Dear friends, you should well know by now that without genuine faith it is impossible to please the Lord, for he that ventures to come to God MUST believe that ‘He is’, for He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, He who is the truth. 
And what is faith, one might ask? “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We who know Jesus know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. We can conclude from the authority of the scriptures that a person is justified by faith WITHOUT any ‘achieved’ deeds of the first covenant Mosaic law. Therefore, now we have been justified by faith through the action at the cross of Jesus, we should all have the peace we seek with God, all through our Lord Jesus Christ. For it’s by grace that we’re saved, through faith. 
This is the greatest gift from God to humanity: Jesus personifies grace by the shedding of His blood.

Yet, what does it actually profit anyone, though they might say they have faith, and don’t have the works that should be produced from it? Can faith on its own even save ANYone? 
It is written by the Lord’s brother, James, that faith, if it has not ‘works’, is actually dead, being alone. So let this be an encouragement to us to fight the good fight of faith, to LAY HOLD on the eternal life to which we are called. You have professed such faithful things with your mouth, but you must now enact it and materialise it with your actions, and prove your salvation to be true! Abide in Christ, and He will abide in you, for apart from Him, you can do nothing.

But we must still be very careful, for we walk on a knife edge of truth: did we receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the ‘hearing of faith’? Continually remind yourself of the free gift you received, every day, lest you become proud, for no one is justified by the ‘good’ works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. The good works must be the result of salvation, not the cause. We can glory in nothing, for all our good works belong solely to Christ. We have believed in the Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law. It is written that NO flesh can be justified by the works of the law. Yes… NO ONE is justified by the law in the sight of God, that much is obvious, for it is written that “The just shall live by faith.”

It’s worth mentioning here that the law was like our very strict ‘schoolmaster’, to bring us TO Christ, so that having seen we are sinners without a hope in our own miserable works, that we might instead receive the free gift of grace and be justified by faith. But, after that faith is established, we are no longer under such a ‘schoolmaster’. Instead, the Spirit directs us personally, in a far more intimate way than the ‘set in stone’ written codes to live by. Now abides with us faith, hope, charity (revealed as love for others)… these three gifts abide in our hearts forever more; but it has to be said that the greatest of these is charity. These produce a wide variety of works in us that will stand in the face of God’s judgement, when everything is tested by fire.

In this life, we must always walk by faith, and not by ‘sight’. We must continue to examine ourselves, whether we really be in the faith at all; we must prove ourselves with the works that result from such a glorious, free gift of salvation offered to us. Yes! Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. I exhort you to test yourselves, continually. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among us? If not, you have failed the first fundamental test of genuine faith.

We are reciprocators, for God is always faithful, and it was HE who called us into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
I’ll say it again: the Lord is always faithful, and it is HE who establishes us, and keeps us from evil. Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence! Wow, what a privilege!

Above all else in this world, remember on a daily basis to take up the ‘shield of faith’, with which we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. It is at the same time defensive armour and an offensive weapon. Use it as such.

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

To those who love Christ, even unto death, the Lord God says; “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”