~ A specific system of belief or worship built around God ~

Real religion is a way of life, not a white cloak to be wrapped around us on the Sabbath and then cast aside into the six-day closet of unconcern.

The Apostle James in James 1:27 wrote, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

I think most people have the belief that it is the Pastors’ responsibility to visit the fatherless and widows.  But this is not the case at all.  Everyone that has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, as a Member of the Body of Christ has the commission to Minister not only to the fatherless and widows but to every other Member of the Body.

Another problem with relying only on the Pastors to Minister to the fatherless and widows is that all too many so-called Pastors are not doing it either.  Therefore, everyone needs to get involved in order to take up the slack.

Now, as to the rest of the above Scripture, “to keep himself unspotted from the world,” all too many Believers are slack on this element as well.

With the many devices and temptations that the world has to offer, the average person finds difficulty in doing as the Apostle James advised.  One of the reasons for this is, they are not rooted and grounded in the Word.

In order to resist the devil, one must know what the Word of God says.  And like Jesus, our example, we will need to be able to use the Word of God against the devil in order to be victorious. (see) St. Matthew 4:1-10

In Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul said,  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. *And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In essence the Apostle Paul is seemingly begging the Saints to do the things that pertain to righteousness.  For a person to present their body as a living sacrifice to God will necessitate a conscious effort on the part of the Believer to accomplish.  In spite of what might seem to be difficult, the Apostle Paul says that the effort required is expected and reasonable.

In order to accomplish living a righteous life one will need a continual daily diet of reading the Word of God.  This is part of how a Saint is to be transformed and to change from Glory to Glory; that the Child of God might be perfect and entire, lacking no-thing.

The Apostle James in James 2:14-26 wrote, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  *If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  *And 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?  *Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. *Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. *Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. *But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  *Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  *Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?  *And 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. *Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. *Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  *For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

There is a lot of meat in this Scripture so, I will try to expound on a few thoughts to assist in its digestion.

Is it possible for Faith alone to save a Soul?  The answer quite simply put is, “No” ~

In another Scripture James says, “the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19 -  I think all of us can agree that the devils DO NOT have any chance for Salvation.  Therefore, Believing alone will not save a lost Soul.  Believing and/or Faith, like love is, an action word.  Believing and/ or Faith MUST be applied in order to produce the desired results.  In this case, salvation.

In 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Apostle Paul said, “Rejoice evermore. *Pray without ceasing. *In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

We as the Saints of God need to have a song of praise and a thought of prayer in our heart and on our mind continuously.  In the 23rd Psalm King David penned the words, “thy will be done.”  

Now, you know what part of the Will of God is, “Praising the Lord" ~

In Galatians 5:24-25, the Apostle Paul wrote, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. *If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

The best way to crucify the flesh is, to walk in the Spirit.  That which is Spirit, is spirit. St. John 3:6 - The Holy Ghost will lead and guide the Believer into all Truth.  Truth is, the Written Word of God.

 
The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:5 wrote, "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit."

The more a Believer/Saint learns from the Written Word of God, the more likely they are to abstain from even the appearance of sin.

In 1st Corinthians 13:4-8, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, *Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; *Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; *Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. *Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."

Our Heavenly Father is a God of True Charity because He has put-up with thousands of years of mankind’s unwillingness to effectively listen to and observe the things that He has said, from day one.

The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:14 said, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

The problem is, that all too many who say that they are part of the Body of Christ, are not willing to be led by the Spirit of God.  They want to be the leader.

In Acts 10:34-35 we read,  "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: *But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

This is one Scripture that should prompt every Believer / Saint to shout, “Hallelujah.”  To know that what God has done for others, He is willing to do for every Believer/Saint.

I would like to mention one more thought here regarding, “he that feareth Him.”  King Solomon in Proverbs 8:13 said, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil,” and everything that might be construed as evil.

In Acts 17:23-28 we read,  "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. *God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  *Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;  *And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; *That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: *For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

 
As it was then so, it is today.  People are worshiping anything and everything, in any way they can and say that they are right with God.  But from what I read in the Word of God, the Bible, our Heavenly Father does not like Strange Fire.

 
Read Numbers 3:4, and find out what God did to someone who thought they could worship Him any way they wanted to.

 
God, YHWH our Heavenly Father is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Praise His Holy Name!

Derwood A. Stewart, Minister
House of Prayer Sabbath Ministries
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