The Steps of Faith

James 2:17 – “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

Genuine faith always brings forth fruit and the blessings of the Lord. A mere theoretical belief in the truths of the Christian religion is not worthy of the name “faith.” It is but a lifeless philosophy that will leave a man spiritually bankrupt. True faith manifests itself in vital reactions and works that please God.

Dr. Arthur Pink called attention to some of the first steps of the Christian life that must evidence themselves if one has been truly converted. He says, “The beginning of faith is faith in the beginning, for we read, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Heb.11:3). There is no true Christian faith that does not begin in recognition of God as the Creator. We must believe this before we can accept anything else. The next step is the worship of God through the blood sacrifice of the Son: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain”; for Cain rejected the atonement while Abel accepted it. The next step is walking with God by faith. Enoch now comes into the record as one who, before his translation to Heaven, pleased the Lord, for we are told that he “walked with God.” Then comes Noah’s work of faith in that he ‘prepared an ark to the saving of his house.’ This is the necessary order of things after accepting God as the Creator – worship, walk and work!

Are you progressing faithfully in these steps of faith? Remember, a stagnant, cold orthodoxy without zeal or progress may well indicate that you are still in an unredeemed state – chilled and being pulled downward to a Christless grave by a “dead faith.”