Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!
Look at James 2:17 in 3
different versions of the Bible:
James 2:17 New King James Version (NKJV) 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:17 New International Version (NIV) 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:17 King James Version (KJV) 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
When you do deeds of loving service you are verifying your faith in Christ. Deeds are not a substitute for faith, but fruit of your faith.
In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus teaches about fruit in people's lives. False prophets were common in Old Testament times. They prophesied only what the king and the people wanted to hear, claiming it was God's message. Jesus indicates that false prophets were just as prevalent in his time. False teachers are just as common today, Jesus says to beware of those whose words sound religious but who are motivated by money, fame, or power. You can tell who they are because in their teaching they minimize Christ and glorify themselves.
People who teach us the word of God can be false prophets. We need to evaluate teacher's words by examining their lives. Just as trees are consistent in the kind of fruit they produce, good teachers consistently exhibit good behavior and high moral character as they seek to live out the truths of Scripture.
We are all subject to sin, and we must show the same mercy to others that we expect for ourselves. When Jesus is talking about worthless trees in the above scripture, he is talking about teachers who deliberately teach false doctrine or mold it to fit their selfish mode of living.
Don't just walk in blind faith of the teachers, walk in a state of awareness and observe the teacher's motives, the direction they are taking, and the results they are seeking.
Love you all. In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny
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