The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-05-27
K SlDBL1H-ScuOA LESSOR
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR MAY 30.

My Works." Jas. Il. ii..1ls-Commentary.
IA. ."what doth It profit, my brethren,
though man say he hath faith and have
not works? Can faith save him?" The
Il. v. says, "Can that faith save him."
There are no contradictions in the teach
Ing OF Scripture. and one OF the plainest
doctrines in all the books, taught even in
this lesson by the Spirit through James
lverse 23) Is that the only salvation re-
vealed to US is that which has been fully
wrought out for us by the Lord Jesus
Christ without any help OF ours, and which
We must receive by faith as FREQ gift from
God. See Rom. iv., 8; Eph. H., 8; Titus ill.,,
5. 1t Is most Enthusiastically clear that we
are saved by faith alone. But It is Just as
clearly taught that tho evidence Of that
faith will be seen in our daily lives by our
walking In the good works prepared for
us. See Eph. H., 10; Titus ill.,, 8. A faith
that does not produce good works and
holy life Is not genuine, but is an empty
nahe.
r15, l6. "If a brother or sister be naked
and destitute OF daily food. and one OF you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye
warned and filed, Notwithstanding ye give
them not those things which are needful to
the body. What doth It pront?" Or as
John says, "My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue. but in
deed and truth" U John ill.,, ls). Jesus
Himself said, my mother and MY brethren
are these which hear the word OF God and
do 1t" Uuke yiii.. 2D. And again, "Not
every one that saith unto Me Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom OF heaven; but
he that doeth the will of My Father, which
Is in heaven" (Math. VIII, 2D.
IL. Even so faith, II 1t hath not works,
Ia dead, being alone" or. as in the margin,
"by itself" Faith cometh by hearing the
word OF God (Rom, x, 1T-that Is, by re-
ceiving the word OF God, and the word of
God Is incorruptible seed, which is suro to
grow. Faith receives Christ into tho heart
and Christ in us cannot bs hid any more
than He could be hid in the house In the
borders of Tyre and 'Sdon MARK viii, "a.
You walk by field in which not green
blade is to be seen, although It looks as II
II had been sown, and tho farmer says that
he sowcd it with good seed three months
ago. Either tho seed was no good or was
destroyed after being sown, or the farmer
lied. ."s~
IL. Yea, man may say. Thou hast faith
and | have works. Show me thy faith
without thy works and I will show thee nv
faith by my works" The II. V. margin b..
gins this verse, But some one will say"
We can talk faith, but wecannot show faith
except by our deeds. 1t is the same with
love. God does not need our works t.
prove our faith, for III can read the heart
but He tells us that believers should ba
careful to maintain good works because
they are good and profitable unto men
(Titus ill.,, -. Not only profitable to those
who do tho works, for we are to be ra-
warded according to our works (Rcv. xii,
II; Cor. ill.,, 8, lD, but profitable to those
who, seeing the good works. may be led bv
them to Him who workoth in us both Co.
will and to do OF His good pleasure Cphil.
H.. 13).
10. "Thou belcvcst that there is one
God. Thou doest well. The devils also
believe and tremblo." The II. V. saws
"shudder" instead Of trcmble, and the H.
V. margin says demons instead Of devils.
There is but ono devil, though there are
hosts OF demons, his followers. One has
said that there are no atheists or infldes IN
hell. All who are there believe In tho re-
alities OF hell and the devil, OF God and of
heaven, but they cannot believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and he saved. Those
who dio In their sins can never come where
Christ is (John viii, 2D. Therefore it IL
written, because there ia wrath, beware
lest He take thee away with His stroke.
Then great ransom cannot deliver thee"
dob xxxvi., 1S). 1t Is greatly to be feared
that many protesting Christians are no
better, as far as salvation Is concerned,
than the demons who believe and shuddcr
They believe all about God and Christ and
have been received into church member
ship because OF this knowledge. backed up
by u good moral character. But having
never truly received Christ John l., ~,
they continue lost souls.
20 But wilt thou know, o vain man, that
faith without works IL dcad?" The knOwl-
edge OF God and OF Christ that does not
lead one to receive tho Lord Jesus Christ
into his heart will only prove greater con
demnation. This class of people is described
In Heb. vi, A-6 as enlightened, tasted the
gift, knew somewhat OF the Spirits teach.
ing. But IL the continuance in grace and
good works is lacking. then It is evident
that they merely believed about Christ, but
never truly received Him. In III Pet. H.,
2O-22, we read again Of such as were to some
extent benefited by their knowledge. but
were never truly new creatures
81. Was not Abraham our father justified
by works when he had offered Isaac his son
upon the altar" This was the outward and
evident justification before men, for we are
justified freely by grace, mertoriously by
the blood Of Christ and inst r,lmentally by
faith liom. Ill.,, n; v, ., ~, and there is no
conflict or contradiction in these state
ments. Abraham rosted for twenty-five
years on the bare promise OF God. .Srhen
Isaac was given. After he had grown to BE-
u lad God tried his servant to SEQ II he was
still resting on the promise or upon tho vsi-
bic Isaac. Now, God knew His servants
heart and did not need to prove him that
God might know, but that all generations
might see that Abraham rested not In tho
visible gift OF God, but in God Himself and
His sure word.
~. "Seest thou how faith wrought with
his works, and by works was faith made
perfect Faith, tho germ; works, tho
manifestation. 1t IL written in Heb xi.,
1919, that Abraham, when he was tried, by
faith offered up Isaac, in whom the prom
ises were to be fulfilled, believing that God
was able to raise him up even from the
dead, from whence also He received him in
a figure. In Rom. iv,, 1921, 1t Is written
concerning the birth OF Isaac, that Abra-
ham did not consider himself nor Sarah
But strong In faith. giving glory to God,
he was fully persuaded that God was able
to and would perform what Ho had prom
ised.
2s. "And the Scripture was fulfilled,
which saith Abraham believed God, and 1t
was imputed unto him for righteousness,
and he was called the friend OF God"
When God told Abraham that his seed
should be as the stars for multitude, Abra-
ham certainly could not feel that 1t would
BIO so. His only assurance was the word OF
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