A Faith That Works
Doctors practice their profession daily to become successful doctors. Baseball players practice their profession daily to become successful baseball players. Many times we see people jogging along the side of the road disciplining themselves for sports or for good health (1 Cor. 9:24-25).
How many people discipline themselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7; 6:3; Titus 1:1)? How many people try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord (Eph. 5:10)? How many force their bodies to behave (1 Cor. 9:26-27)? How many are imitating Jesus Christ daily (1 Cor. 11:1)? How many Christians are practicing their profession daily?
Did Jesus Christ have a working faith or a faith with no works (James 2:14, 17-18, 22, 24, 26)? Did His faith work for Him and was He able to overcome the world because of it (John 16:33; Rev. 3:21)? Yes, Jesus had a faith with good works, and not just a few (John 14:12; 21:25; Luke 24:19). He practiced what He preached. He overcame the pulls of the flesh so He could be an example to the world of how it was done (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15; 5:8-9; 1 Cor. 10:13; James 1:13-14).
If Jesus had been married and had children, you had better believe His wife would have been in loving subjection and His children would have been well behaved. His message would not be believable if this were not so (1 Tim. 3:4). How could He teach others about God, if He failed to teach His own family?
Yes, Jesus’ gospel worked for those who believed it and put it into practice because it had good works!