Many who claim to be friends of God fail the "taste" of friendship. Neither do they truly befriend Him nor do they do His will.
James and the Gospel
http://www.absg.adventist.org/2014/4Q/TE/PDFs/ETQ414_01.pdfUnfortunately, perhaps because of Luther's influence (he called it "the epistle of straw"),
many Christians have been unable to see the important
message James's epistle contains. Without diminishing the
contribution Luther made for the church of his day, we must
remember that "the Reformation did not . . . end with Luther.
It is to be continued to the close of this world's history,"
because "grave errors" were perpetuated by the Reformers
and many important truths were still to be revealed.-Ellen
G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 353.
Thus, the need for the Great Awakening with Jonathan
Edwards, George Whitefield-and the Wesley brothers who
gave birth to the Methodist movement and its emphasis on
the vital role of holiness in the Christian life. The work of
reform continued with the Second Awakening, through
which God raised up Seventh-day Adventists to proclaim
the "third angel's message." This worldwide proclamation
culminates with the Spirit-filled witness of a people who
"keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus" (Rev. 14:12 ) .
Read James 1:3 , 2:5 , 22-23 , 5:15 . How does faith
function in these passages? What do they tell us about
what it means to live by faith? How do they show us that
faith is more than just an intellectual assent to various
propositional truths?
It may come as a surprise to some that James refers to
believing and faith 19 times in this short letter, more than
his references to works and justification combined! In fact,
the importance of faith is stressed right at the beginning of
the first chapter in connection with trials and asking for
wisdom (vss. 3, 6 ) . This shows that James was not only
writing to believers but that he expects them to have a
certain quality of faith. As we will see, the act of believing,
in itself, is of little avail; true faith carries certain
recognizable credentials. That is, true faith will be revealed
in the life and character of the believer.
What things do you do on a daily basis that reveal
the quality and reality of your faith? How can you
show the reality of your faith even in the "small"
things?
Topic: The taste of friendship (Read 18979 times)