Scripture doesn’t sugarcoat the meaning of faith.
➦ If we memorize and teach the Bible but dislike people based on their race or social status, Scripture says we're still in darkness.(1)
1 John 2:9: "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness."
➦ If we give all of our money to the poor but refuse to forgive others, neither will we be forgiven.(2)
Matthew 6:15: "If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
➦ If we’re comfortable ignoring God’s commands, we don't know Jesus.(3)
1 John 2:4: “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar.”
On the day of judgment, some folks will remind Jesus of the wonderful deeds they did in His name. And He will tell them:
“I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Matthew 7:21-23(4)
Saving faith is neither faith without works nor works without faith (James 2:17; Matthew 6:1). Scripture encourages us to examine our faith to make sure it's genuine (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Jesus didn't sugarcoat it. Neither should we.
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Some additional devotions on this subject:
How God Defines Love
Don't Listen to Weedy Messages in the Church
The Fifth Oldest Sin in the Book: Fake Worship
(1) Read James 2:1-11 for more confirmation of this truth.
(2) “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3
Forgiveness is a non-negotiable aspect of Christian love. Genuine believers may struggle with unforgiveness, but we seek to overcome it because we realize how much we've been forgiven by Jesus. If you're struggling with bitterness, check out the 1-minute devotions in the Overcoming Bitterness collection.
(3) Christ made the distinction between true and false faith in Matthew 15 by highlighting a problem we face regularly in our modern culture—self-righteous justification for dishonoring parents.
Matthew 15:3-9: “Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Note: Children who have been physically or
sexually abused by parents must seek godly Christian counsel in
handling their adult relationship with their parents.
See the 1-minute devotions in the Honoring Parents collection.
(4) The full passage: Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
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