Counterfeit Faith

 

 

"We laugh at the little boy who spent twenty cents of his allowance for chewing gum and gave only five cents in Sunday School because, as he put it, 'we chew gum all week long and have religion only on Sunday.' You can't be lost all week long and expect to make up for it all on Sunday." - Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations 

 

James 2:14 - "What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" 
Titus 1:16 - "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." 

 

"Suppose you saw an earthly kingdom in which the king's subjects felt free to ignore whatever they didn't want to hear. What impression would you have of their king? Or suppose you saw an earthly kingdom in which the king's subjects spent one day a week honoring him and telling him how great they thought he was but then spent the other six days making a mockery of everything he had tried to do for them. What impression would you have of their king?"

"Charles Colson wrote about the bewildering paradox that one-third of all American adults claim to be 'born-again'(according to the Gallup poll) and yet fail to impact our society. It becomes sicker and more corrupt by the day. There is much talk about religion, but morality is down."

(Excerpts from the Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations)
 

 

In James 2:14, the Apostle James inquired - "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" 

Many in the world today declare openly that they know God, yet they have no fruit or good works in their lives to substantiate their belief. They are full of a counterfeit faith. 

 

They -

...are like the king's subjects in the first story who deem it perfectly acceptable to ignore any of his commands which are not pleasing to them

...supposedly serve him wholeheartedly one day of the week and then make a mockery of him the rest of the week by their unholy lifestyle

...are those who confess that they are Born-Again yet do not have any marked impact on the ungodly world around them

...are like the little boy who gives a small portion of his allowance on Sunday because that is as far as his religion goes - it's a one-day-a-week thing!

 

They say that they have faith, yet they do not have any works to prove it. Or if they have works, they are as the Apostle Paul described - "...abominable, and disobedient, and....reprobate"(Titus 1:16).  

Both Apostles agree that genuine faith will be followed by works. However, Paul indirectly qualifies that these works must be good works in order for one to have saving faith.

In James 2:14, James says - "though a man say he hath faith."
In Titus 1:16, Paul says - "They profess that they know God."
In both cases, the individual makes a "profession of faith."

 

James 2:14 - James goes on to say - "...and have not works?"
Titus 1:16 - Paul introduces a new twist here - "but in works they deny Him." 

Although men may say that they have faith or profess that they know God, only faith followed by good works saves.(The Bible does not teach that good works produce salvation. It  does teach that true salvation produces good works.) 

 

It is very possible for someone to make a false confession of faith in Christ which produces "abominable, disobedient, and reprobate" works. This is why both Apostles contest that "faith" that does not produce good works, fruits of righteousness, or holy living cannot save.

 

Such hypocrisy which depicts the profession and practice at variance in one's life is found throughout the Scriptures.

Isaiah 29:13 - Isaiah prophesied of a people who drew near to God with their mouth and honored Him with their lips, but their heart was far from Him.

Again, in Isaiah 48:1, we read one of Isaiah's prophecies addressed to a people who "make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness."
Ezekiel 33:31 - Also, God spoke to the Prophet Ezekiel about a people who "with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

Proverbs 30:12 - Agur, the son of Jakeh, in the Book of Proverbs mentioned "a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness."

Jeremiah 5:2-4 - God addressed the children of Israel in Jeremiah's prophecy as those who say - "The LORD liveth," yet they swear falsely for they "have refused to receive correction," "have refused to return," and "know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God."

1 John 2:4 - Lastly, in the New Testament, the Apostle John referred to a people who confess to know God, yet they do not keep His commandments. He boldly called them "a liar."
Titus 1:16 - The Apostle Paul accuses these same liars of denying the Lord - "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him..."

What kind of works do they produce which deny the Lord?

Their works are "abominable" - detestable works which both He and men would consider offensive.

They are "disobedient" - rebellious, perverse, and not compliant with His commandments.

They are "reprobate" - adulterate, not approved, rejected, or worthless.

Both the Apostle James and the Apostle Paul - along with the other Biblical writers - would contest that one's practice must not be a contradiction to one's profession. A profession of faith in Christ always and without exception leads to the practice of holy living. And there are no exceptions for any period in time. This Word stands for all generations.
 

                                                                                                                        

May God Bless His Word.

Connie