Please explain the meaning of this biblical verse: “Faith without works is dead”

Lately, I’ve been struggling with this concept of believing that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If this is the case and God sees us that way, why would Jesus “judge” the works of the Laodicean Church in Revelation chapter 3? We are saved by grace not works, but it seems these guys’ works (or lack of them) was going to determine if Jesus cut them off or not.

Do you know why God tried to kill Moses in Exodus 4?

In a recent article about the Laodiceans you  said you don’t think a true believer can become lukewarm.

I know I wasted many years after I was saved, doing what I wanted to do instead of growing mature in the Lord as I should have done. Yet God has pulled me back now, and I am striving to die to my old self, and fully go forward as God always intended me to do.

But all those “off” years, I was lukewarm! God’s Grace brought me back to Him again.  Are you saying the Prodigal Son would have gone to Hell if he never came Home ?

I Just finished reading your articles on Spiritual Gifts. Please help me. I want to make sure I am not being mislead. Over the last five years my family has suffered many, many trials. I went to our church for help. But all they could do was say a prayer with me and agreed that we are dealing with more than the usual.

Recently, I was with a friend who knows of all we are dealing with and I said I was beginning to feel like we were cursed and my family was cursed. She suggested doing a corporate generational cleansing. I went with her to a meeting. They placed hands on me and prayed for repentance for me. I asked God to please give me discernment as this area I was not familiar with. They used scripture and went into generation sins, etc. and then prayed.

She prayed and said something that only God and myself knew (a prayer I had prayed to God quietly on my own for years) and just continued blessing me through Christ Jesus. When done she said it was the holy spirit leading her. Then a guy prayed and spoke in tongues – which I have never heard before.

I then received a call from one of my friend’s friends who invited me to join a prayer group that prayed together. I went and one of the members prayed in tongues from time to time, and someone else seemed to “see” things. This was uncomfortable for me and I do not know if it is God or not. Please help direct me if you can.

I am currently living with a man (we are not married). He doesn’t see what is happening in the world the way I do and he does everything he can to prove me wrong about the End of Days approaching. I love this man but I don’t really want to marry him with the way his belief system is. I feel far away from the Lord sometimes when he is at home and I feel like Satan is working through him to discourage me. I feel such conviction for not being married which never bothered me until I began my walk with Jesus. I feel that the Holy Spirit is making me feel convicted and I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be left behind!!!

I am saved and attend a great church, but lately I have been battling with fear. I search in the word of God for verses on fear and I read that we should not be afraid but somehow I continue to do so. I have tried to not fear some things and I find myself in the same place. I know the word of God, I know that he is faithful. So why am I afraid, why is the fear still there? I’m tired of fearing these things, I want to let them go.

What is it that I’m doing wrong. Please, it drives me crazy when I know that God is forever merciful and loving. Why? I don’t understand why I feel this way. I have made him my savior and I’m his child. I’m tired. I want to let go. I have prayed about it. I really have. I have cried myself to sleep sometimes because I don’t want to be afraid. If God offers peace what is wrong with me? Help me please.

It has always seemed to me that Judas had a purpose in life and that was to be the betrayer, and I see this this way because of the man born blind so that Jesus could give him sight to bring glory to the Father. The blind man could do nothing about his condition as only Jesus could do that, and maybe Judas was born to be the betrayer, and could do nothing else, but once done the darkness he lived in lifted away and for the first time realized what had been done, was so remorseful that he could not face himself and took his own life. I would like to believe he asked for forgivness and salvation as he prepared to die.

Great site, thanks for all your insight.

I have a follow-up query about Judas. It would seem from the gospels that during Jesus’ ‘travels’ he came across many of the Jewish leaders , Pharisees, etc, and in fact was questioned and tested by them on several occasions. As they considered Jesus to be a threat to them, they possibly also had ‘spies’ keeping track of where Jesus was and what he was doing. In light of this I have often wondered why they needed Judas to ‘identify’ Jesus and tell the guards/officials where he was so they could arrest him, as surely they already knew what he looked like and where he could be found?

Since we’re in the Easter season, a thought occurred to me. What was Judas’ motive to betray Jesus? It certainly couldn’t be just the 30 pieces of silver. What did he stand to gain (in his mind) by betraying the Lord?