The Abuse In The Applying Of Faith In God's Providence

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Pariah

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May God cause the increase:The Book of James was addressing a church that was neglecting the poor and showing respect and favoritism towards the rich. What was worse was that as this church was sending the poor away after service, they were applying faith in God's Providence towards the poor that God will take care of them as if by saying "be warm and be filled" is verbally applying their faith in God's Providence towards the poor in the samne way as if saying "be healed" to the sick and the injured in that He will do so. Another problem here is that as the church had just received the bounty from what God has raised up from cheerful givers, the church was not meeting the immediate needs of the poor and thus to further this abuse of the poor when they were applying faith in God's Providence towards the poor, the church was not willing to apply faith in God's Providence towards themselves to despense from the bounty of what they did not need at the moment, but the poor definitely did. This made that faith in God's Providence being issued by this church as being dead in the eyes of the poor.With this in mind, let us read by His grace, the true meaning of His words as conveyed by James.James 2:1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. By His grace, I hope those that read this with informed eyes can see how James was addressing the abuse of the poor as he still is as we continue.James 2:14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. So how can faith profit in verse 14 to the point of saving? This verse is not to stand alone. In keeping with the subject about the abuse of the poor, James addressed the abuse of applying faith in God's Providence towards the poor in getting out of clothing the poor and feeding them from the bounty collected. This is what James meant in how that kind of faith ... not about salvation, but faith towards God's Providence... was not going to profit the poor in saving the poor from the elements and starvation. That is how "that faith" from the issuers were seen as dead.. not only in the eyes of the poor, but in the eyes of God as well. Verse 17 declares that to show faith in God's Providence, one must show that faith by departing from the goods that they do not need at the moment when they behold their brother in need.James 2:18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.As James continues to reprove this cold hearted church, he cited examples of how witnesses in the past had shown their faith in God's Providence by their actions, ending to the emphasis that if one wishes to have their faith in God's Providence shown, they need to apply it themselves as well. Did not Abraham believed God would provide in verse 21?Genesis 22:6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.The same went for Rahab in giving the messengers a way out for she believed in the God of those messengers and applied faith in His Providence that mercy will be provided for her for doing so. No one else in that city applied their faith and let it be known that they believed in the God of the Israelites, but Rahab did.So it is the application of faith in God's Providence that is being addressed: not faith in regards to salvation.We have these verses that debunks that misperceptions.Romans 4: 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.Colossians 1:18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; John 6:28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.The whole point is to acknowledge what Christ has done as we are to be witnesses of what He has done in having made us His.1 Corinthians 6:14And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 15Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.Galatians 3:26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.Once we trust the Lord for eternal life, may He enable us to live by faith that He will help us to live as His so that we may get to know Him and the power of His resurrection in living the christian life by faith in the Son of God.Galatians 2:20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.Ephesians 2:8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.Make no mistake. It is to His glory that the hope and the faith is all on Him.Titus 3:4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.1 John 3:3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.Jude 1:24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.So as we seek to present ourselves to the Lord, we do so by faith in the Son of God of what He has done, and what He is doing in helping us live as His, and what He will do to His glory thus the just shall live by faith.The crowns we shall receive will be His crowning achievements in us and why saints would cast our crowns at His feet.Revelation 4: 10The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.1 Corinthians 1:29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.Philippians 1: 6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. 11Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.So ask the Lord to redirect your focus and your hope to be solely on Him for eternal life and to help you live as His for He is the Good Shepherd as well as the Saviour... and that is why it is written that the just shall live by faith.
 

Polar

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I don't have a lot of time online today. Can anyone give me a Readers Digest 'condensed version'?
 

Pariah

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I don't have a lot of time online today. Can anyone give me a Readers Digest 'condensed version'?
Faith in God's Providence without works is dead. It has nothing to do about salvation.The church were disrespecting the poor and getting out of clothing them and feeding them when they had the means to do so out of the bounty collected and yet by sending them away after the service by declaring faith to the poor "to be warm and to be filled" as if issuing that faith in God's Providence will make it so and yet in the eyes of the poor, their faith in God's Providence was dead for the church would not part from the bounty that was collected of what obviously the church does not need more of at the moment than the poor did when they were about to perish from the elements and starvation.If you are still not convinced, read the OP then or the 2nd chapter of James yourself, leaning on wisdom from the Lord to understand the letter and its purpose to this stuck up assembly.
 

HammerStone

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You keep saying this book is addressed to a Church. I might find agreement in that we have a book addressed to Christians in general in that it is present in the Bible. However, do note the first line:
James 1:1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
As that quote has been propagated before, show me a person without works and I'll show you a person dead in their faith. Faith, by it's very nature is about doing because you want to share that joy with others. The excitement of Christ being your Savior and this loving Word God gave us is more than enough reasons to do something to further it.
 

Pariah

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You keep saying this book is addressed to a Church. I might find agreement in that we have a book addressed to Christians in general in that it is present in the Bible. However, do note the first line:As that quote has been propagated before, show me a person without works and I'll show you a person dead in their faith. Faith, by it's very nature is about doing because you want to share that joy with others. The excitement of Christ being your Savior and this loving Word God gave us is more than enough reasons to do something to further it.
It is addressed to all believers as individual alike as you have pointed that out, but in regards to the instructions given in regards to faith withoutv works, are they not for the church or the assembly?James 2: 1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.So it is from chapter two that I am speaking of as addressing the church or an assembly of believers. It may not have been a specific church, but addressing a practise that should be avoided in the assembly. It is where the faith without works came from, and it is in regards to the abuse of the poor by the fake issuers of faith in God's Providence that would send them away naked and starving after having a collection from the bounty from the Lord.