What are dead works? What does it mean to repent? Why should we care?
What is the meaning of repentance?
The Bible’s definition for repentance has to do with the changing of one’s mind and hear, it leads one from turning away from sin and turning our heart back towards God. It is a necessary part of our salvation. It results in a change of behavior, attitude, faith and our obedience to and for God.
As we read our primary Scripture notice that repentance is one of the prime or elementary messages about our salvation by Christ.
Hebrews 6:1… Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah (or the primary doctrine about the Christ), let us grow into maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works…
The apostle Paul mentions repentance from dead works so we need to understand what that means. He also called it the foundation as he referred to it as the truth or the knowledge about Christ.
Dead works refers to the selfish pursuits that people chase after to occupy their life, to make themselves feel better.
Some have even imagined that what they do is in-line with divine salvation as indicated by Christ.
Matthew 7:21-22 says they prophesy, expel demons and have powerful works all while using Christ name, but they have not done what God wants.
Jesus was pointing out that these people although they had faith, it was showing up as a missed placed work.
Another warning that we need to consider is something that the disciple James pointed out about our faith, it cannot be inactive, unfruitful or misdirected.
Faith Without Works is Dead
James 2:14-26… What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you faith from my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe and they shudder. Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by his works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So, the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by her works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Our faith in God produces an action from our heart and it manifests itself as something tangible and seen by others. As we have already learned we cannot have blind faith. It has to be in-line with what God is asking from us.
The complete letter that James wrote focused on being a doer of good works, let us look at the first point he made at James 1:22-27.
James 1:22-27… But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works this person will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religious faith is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
The disciple James gives us the first two mandates that we need to focus on, to have true faith in God with actions or our works.
Continuing the reading of James chapter 2, he points out some other things that we should do and not do. Like showing favoritism to those who have money and disregarding the needs of the poor, he calls that person a transgressor of law for failing to provide for the needs of the poor.
Ok so what are some works that are in-line with God, something he is wanting us to do?
After reading the complete letter of James we have compiled a list as follows:
- James 4:7: Oppose the devil.
- James 2:16: Help take care of the needs of the poor.
- James 1:27: Taking care of the needs of widows and fatherless children.
- James 1:27: Keeping yourself clean and spotless from the world’s activities.
- James 3:10-18: Controlling your tongue and your attitude.
- James 4:17: Failure to act with or for righteousness is counted as a sin.
The apostle Paul said that this was the foundation of our knowledge of Christ, and it is a part of our salvation. So, I would like to make one more point that Christ Jesus was making about our works and how it should be something that would be in line with God’s will, and it is found at:
Luke 24:46-48… He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
If we fail to proclaim publicly about Christ Jesus, and how he is the one who has been sent by God to forgive sins, than our works are truly dead, and our faith is made useless.
We are truly in need of repentance!
Read the following:
Philippians 2:9-11… For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth: and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Applying the above Scripture is a righteous act that glorifies God and is acceptable to him. So give a knee to Christ and say Amen come Lord Jesus!
Follow the hyperlink to the next article: Teach Us Your Ways
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