Paul closes his magnificent chapter in Romans 8 with what may be called a hymn of security. This closing passage is a crescendo of questions and answers regarding issues some objectors might raise about our security in Christ. Although verses 31-39 continue his argument in defense of purity, they also amount to an almost poetic declaration of thanksgiving for God’s grace. What we see in this passage is Paul drawing to a close the great paean of triumph, to this magnificent view of the life of the people of God. We see here that Paul glories in the blessedness and security of believers by dwelling on three fundamental reasons for our triumphant confidence:

I. Victory through the Father (v31-33) II. Victory in the Son (v34) III. Victory over the circumstances (v35-39)

Our Security in Christ – Romans 8:31-39 It is because we are embraced by the eternal and unchanging love of God that we can be content to stand in the trials of today. Choose to rest in this truth today.… READ MORE

James 2:18-20 reminds us that Faith is not really faith at all unless it leads to service. The proof of life is activity, those who are dead do nothing but lay around and decay. We need to understand that knowing and understanding orthodox doctrine is no guarantee of salvation; even the demons are orthodox in the sense of knowing and acknowledging truth about God, Not only are you lost if you are not willing to allow the truth of the gospel to motivate you to service for the Lord, you are foolish to believe that a declaration of faith is enough to guarantee your salvation. It is not WHAT we know that brings us salvation, it is WHO we know, and your commitment to who you know will be displayed by what you do! We must understand that faith and works are not mutually exclusive! Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith is more than an agreement that Christ died on the cross for our sin, That faith is the beginning of a new life of service. The motivation for our service is gratitude to the Lord for what He has done for me. I don’t do the things … READ MORE

As James continues to challenge us to consider the relationship we have with Christ in James 2:15-17. James illustrates his point by comparing faith without works to words of compassion without corresponding acts of compassion. Dead faith can be characterized by false compassion, by a verbal concern for t hose in need that is no more than hypocritical sham. The Greek construction in this passage indicates that this need on the part of such believers is a long-standing need, not temporary, and it is verifiable, not based just on a person’s claims. The implication of this passage is that just as compassion without kindness and care is phony, so is faith which is nothing but an empty claim. This is a well-chosen analogy, because compassion is one of the evidences of true regeneration. It is amazing that so many people can become emotionally involved in a movie and yet show no concern or compassion for the plight of a neighbor or acquaintance who is in real need. In our artificial, self-centered world, fantasy often becomes more meaningful than reality. James says, “What does it profit?” The question implies the answer – It doesn’t profit anything. We need to have more … READ MORE