Luke18:8 I tell you that he
will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
“Shall he find faith on the earth?” seems to be such a sobering
question, especially to those of us who live so far from the New Testament time
when this was written and nearer and nearer to that day when the Son of man
comes.
The Lord will not be looking for simply “saving faith” when he
comes (Heb. 10:39), but I believe he will be looking for that dynamic faith
that James speaks of in James 2:20, 26—faith without works is dead. Jesus will be looking for that working faith,
that living faith, that pursuing faith that belongs to his faithful ones.
We are not going to be judged by our faith; we are going to be
judged by our works. 2 Cor.5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
The word of God is our rule of faith and practice in the churches
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith is to be practiced; without works faith is
dead. Without works faith becomes doubt. Without practice, faith becomes only a
philosophy, and faith is more than a philosophy. It is a substance (Heb.
11:1).
In the churches of Jesus Christ, we practice the two ordinances:
baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In the
churches we meet together for fellowship, praise, and worship. In the churches,
we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we look forward to his soon
coming.
In other words, we are to assemble together
more often now than ever before as we see the day approaching.
Will he find this kind of faith?
