Salvation Summaries

I am going through each book in the New Testament (again) and writing bullet point comments about how a person becomes a Christian and how a Christian should live.  The following notes are from the book of James.

Summary

A key salvation verse in this book is James 2:14, which says, “…what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone.” (NLT).

As in the days of James, many people today claim to have faith, or be a Christian, but a lack of evidence for it proves they are not. In Barna’s “The State of the Church 2016” survey, 73% of Americans say they are Christian, but if you eliminate those who have not been born again (which is required to become a Christian), that percentage falls to 35%. Further, when you factor in beliefs a true Christian should hold (e.g, Satan is real, the Bible is inerrant, Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, etc.), the percentage falls to 7%.

In my opinion, and based upon a review of many salvation verses in the Bible, one way to really know if you are a Christian is to answer these two questions: 1) Who owns you?  and 2) Whom do you serve?

If you remain in charge of your life and seek to serve yourself rather than God, you are not a Christian.  If you have surrendered your life to the Lord (you have died to self; He bought you with a price and now owns you) and seek to serve and obey Him rather than yourself, you are a Christian. It’s really that simple. Surrendering to and obeying the Lord are equivalent to faith plus the type of works that prove one’s faith, or true saving faith.

How a person is saved (and other verses relating to salvation)

• A simple belief in God does not save a person; even the demons believe this, and they are not saved (James 2:19).
• If you violate one of God’s laws (such as 1 of the 10 commandments), you are as guilty as having violated all of them (James 2:10).  This shows that everyone is guilty in God’s sight, even those who think they are “good.”
• We all have been lured or enticed to do something we should not, and often it stems from our fleshly desires, or lust. Lust leads to sin, and sin leads to spiritual death (James 1:14-15), which is separation from God.  Sin goes beyond doing something that we know to be wrong though, and includes not doing the good things we ought to do (James 4:17). To become saved, your sins must be forgiven.
• A person is saved by hearing and believing God’s message of salvation as found in His word (James 1:18, 21). Repentance from wrongdoing and a humble reliance or dependence upon God (James 4:9-10) are also associated with salvation.  When you become saved, your sins are forgiven and you receive the Holy Spirit (James 4:5).

Relationship between faith/salvation and deeds

• Faith without works (which includes obedience and compassion, for example ) is not saving faith; this type of faith won’t save you (James 2:14-26).
• James says that if you humbly accept the word planted in you, this word can save you (James 1:21). He then says “Do not merely  listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Here again, true faith – saving faith – is evidenced by good deeds and obedience.
• Those who have received wisdom and understanding from the Lord show it by deeds done in humility. The wisdom from God is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:13-17

Characteristics of a Christian

• Like Paul and Peter, James described himself as a “bond-servant” (NAS) of the Lord Jesus, and of God too.  A bond-servant is a willing slave.  As a Christian, you are no longer the boss of your life; God the Father and Jesus are.

Characteristics of Non-Christians

• Those who harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts are unspiritual, or non-Christians, for this type of behavior is from Satan.
• The Christian religion is one of compassionate love for others and abstention from participating in the world’s morals and values, which are influenced by Satan.
  • If you have no compassion for the needy, you are not a Christian. If you love the world, you are not a Christian (James 1:27, 2:15-16).

How a Christian should live

• Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19)
• Don’t simply listen to God’s word; do what it says (James 1:22), and God will bless you for this (James 1:25).
• Don’t show partiality or favoritism to rich people (or famous people, or anyone else), for this is a sin (James 2:10)
• Don’t be jealous or have selfish ambition (James 3:14, 16)
• Although difficult to do, view trials in your life as a test of your faith (James 1:2-4).
  • Tests provide you an opportunity to grow in your faith (James 1:3-4) and your trust in God. They force you to reexamine how much you are living by your will versus God’s will, and help you further submit to Him.
  • When tests arrive, you must patiently endure them. According to one commentator, you can picture patience as someone under a heavy load and choosing to stay there instead of trying to escape. Also, ask God for wisdom in how to respond to and endure the test. If you ask without doubting, He will answer you (James 1:2-7).
  • God blesses you when you persevere under trials (James 1:12).
  • See 1 Peter 1:6-7 for more on trials.
• Realize that the many temptations you will experience come from your sinful desires and Satan. Satan, and sin, entice you and bring out the fleshly or sinful desires within you (James 1:13-15). To combat temptations, you must become spiritually mature. I have found it is more difficult to yield to temptation when I’m praying at that time.
• You cannot love God and the world. Friendship with the world is hatred towards God. (James 4:4), for Satan controls this world. A Christian must be willing to break away from worldly, sinful desires.
• Seek to do God’s will and live by it rather than what you want (James 5:15).
• Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you (James 4:8).
• Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
• Pray for yourself and others, for the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

Who God is and what He is like

• God never changes (James 1:7).
• Every good thing given and gift from above is from God (James 1:17)
• God does not tempt anyone to sin (James 1:13)
• God’s view of religion is for people to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself “unstained” by the world (James 1:27)
• God is full of grace and seeks what is best for us. He gave us His word as a means of making us His children (James 1:18).  Out of all of God’s creation, we are His choice possession.