BELIEVABLE BELIEVERS

Two vital factors validating Christ-followers will always be their life of faith and their walk of faith. Having a firm understanding of these factors develops a believable believer. True faith, a living faith, is never void of godliness because it is rooted in the righteousness of Christ. A life of faith is a life living for Jesus. Misery follows those who try to pursue one without the other. The apostle Paul gives insight into this concept by saying; “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

Don’t be like some folks who are passionate about improving their faith but forget holiness. They become masters in biblical precepts but without holiness they are holding truth in unrighteousness. Don’t be like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day that passionately sought holiness in life but denied the faith. Jesus called them frauds— all nice a pretty on the outside but filled on the inside with all sorts of impurities (Matthew 23:27). In religious gatherings these individuals would lead you to believe they are saints but beneath the skin they’re total frauds!
Make no mistake Christ-followers, we must have faith, for this is our foundation upon which we build our house—a life of holiness.  In the Mansfield neighborhood where my daughter and son-in-law live there is between two houses a finished out concrete foundation with all the plumbing but no house built upon it. It appears it has been in this condition for a number of years. If all you had was a mere foundation to live on what would you do when a Texas hail storm rolled through? Where on it could you seek shelter? We want a house built on that foundation to cover us in the midst of bad weather. It is the same with our spiritual life we need a structure—holiness—to comfort us in the day of uncertainty. But if you just built an awesome house without a stable foundation those Texas sized thunderstorms with high wind and rain would result in devastation. It is the same with our spiritual life we can’t seek a holy life without faith. Our faith and life must be joined together to make our lives enduring. It’s like the sun. It gives off light and heat. They originate from the same source and we benefit from both. Faith and holiness are two streams from the fountain of grace. O Lord let our faith and holiness spring up within us in order that we become believable believers.

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