Day 54 - final questions about faith and works

Extreme Faith Workout
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Are all good deeds evidence of faith in Jesus (Matthew 7:22,23)? Why or why not?
According to these verses, there will be people condemned who did good deeds; but did not follow the will of the Father, which includes true faith. So, no - all good deeds are not evidence of true faith.

Do good deeds not motivated by faith in Jesus have any value in God's eyes? Why or why not?
In one way, no, according to Romans 3:10 that says no one does any good, no not one. From God's perspective, none of our "good" works are good to him. However, God does use the moral works as well as the evil of non-believers to accomplish His will. It can have the value of being used to push ahead God's sovereign will. So, I guess I would answer the question: yes....and no!

Is there any way to demonstrate true faith other than by deeds of obedience to God? Why or why not? Once again, I would like to answer yes...and no. On one hand, true faith is only demonstrated by action, it seems, according to the Bible. But, with examples like the thief on the cross, who didn't have time to do good works, or passages of scripture that talk about the Holy Spirit letting us know if we are truly in the faith, it seems there are demonstrations, perhaps only known to God and that particular person, that there is true faith there.

If deeds demonstrate genuine faith, can we judge by their works whether other people are saved? Why or why not? I like my yes and no answers for this line of questioning. Yes, we can judge because the Bible says to judge the works and see if their is fruit. But, because we are humans, our judgments are still going to be off at times; and there is a sense in which we cannot judge the heart because only God knows the heart. It is safer, I think, to point someone's attention to the fact that the Bible says they need to follow Jesus if they claim to be His follower; but not judge them, leaving it only to God.

In summary, why is faith that is not demonstrated with deeds dead?
In your own words, summarize the relationship between faith and works.
I will take both of these together. It is useless to have faith that is not alive, putting action to words. True followers of Christ follow Him, obey Him and their lives make a difference. Faith is trusting in a God we cannot see, placing our belief in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation, according to all the Bible teaches. True faith will be evidence by a life that seeks to follow Jesus.