The Book of James

Being and Doing

Lesson #4 for October 25, 2014

Scriptures: [James 1:23-24; Matthew 19:16-22; Luke 6:27-38; Romans 8:2-4; 12:9-18; 2 Peter 1:3-4][i].

1.    Jean Francois Gravelet, better known as “The Great Blondin,” became famous for walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. In September of 1860, the Prince of Wales had witnessed Blondin’s crossing of the falls with an assistant on his back. After the walk, Blondin turned to the British prince and offered to carry him across the falls too. Although the prince had heard of the man’s skills, and had even just seen them in action, he was still not ready to place his life in Blondin’s hands.

The point is, of course, that hearing and seeing are not enough when it comes to a relationship with God. Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Sabbath, October 18.

2.    Do we really believe that God’s will is better for us than our own ideas? Do we live accordingly? What is the significance of “being and doing”? God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory [225] of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. (DA 224.5)

3.    Read James 1:23-24ii. Someone once said this about his enemy: “I see him every day-when I’m shaving.” Do we really recognize this fact? Do we agree with it? If so, why is it so hard to change the way we think and act? Or, is the problem that we do not really want to change? Remember that we ultimately do not do the changing; we must allow the Holy Spirit to do it for us. We do not even see ourselves truthfully. See 1 Samuel 16:7iii, GNB. “But the LORD said to him, ‘Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.’” In fact, God does not reveal to us all our defects at one time, or we might become too discouraged. Why are we so defective?

4.    Look at a couple examples from the Bible. Read Matthew 19:16-22; 26:33-35,69-75iv. What was the essential difference between Peter and the rich young ruler? Despite his braggadocio, Peter was willing to recognize his need for change. The rich young ruler was not.

5.    Read James 1:22[v]. Is there a difference between “doing the word” and being a “doer of the word”? Ultimately, we must become like Jesus, as far as possible—actually becoming “doers of the word.”

All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ.

And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us. (The Desire of Ages 668.3) [Bold type is added.]

Can you imagine that?

6.    We need to be truly changed to the point where doing what is right becomes natural.

7.    Read Luke 6:27-38vi. Notice some of the things that Jesus was recommending: Love your enemies, give freely, do not retaliate, and be merciful. Are those things possible for naturally-selfish human beings? Paul said essentially the same thing in Galatians 5:19-23vii.

8.    Our only safety is in continually focusing on the life and character of Jesus Christ. When we turn our eyes away from Him and to ourselves for whatever reason, we lose.

9.    Can you think of a time when you did something because you were required to do so? How was that different from doing something you really wanted to do? Doing something which comes naturally is a pleasant task; doing something that we are just required to do is never truly pleasant.

The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely--because he is required to do so--will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness [98] is loyalty to our Redeemer.

This will lead us to do right because it is right-because right doing is pleasing to God. (Christ’s Object Lessons 97.3) [Bold type is added.]

10.    Read James 1:25viii. When we come to realize the fact that God’s way is the best and we keep on practicing it, it will become natural for us. (Compare Psalm 19:7; 119:45ix.)

11.    Read Romans 8:2-4[x] and 2 Corinthians 3:17-18xi. What needs to be accomplished in our lives-and for that matter, in the larger, great controversy-cannot be done by human beings. God needs to deal with sin not only on the larger scale but also in our individual lives. As we focus on Jesus, we truly become transformed and not just forgiven!

12.    Since the days of Martin Luther, Christians have tended to think that Paul emphasized faith while James emphasized works. Do they really disagree? People who say that have not done their homework. Read Romans 2:13xii (GNB): “For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands.”

13.    For many of us, it may be true that someday in heaven we will begin to realize the full impact of these words; and hopefully, we will be able to go up to God and give Him a big hug and say: “Now I understand why You asked us to do all those things. Now I do them because I want to and because they are the right things to do.” Are we truly ready to recognize that God’s will for our lives is better than our own will for our lives?

14.    Is it really possible that the laws of God are the laws of freedom? (James 1:25xiii; John 8:36; 13:34-35; 15:12xiv) Everyone who gets to heaven will be able to do whatever he wants to do at all times simply because he or she will never want to do anything wrong. We will never reach that goal by trying to force ourselves to keep the law. Our only safety is in allowing the Holy Spirit to make the necessary changes in us.

15.    James ultimately laid down his mantra in James 1:26-27xv. Jesus said essentially the same thing in Matthew 25:35-36,40xvi as did Paul in Romans 12:9-18xvii. True Christianity developed through faith will produce the results they were talking about.

16.    “The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.”—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 470.1; AG 276.7; HDL 8.1; LDE 191.4; OFC 217.2.

But, “To live such a life, to exert such an influence, costs at every step effort, self-sacrifice, discipline.” (MH 470.2) Why is it hard to do that? Does it take all the fun out of life?

17.    James went on to talk a lot about our words. True Christians will not be using vulgar or slang words. And they will not be using words that are hurtful to others.

18.    Clearly, doing all those things for widows and orphans is not natural for human beings. But, it is exactly what God has asked us to do. And when we do those things, the rewards are amazing. (Luke 6:35; 14:12-14xviii; Matthew 5:44xix)

19.    Is it feasible to carry out such actions in Loma Linda? San Bernardino? Redlands? Grand Terrace? Or, Riverside? Is it possible to live that way in your city or town?

20.    James went on to say we must keep ourselves “unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27xx) John and Peter agreed. (1 John 2:15-16xxi; 2 Peter 1:4xxii) Looking at the world around us, is that really possible? The atmosphere in which we hope to live in heaven is one of pure unselfishness. Everyone will be totally loving. How do we become like that?

With this truth Christ connects the lesson of self-sacrifice that all should learn: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” [John 12:25xxiii] All who would bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ must first fall into the ground and die.

The life must be cast into the furrow of the world’s need. Self-love, self-interest, must perish. And the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. The husbandman preserves his grain by casting it away.

So in human life. To give is to live. The life that will be preserved is the life that is freely given in service to God and man. Those who for [624] Christ’s sake sacrifice their life in this world will keep it unto life eternal.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages 623.5. Compare COL 86.3. [Bold type is added.]

21.    Some think that it is impossible to keep oneself “unspotted from the world” while being surrounded by the world in which we live. The secret is not moving away from all other humans although that may be helpful in some ways in resisting sin. But, the true battle comes from within.

The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature.—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 64.2; OFC 90.3; OHC 27.2; RH, February 17, 1885 par. 17.

22.    Let us not misunderstand what Ellen G. White was saying. She was not saying that the closer we get to Jesus the faultier we actually become. She continued:

The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall reflect His image.—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 65.2.

23.    Jesus called that real religion. “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.”(Matthew 5:6xxiv) Doing good for others and teaching them about the gospel was such an enjoyable task for Jesus that He preferred that to eating. (John 4:28-35xxv)

24.    If we follow this plan for our lives:

A change will be seen in the character, the habits, the pursuits. The contrast will be clear and decided between what they have been and what they are.

The character is revealed, not [58] by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts.—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ 57.2. [Bold type is added.]

Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ 60.1.

As Jesus was in human nature, so God means His followers to be. In His strength we are to live the life of purity and nobility which the Saviour lived.—Ellen G. White, Our Father Cares 69.1-2; FLB 93.6-7.

25.    Police were trying to place electronic eavesdropping devices in an office where they suspected criminals were working. The only problem: vicious Dobermans surrounded the compound. So, the police, each night, would feed the dogs hamburgers. At first they would toss about five or six between the bars. Before long, the dogs were not only eating the burgers out of the officers’ hands, but they were licking the officers’ hands when done. Thus, with the guard dogs tamed, the police were able to infiltrate and plant the devices. What lesson can we take from this story about how we, if we are not careful, can let our own guards down? Adult Teacher’s Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, p. 47.

26.    Are we prepared to: 1) Recognize that the root of temptation comes from our own lusts and desires? 2) Discern that God’s ways are better for us than our own natural ways? And 3) Admit that in our own power it is impossible to resist temptation, but with God all things are possible?

27.    Are we prepared to experience God’s power in our lives? Have you experienced the joy of actually being able to conquer some of your natural evil tendencies in God’s power? James 1:21xxvi suggests that it is only by having God’s Word implanted in our hearts that we can successfully live the Christian life. Romans 10:17xxvii and 2 Corinthians 4:6xxviii agree.

28.    Faith is the key to God’s plan of salvation. He will transform us, and our behaviors will demonstrate what God has done in our lives. Those behaviors will be the basis on which God carries out His final judgment. (Matthew 16:27xxix; 1 Peter 1:17xxx; Revelation 20:12; 22:12xxxi)

It is not possible for us to drift into heaven. . . . Those who refuse to co-operate with God on earth would not co-operate with Him in heaven. It would not be safe to take them to heaven.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 280.2. [Bold type is added.]

29.    In the past, Seventh-day Adventists have often been characterized as hopeless legalists. In our day, some seem to have gone to the opposite extreme and do not even want to talk about keeping the law. Do we really believe that it is a law of liberty, a law that sets us free? (James 1:25; 2:12xxxii; John 8:31-32xxxiii)

30.    So, where are we on this spectrum? Which seems to be the greater danger in your Christian community: Legalism? Or, a lax attitude toward obedience? Do you know people who are “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good”? By contrast, do you know some who are so wrapped up in their activities on this earth that God cannot use them?

31.    We have to recognize that-as Paul said in Romans 6:6-as long as we allow our natural human selfishness to rule, we will not make progress. The old man must be crucified. Are we ready to allow God to make those necessary changes in our lives?

© 2014, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.

i-James 1:23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. 24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.

Matthew 19:16 Once a man came to Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?" 17 "Why do you ask me concerning what is good?" answered Jesus. "There is only One who is good. Keep the commandments if you want to enter life." 18 "What commandments?" he asked. Jesus answered, "Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; 19 respect your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself." 20 "I have obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else do I need to do?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me." 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich.

Luke 6:27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back. 31 Do for others just what you want them to do for you. 32 "If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that! 34 And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! 35 No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. 37 "Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you. 38 Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands - all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin. 4 God did this so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature.

Romans 12:9 Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. 10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another. 11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. 12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers. 14 Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not to curse. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. 16 Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise. 17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. 18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.

2 Peter 1:3 God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness. 4 In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature.

ii-James 1:23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. 24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.

iii-1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to him, "Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart."

iv-Matthew 19:16 Once a man came to Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?" 17 "Why do you ask me concerning what is good?" answered Jesus. "There is only One who is good. Keep the commandments if you want to enter life." 18 "What commandments?" he asked. Jesus answered, "Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; 19 respect your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself." 20 "I have obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else do I need to do?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me." 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich.

Matthew 26:33 Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, "I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!" 34 Jesus said to Peter, "I tell you that before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me." 35 Peter answered, "I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!" And all the other disciples said the same thing. 69 Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came to him and said, "You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee." 70 But he denied it in front of them all. "I don't know what you are talking about," he answered, 71 and went on out to the entrance of the courtyard. Another servant woman saw him and said to the men there, "He was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 Again Peter denied it and answered, "I swear that I don't know that man!" 73 After a little while the men standing there came to Peter. "Of course you are one of them," they said. "After all, the way you speak gives you away!" 74 Then Peter said, "I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know that man!" Just then a rooster crowed, 75 and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: "Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me." He went out and wept bitterly.

v-James 1:22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.

vi-Luke 6:27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back. 31 Do for others just what you want them to do for you. 32 "If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that! 34 And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! 35 No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. 37 "Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you. 38 Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands - all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."

vii-Galatians 5:19 What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; 20 in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; 21 they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.

viii-James 1:25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice - you will be blessed by God in what you do.

ix-Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect; it gives new strength. The commands of the Lord are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

Psalm 119:45 I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings.

x-Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin. 4 God did this so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature.

xi-2 Corinthians 3:17 Now, "the Lord" in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.

xii-Romans 2:13 For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands.

xiii-James 1:25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice - you will be blessed by God in what you do.

xiv-John 8:36 If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.

John 13:34 And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples."

John 15:12 My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.

xv-James 1:26 Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself. 27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

xvi-Matthew 25:35 I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, 36 naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.' 40 The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!'

xvii-Romans 12:9 Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. 10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another. 11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. 12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers. 14 Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not to curse. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. 16 Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise. 17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. 18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.

xviii-Luke 6:35 No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors - for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did. 13 When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; 14 and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death."

xix-Matthew 5:44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

xx-James 1:27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

xxi-1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. 16 Everything that belongs to the world - what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of - none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world.

xxii-2 Peter 1:4 In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature.

xxiii-John 12:25 Those who love their own life will lose it; those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for life eternal.

xxiv-Matthew 5:6 "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!

xxv-John 4:28 Then the woman left her water jar, went back to the town, and said to the people there, 29 "Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could he be the Messiah?" 30 So they left the town and went to Jesus. 31 In the meantime the disciples were begging Jesus, "Teacher, have something to eat!" 32 But he answered, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 So the disciples started asking among themselves, "Could somebody have brought him food?" 34 "My food," Jesus said to them, "is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do. 35 You have a saying, "Four more months and then the harvest.' But I tell you, take a good look at the fields; the crops are now ripe and ready to be harvested!

xxvi-James 1:21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.

xxvii-Romans 10:17 So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.

xxviii-2 Corinthians 4:6 The God who said, "Out of darkness the light shall shine!" is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God's glory shining in the face of Christ.

xxix-Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his deeds.

xxx-1 Peter 1:17 You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him.

xxxi-Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened, the book of the living. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.

Revelation 22:12 "Listen!" says Jesus. "I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done.

xxxii-James 1:25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice - you will be blessed by God in what you do.

James 2:12 Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free.

xxxiii-John 8:31 So Jesus said to those who believed in him, "If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; 32 you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

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