GALATIANS 2 JUSTIFIED BY FAITH NOT BY LAW

November 10

GALATIANS 2

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justifiedby works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousnesswere through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. – Galatians 2:15-21

GALATIANS 2 JUSTIFIED BY FAITH NOT BY LAW

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When we became children of God, we were justified

Christ erased our tendency to continue our old sinful life

By his sacrifice, we are able to be given a clean slate with God

Without faith, we will continue to live a life that is dead

It is through faith that we can truly be righteous and sanctified

Without believing in God, we cannot truly be holy and purified

It is only God’s choice that we are given the gift of faith

Nothing we do will ever be able to free us from God’s wrath.

It is interesting how Paul explains in this letter that we were justified not by the law but by faith. Imagine that God is the judge in a courtroom and we were going to be given a verdict on our lawlessness against his laws. When the children of God were given commandments to follow, it was not for God’s benefit since he didn’t need anything, but for our own benefit. There is always a consequence from disobedience to a command laid out for us to follow. We deserved punishment for breaking the law and we were given a penalty to pay for such sins.

Justification works in such a way that Jesus Christ becomes the one who bailed us out and even pays for the penalty of our sins. Through Jesus’ work on the cross, the punishment (verdict) which was the wrath of God was lightened by the perfect payment from Jesus’ death on the cross. But there is a caveat to this payment, we need to believe that he was the one who paid for our sin debt and not us. If we believe in his perfect sacrifice, we will receive the promise of the crown of life to those who receive this faith that he has granted to those whom he has chosen. It is not through following the law that leads us to be saved, but it is in believing that the work of Christ on the cross is perfect and finished. There is no need to add to it because it is the only one that God accepts. No human being can contribute to appease God’s wrath but Jesus Christ alone.

REFLECTION

·       What did God replace the laws with when Jesus Christ came to save mankind?

MATTHEW 17 FAITHLESS PEOPLE ARE POWERLESS

November 9

MATTHEW 17

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demonand it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”– Matthew 17:14-20

MATTHEW 17 FAITHLESS PEOPLE ARE POWERLESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you have no faith, there is nothing you can do

Faith is the channel from which God works on you

Without it, you will not be able to heal or change

Only in your faith in the Lord can you know the truth

If you have unbelief, you will be helpless and powerless

The power of God cannot work on those who are faithless

But if you have faith even just like a grain of mustard seed

You can even move a mountain from its original place.

In this account we hear Jesus confront his own disciples with their faithlessness. Their lack of faith hindered them from healing that boy who was having seizures. You can hear Jesus’ frustration over his disciples’ faithlessness when he said ““O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” Doesn’t that sound like someone who has been let down? It must have been almost the end of the three years of Jesus’ ministry that they have been taught and guided by Jesus and yet they still have very little faith. Despite the miracles and signs that they have witnessed, they still had unbelief. I empathize with Jesus’ frustration. As a teacher it was such a let down when my students do not even take seriously the lessons that I have patiently taught them for the time you were their mentor. As a parent, you feel let down when your teenage kids would not trust or depend on your wisdom regarding the right course of life they need to follow for their own sake.

Jesus further explained to his disciples why they weren’t able to heal the boy suffering from seizures. They lacked faith. Then the Lord patiently explained that they only needed to have faith just as small as a grain of mustard seed and they can have power to command even a mountain to move its location wherever they direct it to go.

REFLECTION

  • Share some insights on people who claim they are Christians but have no active faith at all.
  • What are some indications that a believer manifests active faith?

1 CORINTHIANS 2 FAITH IN GOD NOT IN HUMAN

November 8

1 CORINTHIANS 2

And I, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimonyof God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of menbut in the power of God.6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-9

1 CORINTHIANS 2 FAITH IN GOD NOT IN HUMAN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you trust in your own understanding regularly

You will most likely not have a dependence on God Almighty

As long as you rely on humans and in your own abilities

It will be difficult to grow your faith and develop maturity

If you trust and believe that God is the only source of faith

You will not strive but find peace and satisfaction in your life

The Lord wants his people to run to him for all things

He alone can bring you assurance, comfort, joy and peace.

Do you ever wonder why God stipulated so many laws that prohibit us from having idols? Because God is a jealous God and wants his people to treat him as the only source of all things and is the provider of all our needs, he expects his chosen ones to be loyal and put their trust in him alone. In this account, Paul gives us the meaning of faith that should only come from God himself. He doesn’t want his people to trust their own thinking or abilities in such a way that they will rely on it or on anything that will hinder them from depending on Him alone.

Paul began this letter with the proclamation of the testimony of God, not with lofty speech or wisdom but by allowing the Spirit to do all the works and being used by him to bring about as simply as possible the message of faith to the believers. We can easily add our own ideas or present the truth in a way that we think we can impress others, but the truth can speak for itself and it doesn’t need to be enhanced. When we try to add our abilities, gifts or strengths in the declaration of the gospel, we are actually idolizing these things. The believer needed to be a channel or the vessel for the Holy Spirit to work his way on convicting other people’s hearts and increasing their knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It becomes self-promotion and faith in the “self” rather than in the power of the Lord. As believers, we must never get in the way of the Spirit’s work of increasing the faith in all those whom God elected.

REFLECTION

  • Cites instances how faith in humans rather than in God is so clearly evident in our world today.

ROMANS 10 FAITH COMES FROM HEARING GOD’S WORD

November 7

ROMANS 10

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed, they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” – Romans 10:14-21

ROMANS 10 FAITH COMES FROM HEARING GOD’S WORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

How did you come to believe in Jesus Christ?

Didn’t you hear it from a preacher at a point in your life?

Or have you come across the gospel from His word?

You could have faith only if you were chosen by God

Or you will still not know the Lord and hear his Spirit

Faith comes from hearing God’s word and receiving it

Without hearing the truth, faith is almost impossible

It is a gift given by God to all whom he has elected.

In this letter to the Romans, Paul explains to the believers the importance of hearing God’s word which leads to the invitation of God to receive the gift of faith which he gives to those whom he has chosen. It is interesting how some people think that faith comes from their own will, but it is clearly stated in this account that faith originates from God and its channel is through the truth that comes alone from his Word. How we come to know the Lord is if we either heard it preached, taught or read from the bible.

I was raised as a Catholic but never really read the bible up until I was in my late twenties. Although I have heard stories about Jesus since I was in kindergarten and started writing to Jesus daily as a result being emotionally unloved and neglected, I felt invisible and no one guided me about the gospel, but somehow, there was a small voice in my heart that knew he was present for me. So, began writing him daily since age 7, but I never heard the bible read, preached or explained to me except in some readings in church during Sunday mass. I was in my 50s when I began to read insatiably and hungrily the bible after my divorce with my first husband. I never stopped longing for God since then.

Paul explains the importance of hearing or preaching of the gospel in order for us to receive the faith given to those who were elected by God to be part of his people.

REFLECTION

·       What is untrue when we think faith is just something we can believe from our own will?

EPHESIANS 2 THE GIFT OF FAITH

November 6

EPHESIANS 2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the courseof this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10

EPHESIANS 2 THE GIFT OF FAITH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When God chose his own people, he poured out his grace

With the outpouring you received salvation through the gift of faith

If you were not given this gift, you won’t be able to receive it

We can only say yes to believe in Christ when we were given his Spirit

No one can boast that he has faith because it only comes from God

Nobody can produce faith as it is only given to those who are elect

It is only by the grace and sovereignty of God that you were chosen

Do not ever think that you deserved any of it or that you can achieve it.

There are so many misnomers about what faith is. Some people think that it comes from the will of the individual. Others think that it comes from their emotions. Others think that it comes from their own abilities to gauge whether it will benefit them or not. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines faith as something that is believed as with a strong conviction. From this definition, it makes sense to think that it is the will of the person that is the root or source of the faith. Another definition from this dictionary says it is complete trust in something or someone. From this other definition, we could say that it is a form of relinquishing one’s will to someone or something else. In other words, to give the thing you believe in the power to control you. No wonder, many cults are able to generate blind following of their beliefs. These definitions are from the world. True faith is not at all these concepts.

Paul defines faith in this account as a gift given to us by God through his grace. God gave his chosen people faith as a channel so that they can continually live holy lives. Faith makes us receive the new life that Jesus gave us when he sacrificed his own life for our reconciliation with God. Faith makes us hope for those promises that God gave his own people. It makes us rely and trust God even in trials.  

REFLECTION

·       What does this account on faith show the difference from the world view of faith?

MATTHEW 21 FAITH MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE TRANSPIRE

November 5

Matthew 21

18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”– Matthew 21:18-22

MATTHEW 21 FAITH MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE TRANSPIRE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you think beyond the box, you can imagine the impossible

God gave us a mind that is not fearful but is sound and powerful

When you pray, do not have doubts so you can receive your requests

Without faith, nothing you hope for will ever be answered or granted

With faith you can bring to life what is dead and what is lifeless

And without it, you will live a life of confusion and fruitlessness

As you believe in the power of God, you share in that same power

Your faith is the only way you can win and make the devil cower.

In this gospel of Matthew, we are given a clear picture of the power of faith. This account narrates the event when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the fig tree by the wayside as they passed by it. He commanded it to wither since it has not been fruitful but just produced leaves instead. It reminds me of these other verses in the bible about fruitlessness and not abiding in Christ: John 15:6 -Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. John 15:2 – 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. Matthew 3:10- Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. What Jesus did to the fig tree symbolizes believers or any man who is fruitless in their deeds, they deserve to be burned or annihilated as Jesus withered the fig tree. It is a consequence of the uselessness of God’s people. They live a dead life.

Faith as emphasized here shows us its power. In verse 21, Jesus himself challenges his disciples to exercise faith so that they can also manifest its power just like he did in commanding that fig tree to wither and die. He further gave them another example of how even mountains can be moved by the power of faith. Of course, this is a figurative speech that explains that anything is possible if you have faith. Prayers without faith can do nothing. As the book of James says in 1:6-8 if we don’t ask in faith, we have a double-mind and are very unstable just like the waves of the sea blown by the wind. If we have no faith, we need not expect anything from God.

REFLECTION

·       Why do people still not apply faith as they pray or hope for something despite its power?

1 JOHN 5 FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD

November 4

1 JOHN 5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  – 1 John 5:1-12

1 JOHN 5 FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If we were given the gift to believe that Jesus is the Son of God

And if we trust that his sacrifice on the cross will save us

There is nothing in the world that can lure us to be deceived

To accept that gift of faith is shown in obeying God’s commands

It is to recognize that without faith, we are going to be defeated

Faith is the only weapon we have against the devil’s devices

When we strongly believe that God is our only protection

We will surely overcome the lies and triumph over temptations.

In this account, the Lord reveals to John his beloved disciple how to overcome the world. In our humanity, we think that to triumph over the devil is to yell or call him out. The more we rely on our own strategies to win over this corrupt world, the more we will fail. The Lord gives us a clear guideline and a step-by-step process to be overcomers. We do not use physical and mental faculties to fight with spiritual unseen forces, but we apply our faith and the truth to eradicate these strongholds that are built by the devil to hinder us from believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 10:10, we are told that the purpose of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy us at any cost, while Jesus’ goal is to give us life and live it to the fullest. In this account, we are given the blueprint to win over the systems and corruption of the world. Before we can follow the steps, we need to be chosen by God himself. With that election, we are given the gift of faith. We need to keep that faith active and alive as we continually love others, especially the people of God. With the truth given to us in God’s word plus our faith, nothing can destroy us at all.

REFLECTION

  • Why do some believers fail to triumph over temptations to sin?

HEBREWS 11 WHAT FAITH IS

November 3

HEBREWS 11

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

                                                                                      – Hebrews 11:1-8

HEBREWS 11 WHAT FAITH IS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Faith is not just a work of our mind, it is a gift from God

It is a result of God choosing us to belong in his sheepfold

It is the gift that allows us to receive truth without doubt

It is the mirroring of God’s own plan in every man’s heart

No human can fabricate faith because it is supernatural

Without faith, we can never please our Lord and Maker

Faith is not something we can achieve or coerce to have

It is up to God whether he will choose us or not.

This chapter in the book of Hebrews focuses on giving us a clear definition of faith based on God’s view. Many people think of faith in the world’s perspective. I remember having heard of a church called “Achiever’s Faith.” I knew from its name that there is something not right with the meaning of faith. I’ve never had the courage to ask my friend and her Pastor husband (who has now passed away) why they gave their church that name. I believe that words are very important and if you do not choose the right words or label, it will draw confusion and obscurity. I just looked at this international ministry online now and found out that their mission is to raise giants and champions. What that means seems so vague. It sounds more like a coaching platform rather than a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is focused on “human effort” rather than divine choice that was given to each of those whom God has chosen. It seemed like we could work our way to have faith. The writer of Hebrews has a different meaning from that “Achiever’s Faith” church I mentioned. In this book, the writer defines faith as a God-given gift.  It is totally God’s work and humans have no participation in achieving it. It is freely given by God alone.

REFLECTION

·       What do you observe are some misconceptions of “faith” in the churches today?

JAMES 2 FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD

November 2

JAMES 2

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what goodis that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.18 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. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 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. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 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? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

                                                                                      – James 2:14-25

JAMES 2 FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you say you believe in God but do nothing to show it

Faith without works is dead and is not a fruit of the Spirit

That faith is useless and does not have power to save you

When your faith is not actively displayed, that is not from God

That is a work of your flesh and it will hinder you from serving

The flesh caters only to its lusts, desires and its own cravings

When you were chosen by God to be one of his servants

You were equipped to do good works to build each other up

The proof of your faith is in your active show of love for your neighbor

It mirrors the love of the Lord that you received when he saved you.

In this account, James clarifies what true and saving faith is. When people think of “faith”, it seems like it is their ability to choose to believe. At least that was how I thought of it before I became a born-again Christian. James explains that faith is something we received when we were chosen by God. With that gift, the Lord also equipped us to exercise the ability to bring into action that belief in the unconditional love that God gave us. He expects us to give that same love we received by his grace towards others. He gives us the example of active faith in Abraham. That faith was tested when he was asked by God to sacrifice his one and only son to him. He didn’t cringe or doubt, he just did it and trusted that the Lord would provide. In the same manner, when he was asked to leave his pagan country at age 75, he didn’t ask where to but followed where God led him. Faith is a complete trust in God’s plan and sovereignty.

REFLECTION

  • What are some wrong notions of faith by those who do not truly understand God’s word?

JAMES 1 TESTING OF YOUR FAITH

November 1

JAMES 1

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grasshe will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. – James 1:2-15

JAMES 1 TESTING OF YOUR FAITH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be tested

You will have to face trials and adversities to strengthen it

It has to be purified and refined for you to be used by God

Your faith is useless if not tested; you’ll be plagued with doubts

So, be joyful when you face all kinds of pain and misery

That is the only sure way you can grow your endurance

When your character has grown, you will have patience

With it, you can courageously face trials with resilience.

Hebrews 11:1 defines for us what faith is, it is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. When we say we have faith in Christ, it means that we believe in the resurrection promise of eternal life to those who believe and it also includes a trust in the divine things that we cannot understand or see that are laid down for us in the word of God. Knowing God intellectually does not constitute true faith. In James 2:19, even the demons believe and shudder that there is only one God. Faith must also include a life of dependence on God in all things. We do not rely on our own understanding or abilities.

In this account, James reveals to us that faith needs to be tested in suffering and trials. He says in verse 12 that when we remain unwavering under trials, we have stood the test and receive the crown of life. Without suffering, we could never claim that we have true faith. It is in the midst of uncertainties and things we cannot understand that we can truly display our total dependence on God’s sovereignty.

REFLECTION

·       Is it possible to grow your faith without going through suffering? Why or why not?