Is your FAITH a noun or a verb?
By: Rev. Steven B. Smethers DD
********************
Is your FAITH a noun or a verb?
By: Rev. Steven B. Smethers DD
********************
Webster’s
noun,
name of a person, place or THING.
verb,
indicating ACTION, occurrence, being
Today I wish to shed some light on the meaning
of Christian Faith. We find many who say they have faith because
they regularly attend a church. These people confuse religion
with faith.
Religion can be anything that the person practicing it
desires. Since religion is man defined, Religion is a
manifestation of the flesh.
Spirituality, on the other hand, is defined by God and
is a manifestation of His nature. Or, more acurately, a Religious
heart is a creation of man, and a Spiritual heart is a creation
of God. Faith is based in Spirituality.
A Christian who believes that they have a strong faith based upon
their knowledge of the Bible or because of their Religious
teachings, has a Faith that is a NOUN. It is someTHING that they
feel that they HAVE. It is static, without action..............it
is dead Faith.
James 2:14
What [is] the profit, my brethren, if any one say he have faith,
but have not works? can faith save him?
James 2:20
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:24
Ye see that a man is justified on the principle of works, and not
on the principle of faith only.
James 2:26
For as the body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without
works is dead.
We see by these scriptures that Faith MUST include ACTION or
works. What ACTIONS are we to take in the name of Christ you may
ask? Is it gathering together with other Christians to pray or to
praise God? As Galatians 5:13 said, we are called to serve one
another, In Agape-Love! (Agape-Love is unconditional) Certainly,
it is that, however lets look at some other scriptures:
2 Timothy 4:2,5
2 proclaim the Word; be urgent in season [and] out of season,
convict, rebuke, encourage, with all longsuffering and doctrine.
5 But thou, be sober in all things, bear evils, do [the] work of
an evangelist, fill up the full measure of thy ministry.
You can see by the scriptures that we are to be active in
spreading the Word in the world. You cannot spread the Word only
to other Christians. These people are already on their way
towards Christ. We are to go into the world to spread the Word of
God. This means to go outside the security of the Christian
community and help our wayword fellow man. If you are going to
SAVE a person you must speak the Word to those who do not Know
the Word of God.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go [therefore] and make disciples of all the nations,
baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit;
20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have enjoined
you. And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion
of the age.
Do you enjoy a comfortable Faith with God?
Do you only enjoy being with other Christians?
Is your Faith only active in the Church? - (noun) - (Dead Faith)
Do you enjoy helping someone discover Christ?
Do you enjoy distroying Satan’s hold on others?
Are you active in bringing others to the body of Christ? - (verb)
- (Living Faith)
Matthew 5:16
Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your
upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
What kind of Faith do you have? NOUN or
VERB?
What in the name of God have you done in this world today?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by: Rev. Steven B. Smethers DD
Senior Pastor / Administrator - UCMI