It is vital dependence on Christ that appropriates the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour through faith in the atoning sacrifice.
Saving faith means receiving Christ as one's own personal Saviour and being united to Him only by relying wholly on His saving grace. Personal qualities, reputation, wealth, good works, or church membership cannot create that union. It rests on the Bible and grasps a living Saviour and God, and it must be tested by God's law, the standard of righteousness. It trusts God's promises and acts in keeping with that trust rather than waiting for feelings or circumstances to change first. The devil believed Christ is the Son of God in heaven and in conflict with Christ on earth, yet that belief could not save him because Christ was not woven into his life and character. Belief that does not work in this way is of no advantage, and a meaningless, worthless faith is not enough. Saving faith lays hold of Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour, leads to repentance, trusts in His atoning sacrifice, works by love, and purifies the soul.
Saving faith includes repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ as conditions of salvation, with repentance for breaking God's commandments and faith in Christ whose blood cleanses from sin. It cleanses life from sin, puts away what defiles and what offends Christ, and brings life and character into conformity with God's will. It trusts Christ for power and strength to overcome defects of character and what is offensive to God, changing the life rather than leading to hatred as does the belief of demons. Christ saves people from their sins, not in their sins, so genuine faith does not excuse continued disobedience or release people from obedience to God's law. Mere belief that Christ came as Redeemer, performed miracles, died to save humanity, rose, ascended, and will return in judgment does not by itself do this work.
Saving faith works by love and purifies the soul, heart and life. It renews the heart in the image of God, and changes a heart that is not subject to the law of God and cannot be into a heart that delights in His holy precepts. It is shown by obedience and good works, as Abraham's works testified to his faith which was counted to him for righteousness, while faith without works is dead. It comes by the inspiration of the Spirit of God as an impelling power that molds character and leads higher than mere formal actions, so that words, actions, and spirit bear testimony of following Christ. Many have a kind of faith, but not a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and applied to belief that Christ is the Son of God the verse calls for a living, active faith of this kind.
Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises, conditions and provisions of the Scriptures upon which mercy is granted, claims God's promises, complies with the conditions, and brings forth fruit in obedience. It leads to sanctification of the whole person and a life offered in service to God, going to work and taking up the burdens lying next as a laborer together with God. It lets God build the life and cleanse it from sin, bringing solid timbers into the character, cultivating a right disposition rather than a fractious, fretting, miserable temper, and exerting a molding influence for time and eternity. It is not feeling, which is no criterion of acceptance with God and is in no sense allied to true faith, and not centering all thought and burden on poor self in fear like the man who hid his one talent in the earth. It is not presumption, which is Satan's counterfeit of faith claiming instant perfect holiness through faith alone with no further effort and with release from obligation to keep the commandments, claiming the promises and favor of Heaven without obedience in order to excuse transgression, for no one can be holy in accord with the will and character of God without coming into harmony with the principles that express His nature and will.
Faith Proved by Works
Faith without works is dead, and a profession of faith or belief that produces no good works is deficient, spurious and spiritually lifeless. Merely saying there is one God does well as far as it goes, but it does not save when works are lacking, for even belief accompanied by trembling remains dead when unsupported by good works, like the faith of fallen angels and demons. Belief alone is not living faith, and merely professing faith or believing in God is not genuine faith. Claiming instant perfect holiness through faith alone, with no further effort and with release from obligation to keep the commandments, is presumption and not genuine faith, because no one can be holy in accord with the will and character of God without coming into harmony with the principles that express His nature and will, and genuine faith has its foundation in and complies with the conditions, promises and provisions of the Scriptures upon which mercy is granted.
Genuine, living faith is shown, demonstrated, testified and justified by works that correspond to it. It is shown by love expressed in works, by obedience and good works that purify the soul, by repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ bearing fruit, and by conformity to God's will in words, conduct and character. Works do not replace faith but show it to be alive, and faith must be made perfect by works while works must justify the faith professed. Genuine believers combine faith with works rather than remaining merely theoretical believers, so that their actions testify to their faith. Professing belief is not enough when actions contradict belief, as in putting earthly interests before God and withholding what is due to Him; such faith gives Satan no cause for fear and leaves the believer spiritually dead.
Faith works together with works and is made perfect and complete through their exercise. This was seen when Abraham offered Isaac his son upon the altar; his works testified to his faith, which was counted to him for righteousness. A person is justified by works and not by faith only. One should trust God's promises and act in keeping with that trust rather than waiting for feeling or circumstances to change first.
Faith and works must go hand in hand and work together. Faith alone is not enough, and works alone are not sufficient either. Their union joins the inward working of the Holy Spirit with the outward demonstration of practical godliness in daily practice of the eternal law of right. It is utterly impossible to be saved in indolence and inactivity, for no one is at liberty to fold the hands and do nothing, and those who win eternal life have constant conflict before them. So joined, faith and good works become effective in relieving the afflicted and fitting people to glorify God and be saved, and the schools' relief came through faith and works combined.
Merely professing faith in Christ does not by itself prove a saving connection with Christ. Faith is counted genuine when shown through love in works and through repentance bearing fruit in good works. Deeds done from love, however small they seem, are accepted and rewarded by God. Mere belief, profession, pretense and words are not enough, for God calls for works and fruits, and character formed by obedient action is tested and decides future happiness. In the day of final judgment every person is judged according to deeds done in the body, when nothing remains but character and the law of God, and all are seen to be either righteous or unrighteous.
Obedience to God's Requirements
Belief in God must be lived out in doing His will and obeying His commandments at any cost, walking in His way, overcoming selfishness and doing practical Christian work. Mere belief, even the belief demons have, is not the doing of God's will, and claiming to believe and claiming His promises does not make faith genuine when a person does not do the works of Christ. Such faith is spurious, for genuine faith is joined to obedience, is inseparable from repentance, a changed character and the fruits of the Spirit, and must be practiced in obedience to God's expressed will. Obedience to His commandments tests whether a person truly knows Him and has His love perfected within, and faith is counted genuine when it is shown through love in works, with deeds done from love, however small they seem, accepted and rewarded by God. Without the resolve to resist inclination and impulse, a person can be overcome despite professing the truth.
Claiming instant perfect holiness through faith alone, with no further effort and with release from obligation to keep the commandments, is presumption and not genuine faith. To claim the promises and the favor of Heaven without obedience in order to excuse transgression is presumption, which is Satan's counterfeit of faith, for true faith is not feeling and is in no sense allied to presumption. No one can be holy in accord with the will and character of God without coming into harmony with the principles that express His nature and will. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises, conditions and provisions of the Scriptures upon which mercy is granted, claims those promises, complies with the conditions on which mercy is granted, and brings forth fruit in obedience.
Believing there is one God is not enough to constitute saving faith, for even the devils and evil angels believe and tremble with fear yet do not obey. Faith that releases people from obedience to God's law is not living faith, and the idea that Christ's work makes people free to keep transgressing without accountability is a deception. Christ saves people from their sins, not in their sins, so genuine faith does not excuse continued disobedience. Genuine Bible faith works by love, purifies the soul and heart, leads to repentance toward God and repentance for breaking His commandments, with faith in Christ whose blood cleanses from sin, and leads to obedience to the law of God, to resisting temptation, and to sanctification of the whole person in a life offered in service to God. Works do not replace faith but show it to be alive and demonstrate it by works that correspond to it, as Abraham's works proved his faith and faith was made complete through their exercise, with repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ as conditions of salvation.
Living faith must be tested by God's law, the standard of righteousness, and must rest on the Bible and grasp a living Saviour and God rather than remaining simply intellectual belief. Faith and works are combined as the inward working of the Holy Spirit with the outward demonstration of practical godliness in daily practice of the eternal law of right. The proof of heart-love is obedience to God's commandments, and loyalty and truth to the Sabbath as the sign of His government means through obedience to the Sabbath being true to every principle in the Decalogue. Paul understood the difference between living faith and dead formalism, for his faith did not mean keeping ceremonial rites; he continued to keep the Ten Commandments while recognizing that the ceremonies had served as types of Christ and ceased to have their former purpose when Christ came.
Professing to keep God's commandments and often dwelling on the importance of obeying God's law is worthless when a person fails to work righteousness and walks against the law. A person may believe as Satan does and tremble under the truth, yet act as though he does not believe by continuing in sin and renouncing Bible religion, which separates faith from obedience to God. True faith is faith that works by love and purifies the soul and produces obedience. God sends messengers to warn disobedient professors and turn them to the paths of righteousness, but those without that working faith refuse to heed God's warnings.
Witnesses and Daily Practice
Demons recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God, and that recognition was evidence of His divine power, yet it was belief joined to trembling rather than to faithful submission. The people of Israel in contrast shut their eyes and ears to divine evidence and failed to recognize their time of visitation. Recognition of divine power therefore does not by itself mean willingness to follow God or to be saved.
The Jewish rulers and priests likewise believed and trembled yet remained hostile and disobedient. They remembered Jesus' words that He would raise the temple of His body in three days and that the Son of man would be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, delivered to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify, and rise the third day. Every evidence and sign surrounding His death declared to them that He was the Son of God with power to raise the dead. They could not forget these words however much they wished, could not sleep, were more troubled about Him in death than they had been in His life, feared He would rise and confront them, and still worked to keep Him in the grave. Their belief accompanied by fear did not lead them to trust or obey Him, but left them convinced and trembling like the devil.
The devil believed Christ is the Son of God in heaven and in his conflict with Christ on earth, yet that belief could not save him because Christ was not woven into his life and character. Even demons believe that Christ is the Son of God, but their belief leads to hatred rather than love. At the day of God demons acknowledge Christ's divinity and tremble before His power while wicked people are overwhelmed with fear and plead for mercy, and such recognition does not spare them from the doom of the wicked. Saving faith is different because it works through love, purifies the soul, changes the life, puts away what offends Christ and what defiles, and trusts Christ as one's own Saviour for strength to overcome defects of character.
Evil spirits tremble before Christ's strength and majesty. They fear losing a soul who turns to Jesus. Fervent prayer appealing to Christ in earnest for help causes their host to tremble and retreat.
True belief puts faith into earnest, untiring works. It relieves the afflicted, fits people to glorify God and be saved at Christ's coming, carries on medical missionary work, educates others to do service for the Lord, makes direct appeals to bring friends, relatives and souls to the Saviour, and proves love through diligent, true and faithful service proportionate to light received. Those whose practice is not proportionate to the light shining across their pathway, who carelessly neglect the light and fail to walk in the light as commanded, remain merely theoretical believers and do not set a right example, while the Lord gives His Spirit and favor to those who do the very work He has specified. Many who profess to know Christ have no bright and living experience because they do nothing to gain it, selfishly enjoying grace while making no personal effort, whereas courage and hope grow in accordance with working faith, faith increases and the divine life advances only by engaging in the work God gives each to do in His vineyard, and the schools' relief came through faith and works combined.
Daily living faith does not put earthly interests before God and withhold what is due to Him, for such contradiction leaves profession spiritually dead and gives Satan no cause for fear. It does not selfishly grasp for worldly goods while failing to support faith with works, and its belief is not active in evil work as Satan's is. The right kind of faith is not feeling, which is no criterion of acceptance, and is not centering all thought and burden on poor self in fear like the man who hid his one talent in the earth. Instead it goes to work as a laborer together with God, taking up the burdens lying nearest, letting God build the life and cleanse it from sin, bringing solid timbers into the character, cultivating a right disposition rather than a fractious, fretting, miserable temper, and exerting a molding influence upon those around for time and eternity.
To believe that God is one is right and good in itself. Even evil spirits share that conviction, acknowledging His existence, power and divinity and Christ's identity, and they shudder in dread before His majesty. Such mental assent to true facts about God and Christ, even with fear, has no power to save, justify, cleanse from sin or change the heart. Saving trust is altogether different, joining belief in God's word with surrender of will and heart, reliance on Christ's sacrifice, repentance, and love that purifies the life. That living trust proves itself and is completed by obedient action, for profession without works of love and keeping of God's commandments is dead and spurious.
Meaning of Belief and Trembling
To believe that there is one God is in itself good and right, and is commended as doing well. That commendation does not make such belief by itself genuine faith, for a meaningless and worthless faith that has Christ merely as an idea and not as one's personal Saviour is not enough. Faith alone without works is not enough, just as works alone are not sufficient, since faith must be joined with works.
Devils, demons, evil angels and Satan himself hold this same belief about God, and they tremble with fear, dread and awe before divine power, strength and majesty. It is a mere acknowledgment of the existence and power of God and the truth of His Word, which even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny, and which fills them with dread yet leaves them disobedient and without obedience that exalts the Lord. Satan and his angels fear Christ's strength and majesty and fear losing a soul, so that fervent, earnest prayer appealing to Christ for help causes their host to tremble and retreat.
Their belief is acknowledgment of God's existence, power and divinity and of Christ's identity and power. At Capernaum the demon recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God and feared His power, and demons believe that Christ is the Son of God, which is evidence of Jesus' divine power. While demons so recognized Him, many in Israel shut their eyes and ears to divine evidence and failed to recognize their time of visitation, refusing the faithful response shown by those who accept divine evidence.
Such trembling and recognition do not make them faithful, obedient, submissive, loyal or willing to follow God, for recognition of divine power does not bring the demon into obedience or allegiance. Belief in God and in Christ's deity and power, even when accompanied by trembling, is not by itself saving faith and does not make demons faithful or obedient. At the day of God demons acknowledge Christ's divinity and tremble before His power while wicked people are overwhelmed with fear and plead for mercy, and believing in God and fearing Him do not by themselves mean that a person loves Him or seeks to please Him, since the sinner may fear God without loving Him and belief about Christ may lead to hatred rather than love.
Belief That Does Not Save
Mere belief is only nominal faith, the assent of the mind and judgment to fact and truth, and by itself it has no saving virtue and does not justify or save the soul. Conceding that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world while holding away from Him, failing to repent of sin and failing to accept Him as a personal Saviour, leaves truth outside the heart where it would sanctify the soul and transform the character, and such faith without works is dead. Saving faith must rest on the Bible and grasp a living Saviour and God, and it must be tested by God's law as the standard of righteousness. A profession of faith that produces no good works is deficient, for faith must be shown through works, which can exert a powerful influence for the truth, and believing the truth even with fear is not living faith and has no saving virtue when it is not accompanied by works.
Believing true facts about Christ does not by itself save, whether believing He is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, or the Redeemer who came, worked miracles, died to save humanity, rose, ascended, and will return in judgment. Satan and his angels and demons believe these truths about His crucifixion and resurrection and tremble, yet remain without saving change. A person is united to Christ only by relying wholly on His saving grace, and personal qualities, reputation, wealth, good works, or church membership cannot create that union. The devil believed Christ is the Son of God in heaven and in conflict with Christ on earth, yet that belief could not save him because Christ was not woven into his life and character.
Even when such belief is accompanied by fear and trembling, like that of devils, demons, fallen angels and Satan, it remains dead and unsaving. Belief in God, even belief that produces fear, when unsupported by good works is dead, like the faith of fallen angels. Saving faith works by love and purifies the soul, coming by the inspiration of the Spirit of God as an impelling power that molds character and leads higher than mere formal actions, so that words, actions and spirit bear testimony of following Christ. True faith is shown by living out its principles in good works and care for people in need, and those who have received great spiritual light are to prove their love through diligent, true and faithful service. The Jewish rulers likewise recognized Jesus' words as prophecies of His death and resurrection and were afraid, yet their belief did not lead them to trust or obey Him.
Such general faith does not transform the character, bring repentance, cleanse life from sin, lay hold upon Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour, or bring life and character into conformity with God's will, but leaves the heart carnal with evil passions unsubdued. Genuine faith cleanses life from sin, puts away what defiles and what offends Christ, trusts Christ's blood and atoning sacrifice and His strength to overcome defects of character, and brings lives and characters into conformity with God's will. Believing a truth without living by its principles does not save, and faith must be supported with works rather than selfishly grasping for worldly goods.
A profession of faith without good works, a Christlike self-denying life and care for people in need does not trouble Satan but can serve his purposes and gives him no cause for fear. Such professors can be used in his service while their hearts remain carnal, and in Satan's own case belief is active in evil works. Professing belief while actions contradict that belief leaves the believer spiritually dead, for faith must be made perfect by works and works must justify the faith professed. Putting earthly interests before God and withholding what is due to Him shows that faith is not being lived out.
Nature of Saving Faith
Saving faith is wholly distinct from mere acknowledgment of God's existence, power and Word, which even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny and which fills them with dread. It is not nominal faith, the mere assent of mind and judgment to fact and truth, and it knows nothing of a truth held outside the heart where it would sanctify the soul and transform the character. True faith joins belief in God's Word with submission of the will to God, yielding of the heart to Him, and fixing of the affections upon Him. It is vital dependence on Christ that appropriates the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour through faith in the atoning sacrifice.
Saving faith means receiving Christ as one's own personal Saviour and being united to Him only by relying wholly on His saving grace. Personal qualities, reputation, wealth, good works, or church membership cannot create that union. It rests on the Bible and grasps a living Saviour and God, and it must be tested by God's law, the standard of righteousness. It trusts God's promises and acts in keeping with that trust rather than waiting for feelings or circumstances to change first. The devil believed Christ is the Son of God in heaven and in conflict with Christ on earth, yet that belief could not save him because Christ was not woven into his life and character. Belief that does not work in this way is of no advantage, and a meaningless, worthless faith is not enough. Saving faith lays hold of Christ as the sin-pardoning Saviour, leads to repentance, trusts in His atoning sacrifice, works by love, and purifies the soul.
Saving faith includes repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ as conditions of salvation, with repentance for breaking God's commandments and faith in Christ whose blood cleanses from sin. It cleanses life from sin, puts away what defiles and what offends Christ, and brings life and character into conformity with God's will. It trusts Christ for power and strength to overcome defects of character and what is offensive to God, changing the life rather than leading to hatred as does the belief of demons. Christ saves people from their sins, not in their sins, so genuine faith does not excuse continued disobedience or release people from obedience to God's law. Mere belief that Christ came as Redeemer, performed miracles, died to save humanity, rose, ascended, and will return in judgment does not by itself do this work.
Saving faith works by love and purifies the soul, heart and life. It renews the heart in the image of God, and changes a heart that is not subject to the law of God and cannot be into a heart that delights in His holy precepts. It is shown by obedience and good works, as Abraham's works testified to his faith which was counted to him for righteousness, while faith without works is dead. It comes by the inspiration of the Spirit of God as an impelling power that molds character and leads higher than mere formal actions, so that words, actions, and spirit bear testimony of following Christ. Many have a kind of faith, but not a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, and applied to belief that Christ is the Son of God the verse calls for a living, active faith of this kind.
Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises, conditions and provisions of the Scriptures upon which mercy is granted, claims God's promises, complies with the conditions, and brings forth fruit in obedience. It leads to sanctification of the whole person and a life offered in service to God, going to work and taking up the burdens lying next as a laborer together with God. It lets God build the life and cleanse it from sin, bringing solid timbers into the character, cultivating a right disposition rather than a fractious, fretting, miserable temper, and exerting a molding influence for time and eternity. It is not feeling, which is no criterion of acceptance with God and is in no sense allied to true faith, and not centering all thought and burden on poor self in fear like the man who hid his one talent in the earth. It is not presumption, which is Satan's counterfeit of faith claiming instant perfect holiness through faith alone with no further effort and with release from obligation to keep the commandments, claiming the promises and favor of Heaven without obedience in order to excuse transgression, for no one can be holy in accord with the will and character of God without coming into harmony with the principles that express His nature and will.
Faith Proved by Works
Faith without works is dead, and a profession of faith or belief that produces no good works is deficient, spurious and spiritually lifeless. Merely saying there is one God does well as far as it goes, but it does not save when works are lacking, for even belief accompanied by trembling remains dead when unsupported by good works, like the faith of fallen angels and demons. Belief alone is not living faith, and merely professing faith or believing in God is not genuine faith. Claiming instant perfect holiness through faith alone, with no further effort and with release from obligation to keep the commandments, is presumption and not genuine faith, because no one can be holy in accord with the will and character of God without coming into harmony with the principles that express His nature and will, and genuine faith has its foundation in and complies with the conditions, promises and provisions of the Scriptures upon which mercy is granted.
Genuine, living faith is shown, demonstrated, testified and justified by works that correspond to it. It is shown by love expressed in works, by obedience and good works that purify the soul, by repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ bearing fruit, and by conformity to God's will in words, conduct and character. Works do not replace faith but show it to be alive, and faith must be made perfect by works while works must justify the faith professed. Genuine believers combine faith with works rather than remaining merely theoretical believers, so that their actions testify to their faith. Professing belief is not enough when actions contradict belief, as in putting earthly interests before God and withholding what is due to Him; such faith gives Satan no cause for fear and leaves the believer spiritually dead.
Faith works together with works and is made perfect and complete through their exercise. This was seen when Abraham offered Isaac his son upon the altar; his works testified to his faith, which was counted to him for righteousness. A person is justified by works and not by faith only. One should trust God's promises and act in keeping with that trust rather than waiting for feeling or circumstances to change first.
Faith and works must go hand in hand and work together. Faith alone is not enough, and works alone are not sufficient either. Their union joins the inward working of the Holy Spirit with the outward demonstration of practical godliness in daily practice of the eternal law of right. It is utterly impossible to be saved in indolence and inactivity, for no one is at liberty to fold the hands and do nothing, and those who win eternal life have constant conflict before them. So joined, faith and good works become effective in relieving the afflicted and fitting people to glorify God and be saved, and the schools' relief came through faith and works combined.
Merely professing faith in Christ does not by itself prove a saving connection with Christ. Faith is counted genuine when shown through love in works and through repentance bearing fruit in good works. Deeds done from love, however small they seem, are accepted and rewarded by God. Mere belief, profession, pretense and words are not enough, for God calls for works and fruits, and character formed by obedient action is tested and decides future happiness. In the day of final judgment every person is judged according to deeds done in the body, when nothing remains but character and the law of God, and all are seen to be either righteous or unrighteous.
Obedience to God's Requirements
Belief in God must be lived out in doing His will and obeying His commandments at any cost, walking in His way, overcoming selfishness and doing practical Christian work. Mere belief, even the belief demons have, is not the doing of God's will, and claiming to believe and claiming His promises does not make faith genuine when a person does not do the works of Christ. Such faith is spurious, for genuine faith is joined to obedience, is inseparable from repentance, a changed character and the fruits of the Spirit, and must be practiced in obedience to God's expressed will. Obedience to His commandments tests whether a person truly knows Him and has His love perfected within, and faith is counted genuine when it is shown through love in works, with deeds done from love, however small they seem, accepted and rewarded by God. Without the resolve to resist inclination and impulse, a person can be overcome despite professing the truth.
Claiming instant perfect holiness through faith alone, with no further effort and with release from obligation to keep the commandments, is presumption and not genuine faith. To claim the promises and the favor of Heaven without obedience in order to excuse transgression is presumption, which is Satan's counterfeit of faith, for true faith is not feeling and is in no sense allied to presumption. No one can be holy in accord with the will and character of God without coming into harmony with the principles that express His nature and will. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises, conditions and provisions of the Scriptures upon which mercy is granted, claims those promises, complies with the conditions on which mercy is granted, and brings forth fruit in obedience.
Believing there is one God is not enough to constitute saving faith, for even the devils and evil angels believe and tremble with fear yet do not obey. Faith that releases people from obedience to God's law is not living faith, and the idea that Christ's work makes people free to keep transgressing without accountability is a deception. Christ saves people from their sins, not in their sins, so genuine faith does not excuse continued disobedience. Genuine Bible faith works by love, purifies the soul and heart, leads to repentance toward God and repentance for breaking His commandments, with faith in Christ whose blood cleanses from sin, and leads to obedience to the law of God, to resisting temptation, and to sanctification of the whole person in a life offered in service to God. Works do not replace faith but show it to be alive and demonstrate it by works that correspond to it, as Abraham's works proved his faith and faith was made complete through their exercise, with repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ as conditions of salvation.
Living faith must be tested by God's law, the standard of righteousness, and must rest on the Bible and grasp a living Saviour and God rather than remaining simply intellectual belief. Faith and works are combined as the inward working of the Holy Spirit with the outward demonstration of practical godliness in daily practice of the eternal law of right. The proof of heart-love is obedience to God's commandments, and loyalty and truth to the Sabbath as the sign of His government means through obedience to the Sabbath being true to every principle in the Decalogue. Paul understood the difference between living faith and dead formalism, for his faith did not mean keeping ceremonial rites; he continued to keep the Ten Commandments while recognizing that the ceremonies had served as types of Christ and ceased to have their former purpose when Christ came.
Professing to keep God's commandments and often dwelling on the importance of obeying God's law is worthless when a person fails to work righteousness and walks against the law. A person may believe as Satan does and tremble under the truth, yet act as though he does not believe by continuing in sin and renouncing Bible religion, which separates faith from obedience to God. True faith is faith that works by love and purifies the soul and produces obedience. God sends messengers to warn disobedient professors and turn them to the paths of righteousness, but those without that working faith refuse to heed God's warnings.
Witnesses and Daily Practice
Demons recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God, and that recognition was evidence of His divine power, yet it was belief joined to trembling rather than to faithful submission. The people of Israel in contrast shut their eyes and ears to divine evidence and failed to recognize their time of visitation. Recognition of divine power therefore does not by itself mean willingness to follow God or to be saved.
The Jewish rulers and priests likewise believed and trembled yet remained hostile and disobedient. They remembered Jesus' words that He would raise the temple of His body in three days and that the Son of man would be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, delivered to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify, and rise the third day. Every evidence and sign surrounding His death declared to them that He was the Son of God with power to raise the dead. They could not forget these words however much they wished, could not sleep, were more troubled about Him in death than they had been in His life, feared He would rise and confront them, and still worked to keep Him in the grave. Their belief accompanied by fear did not lead them to trust or obey Him, but left them convinced and trembling like the devil.
The devil believed Christ is the Son of God in heaven and in his conflict with Christ on earth, yet that belief could not save him because Christ was not woven into his life and character. Even demons believe that Christ is the Son of God, but their belief leads to hatred rather than love. At the day of God demons acknowledge Christ's divinity and tremble before His power while wicked people are overwhelmed with fear and plead for mercy, and such recognition does not spare them from the doom of the wicked. Saving faith is different because it works through love, purifies the soul, changes the life, puts away what offends Christ and what defiles, and trusts Christ as one's own Saviour for strength to overcome defects of character.
Evil spirits tremble before Christ's strength and majesty. They fear losing a soul who turns to Jesus. Fervent prayer appealing to Christ in earnest for help causes their host to tremble and retreat.
True belief puts faith into earnest, untiring works. It relieves the afflicted, fits people to glorify God and be saved at Christ's coming, carries on medical missionary work, educates others to do service for the Lord, makes direct appeals to bring friends, relatives and souls to the Saviour, and proves love through diligent, true and faithful service proportionate to light received. Those whose practice is not proportionate to the light shining across their pathway, who carelessly neglect the light and fail to walk in the light as commanded, remain merely theoretical believers and do not set a right example, while the Lord gives His Spirit and favor to those who do the very work He has specified. Many who profess to know Christ have no bright and living experience because they do nothing to gain it, selfishly enjoying grace while making no personal effort, whereas courage and hope grow in accordance with working faith, faith increases and the divine life advances only by engaging in the work God gives each to do in His vineyard, and the schools' relief came through faith and works combined.
Daily living faith does not put earthly interests before God and withhold what is due to Him, for such contradiction leaves profession spiritually dead and gives Satan no cause for fear. It does not selfishly grasp for worldly goods while failing to support faith with works, and its belief is not active in evil work as Satan's is. The right kind of faith is not feeling, which is no criterion of acceptance, and is not centering all thought and burden on poor self in fear like the man who hid his one talent in the earth. Instead it goes to work as a laborer together with God, taking up the burdens lying nearest, letting God build the life and cleanse it from sin, bringing solid timbers into the character, cultivating a right disposition rather than a fractious, fretting, miserable temper, and exerting a molding influence upon those around for time and eternity.