Faith without works, is indeed dead.

Video Reference : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ_ze6m5eI8

Theme : Be hearers and not doers? True or False?

JP's reference : James 1:23-25, Gal 3:2-5, Hebrews 4:2

Something wrong with being "not hearers only, but doers of the word? Let's consider the verses being discussed.

1. (1:28 - 1:55)

²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:23-25

i. When James mentioned the word "Word", did he mean "you are more than a Conqueror"? "Righteous in Christ"? "New Creation"? What is the Word? There is only one word in the bible, that is the Law of God.

² And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. ³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. ⁵ You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. ⁶ “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. - Deut 8:2-6

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way,

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;Let him return to the Lord,And He will have mercy on him;And to our God,For He will abundantly pardon.
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:7-11

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

¹⁰ “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”^[a]- Matt 4:11

The Word that Proceeds from the mouth of God, are his commandments, his way of life, his Laws.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (Strong's Greek 4137, πληρόω, universally and absolutely, to fulfil, i. e. "to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment": Matthew 5:17; cf. Weiss, Das Matthäusevang. as above with, p. 146f). ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. - Matt 5:17-20

2. (1:55-2;12)

²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. - James 1:23-25

His emphasis is on the perfect law of liberty  which he defined as "Grace", "Law of the Spirit of Life", Law of Faith. He stops there and said, "the one who is the doer of the word is the one who keeps on hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing.... " But did James stop there? No, the next part of the verse says,

"... and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,... "

Yes, we have been Justified by Faith, it's Salvation by faith and not of works.  Does our Christian walk stop at just Justification by Faith? What did Paul says about good works?

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works,  lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephe 2:8-10

We are not saved BY WORKS, but we are saved FOR WORKS! What did Jesus say about those who did not continue in doing good works (did not obeying his commandments)?

¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments,^[g] that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But^[h] outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. - Rev 22:14-15

Referring to 2:47-2:49, where in James 1:23-25 says "keep on hearing"?? This passage is plain and simple, the Prophets and the Apostles taught the same thing, the Law, the commandments and the new covenant, James is simply asking us to follow them. Are you sure you don't want to be doer of the word?

3. 3:22-4:12

² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?³ Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?⁴ Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? - Gal 2:2-5

Firstly, let us define what did Paul meant by works of the Law? Was Paul forbidding the Galatians Christians from Obeying the 10 Commandments? Let us take a look at the background of the Book of Galatians.

Clue number 1: They made Circumcision a criteria to be a Christian

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. ² And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. - Gal 2:1-5

*What did the false brethren secretly brought in to bring them back to bondage? 10 Commandments? No, it's the Mosaic Laws of Circumcision.

² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³ And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. ⁴ You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law (i.e Circumcision); you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:2-4

¹¹ And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. ¹² I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! - Gal 5:11-12

¹³ For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. ¹⁴ But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom^[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. - Gal 6:13-15

Clue number 2: Priority given for the Circumcised (the Jews)

¹¹ Now when Peter^[a] had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you^[b] compel Gentiles to live as Jews?^[c] 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. - Gal 2:11-16

*Was Peter criticised for upholding the 10 Commandments? No, he was criticised for showing favouritism to the Jews. He was living as if he was still a Jew (Works of the Law)

".... man is not justified by the works of the law (Justification by the Law of Moses, not 10 commandments) but by faith in Jesus Christ (Justification by Faith)

"... justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law (Justification by the Law of Moses, not 10 commandments); for by the works of the law (Justification by the Law of Moses, not 10 commandments) no flesh shall be justified.

Clue number 3: Observing of days and months

⁸ But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.⁹ But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹ I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. - Gal 4:8-11

Paul DID NOT address the Galatians for obeying the 10 commandments. He addressed the Galatians for inserting the "Beggarly Elements" into the Gospel, thus giving "additional" criteria in order to be Justified by Faith. This is further explained by Paul in Galatians,

²³ But before faith (Jesus as our atonement of violation against the 10 commandments) came, we were kept under guard by the law (Sacrifice bulls and goats to atone for Israel's violation of the 10 commandments, not talking about the 10 commandments itself), kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. - Gal 3:23-25

Therefore,

*Old covenant = Law of Moses, Blood of bulls and Goats as an annual atonement for Israel's violation of the 10 Commandments.

*New Covenant = Law of Liberty, Blood of Jesus as a permanent atonement for Israel's violation of the 10 Commandments.

Hence in both the Old and New Covenant, the Law cannot be taken away, or else Christ's death is in vain. So how can Paul be teaching the Galatians to cease obedience to God's Commandments? There is nowhere in Gal 2:2-3 that says "we are saved by keep on hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing.... "

What did Jesus says about Lawlessness?

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ - Matt 7:21-23

¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ - Matt 25:11

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him,^[d] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matt 25:41-46

And Finally.... to recap...

¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments,^[g] that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But^[h] outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. - Rev 22:14-15

Joseph Prince is teaching you how to be Lawless, he is actually giving you an instruction of....  how to go to hell...