Faith changes lives . . .

A large church in California used the “Evangelism Explosion” program to share the gospel with first-time visitors. However, they modified it somewhat. Instead of focusing on sharing what God has done in order to convince people to say the sinner’s prayer and be ‘saved’ they made certain the person knew what would happen to them if they became a Christian.

The list of five things included: “You will have a different attitude toward sin . . .” and “You will deeply desire to obey God because Jesus is the Lord of your life.”

Tozer says that too often Christians will let someone “say they are saved no matter how imperfect and incomplete the transaction.” I know people who walk around with a false assurance of their salvation. They prayed the prayer and were told that was enough, yet nothing changes. A genuine conversion results in a changed life.

Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, not by works. This is vital, yet salvation means new life and changes happen, perhaps in varying degrees but they happen. Christ comes into a convert’s life and no one can be the same when that happens.

For this reason, when the church determined which books and letters made up the canon of Scripture, some of them had a problem with James. Eventually his words were understood as being correct, this section in particular:

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:18–26)

Believing in God is not enough. Even demons believe. The test of a true conversion is a life change signified by obedience to God. Abraham is called the ‘father of faith’ and his faith was justified or proven when he did what God asked. Not everyone will be tested to the extreme he was, but anyone claiming to have faith in Christ will be tested.

Note also that God redeems anyone who believes and follows Him, whether they are people from a background like Abraham, or people with a background like Rahab. He is not a respecter of persons, but He honors the faith that results in a changed life.

Tozer says that the problem comes from ignorance about life in Christ. The Holy Spirit may be at work in the life of someone who easily says yes to the gospel message, but rather than assume that, it is far better to let them know what they are getting into!

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Jesus, in the beginning I didn’t have much of an understanding of what it means to be Your child. If I had, I may have been more cooperative in those early years. Yet knowing now the depth that sin goes and the grip that it has, maybe not. Thank You for rescuing me from my sin and myself — and thank You for changing my life.