Working Faith

Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. But Abraham's was a living faith , therefore a bearing and doing faith . What is your faith doing ? It is not our doing that will be our justifying righteousness in the great day ; but it is a doing faith , and not a dead one that unites a believer to Christ and so saves him . It is not the activity of a believer that recommends him to the Judge as righteous ; but it is an active believing that makes Christ's righteousness his .Said Jesus to his fallen and restored disciple , "Simon ,son of Jonas , lovest thou me ?"  "Yea Lord ," replied Peter ,  "thou knowest all things , and thou knowest that I love thee ,"This is a noble confession ; will it suffice ? . No , if it be dead , and it is dead if it remain alone . Here are the fruits which must follow from its life , and prove that it is living ; "Follow thou me ;"  "Feed my sheep ;"  "Feed my lambs."  If Peter's faith be living , it will do these commandments ; his faith , by uniting him to Christ saves him ; and these works are the life of his faith in exercise . When a disciple is "rooted in him", the more fruit that his life produces , the deeper his faith strikes down for support into the riches of redeeming love ; as the living tree must penetrate  farther into the sustaining earth for every increase in the area of its fruitfulness.

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