True faith involves unwavering trust in Christ and in His Word. (He who trusts in Him will not be put to shame. 1 Peter 2:6)

„Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”. (Romans 10:17) I will have to get to know Lord Jesus, to hear, to understand and to put my trust in Him and implicitly in His Words. (And the seed that fell on good ground is the one who hears the Word and understands it. Matthew 13:23)

We must understand that all the words/commandments of the book of the New Covenant are mandatory, not optional. Faith is called to work, or in other words, it is called to keep the Word of Christ. (I have told them the Words that You have given me. They received them…, and they kept Your Word”. John 17:6-8)

„By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says: „I know Him” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4)

The Words of the Lord that we find in the Gospel are not a collection of texts to make us more informed. They are teachings/commandments that will put our faith to work and to the test. Ex. “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, also turn the other to him.” (Matthew 5:39)

The sacrifice on the cross will be of no use to us if we do not consider the content of the book of the New Covenant, which is in fact the Word of Christ. (He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has someone who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him on the last day. John 12:48)

Our part: In this covenant between God and man, faith needs to work together with the acts/deeds/works. God is unable to work with dead faith. (For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision help in anything; but faith which works. Galatians 5:6; We take every thought into captivity and submit it to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5)

The work of salvation/perfection is of the Lord, yet He does not work alone, but together with the works of our faith, done in obedience to His commandments. (You see that faith was working with his works. James 2:22)

Lord Jesus tells us that if anyone hears His Words and keeps them, he has built his house on bedrock. And he who hears and does not keep them, builds his house on sand. (Why do you say to me, “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I say? Luke 6:46)

„Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My Word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life”. (John 5:24); „Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word he will never see death”. (John 8:51)

In Noah’s case, God’s part was to instruct him on what He was about to do with humanity, and then to provide Noah with detailed instructions on how and what to do in order to save himself and his family. (This is how you shall build it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits long… Genesis 6:15).

Noah’s part was not just believing in God for what was about to come. God did not just ask for a mental, passive faith, but to put his faith to work. (So did Noah: he did according to all that God had commanded him. Genesis 6:22) This faith of Noah worked all that was asked/commanded of him.

Our faith must also work like Noah’s faith. Lord Jesus warns us of the future wrath that will befall the whole world. For our salvation to be possible, He gives us precise instructions, which we must follow very carefully.

We must work for our salvation with holy fear, just like Noah on the ark, otherwise our faith will be of no use to us. (Are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? James 2:20)

The acts of our faith, which result from keeping the Lord’s commandments have the role of forming our character, so that by the end of our life on earth it will be like that of Lord Jesus. (You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected. James 2:22; Do your utmost to unite faith with works, and in your works, knowledge. 2 Peter 1:5)

Faith is working with our works, and what we do in obedience to Him will shape the image of Christ in us. The acts of faith are not made to redeem ourselves, or to improve God, nor are they to obtain a reward, but are the acts of obedience to all that He says in order to be like Him.

The acts of faith work on our character, which must be built step by step. Just as a watch is built according to very precise instructions, where no wheel/ mechanism can be missing, so must the image of Christ be built in us.

God works on every detail, and this can only be done if we have the status of a slave, through the acts of obedience to all His instructions/commandments.

“But now that you have been saved from sin, and have become slaves of God, you have holiness, and in the end: eternal life”. (Romans 6:22); “We make every thought a slave of obedience to Christ”. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Through this working faith, we submit to the will of the One who is “our Lord” and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. By doing everything He tells us, we gradually acquire the character of Lord Jesus, putting on a new garment on ourselves. (…He was given to dress in a garment made of fine linen… for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Revelation 19:8)

The cross will not be useful to us if on this new road, faith will not work with our acts. (…What use is it, brothers, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? James 2:14)

It is the same as in the old days when the Jews benefited of God’s strong hand to deliver them out of Egypt’s enslavement. However, this help did not guarantee that they will reach the promised land, Canaan.

God’s Word tells us that His strong hand ended up being of no use to most of them, because on the path to Canaan, He did not find faith in those who benefited from His grace. (Indeed, we have had good news preached to us, just as they also had; but the Word they heard did not benefit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard it. Hebrews 4:2; They couldn’t enter because of their unbelief. Hebrews 3:19)

Without an unwavering trust in Him until the end of our journey, we will not be able to please Him in any way. (…these are the one who, when they hear, they receive the Word with joy; but these also have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. Luke 8:13) „Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I preached to you, which you have also received, and in which also you stand, by which also you are saved; this as long you hold tight the Word which I preached to you, otherwise you believed in vain”. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

Attention! If we praise God for what He did on the cross for us, believing that this is enough, and do not accept that we must deny ourselves and obey the commandments of Christ, we have a dead faith.

We show great unfaithfulness if we do not believe that keeping His commandments is our duty in this New Covenant. (If every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape, if we neglect such great a salvation… Hebrews 2:2-3; Do your utmost to unite faith with acts, band the acts with… 2 Peter 1:5; Therefore, bear fruit worthy of your repentance. Matthew 3:8)