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  FAITHLESS ACTION AND ACTIONLESS FAITH
  by A.W. Tozer
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Summary: Faith is not a substitute for moral conduct, but a means toward
it, and Christlike conduct is the end of Christian faith.

Topics: "Faith and Works", "Christian Conduct"
Scripture References: Galatians 5:22, James 2:17

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DESCRIPTION
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A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true faith is not a replacement for moral
conduct but rather a catalyst for it. He illustrates that just as a tree
exists to produce fruit, faith should lead to Christlike actions. Tozer
warns against the dangerous misconception that faith can exist without
corresponding works, which has resulted in a distorted Christian life.
He likens this error to a flawed foundation in construction, leading to
unsightly and unstable spiritual structures. Ultimately, he reminds us
that we will be held accountable for how we live out our faith in
action.

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CONTENT
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Rightly understood, faith is not a substitute for moral conduct but a
means toward it. The tree does not serve in lieu of fruit but as an
agent by which fruit is secured. Fruit, not trees, is the end God has in
mind in yonder orchard; so Christlike conduct is the end of Christian
faith. To oppose faith to works is to make the fruit the enemy to the
tree; yet that is exactly what we have managed to do.

And the consequences have been disastrous.

A miscalculation in laying the foundation of a building will throw the
whole superstructure out of plumb, and the error that gave us faith as a
substitute for action instead of faith in action has raised up in our
day unsymmetrical and ugly temples of which we may well be ashamed, and
for which we shall surely give a strict account in the day when Christ
judges the secrets of our hearts.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/aw-tozer/faithless-action-and-actionless-faith/
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