We Deny Him with our Actions

Much is made today of confessing with the mouth that "Jesus is Lord." Generally, when an evangelist or preacher invites people to be saved, what he is saying is that he desires for people to come up to the front where he is at and say a prayer and then they will be saved. If this person ever doubts their salvation, this same preacher will tell them to "remind the Devil" that they said the prayer. Trust in the prayer they teach. Sounds ridiculous to me as I write. It is ashame to see the gospel prostituted like this.

Here is a major problem with the above. A profession of faith will always come for the genuine believer, however just because a person makes a profession of faith does not mean they are a genuine believer. Someone can claim they have fellowship with God, but walk in darkness and they lie and have not the truth (1 John 1:6). Or as Titus 1:16 puts it:

"They profess to know [Yahweh], but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work."

We aren't talking here about atheists. We are talking about people who say that they are a Christian. They wouldn't ever deny the Creator with their mouth, they would even think such would be preposterous. Far be it from them to ever speak against the Mighty One of heaven. We are talking about people within the ranks of professing Christians. It is inside of these people that we have professors of God with their mouth, but a denial of Yahweh with their works. If you are denying Yahweh right now, you are doing it by the way you live. It's easy to speak the words "I believe in Yahweh," but showing others you believe in Him by the way you live is a completely different story. It can only be done by the work of the Spirit of Yahweh.

Look at 1 Timothy 5:8. This is a chapter devoted to showing how widows should be materially provided for. On a larger scale it teaches us that a man is required to provide for his family. The text states:

"Now if anyone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially for his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

How does this man deny the faith? Does he shake his fist at heaven and blaspheme the name of the Creator? That's not what the text says at all. He denies the faith by something done (or in this case not done) and not by something said.

It is easy to say you know Yahweh, but if you truly know Him you will be keeping His commandments (1 John 2:2-4). If you really have been saved by grace through faith, works of righteousness will follows (Ephesians 2:8-9, and don't forget to read the next verse, verse 10.)

Matthew Janzen