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  VITAL FAITH SHOWS ITSELF IN CHANGED LIVING
  by A.W. Tozer
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Summary: Vital faith is demonstrated by a willingness to surrender to
God and submit to the obligation of the Lordship of Jesus.

Topics: "Faith and Works", "Lordship Of Christ"
Scripture References: Romans 12:1, Galatians 2:20, James 2:17

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DESCRIPTION
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A.W. Tozer emphasizes that vital faith is demonstrated through changed
living, distinguishing between mere religious activity and genuine moral
action. He argues that true faith involves not just accepting Christ as
Savior but also submitting to His Lordship, which requires a complete
surrender to God and obedience to His will. Tozer warns against the
dangers of passive listening to the gospel, which can lead to spiritual
stagnation and a lack of meaningful progress in one's faith. He calls
for a restoration of the understanding that salvation entails a
transformative response to the Christian message, centered on the cross
of Christ. Ultimately, he stresses that the purpose of Bible teaching is
to inspire moral and spiritual change in believers' lives.

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CONTENT
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We would make a clear distinction here between moral action and mere
religious activity. In truth there is already too much of that popular
type of activity which does little more than agitate the surface of
religion. Its never-ending squirrel-cage motion gives the impression
that much is being done, when actually nothing really important is
happening and no genuine spiritual progress is being made. From such we
must turn away.

By moral action, we mean a voluntary response to the Christian message:
not merely the acceptance of Christ as our personal Savior but a
submission to the obligation implicit in the doctrine of the Lordship of
Jesus. We must free ourselves from the inadequate concept of the gospel
as being only "good news," and accept the total meaning of the Christian
message centering in the cross of Christ. We must restore again to the
church the idea that the offer of salvation by faith in Christ carries
with it the condition that there must be also a surrender of the life to
God in complete obedience.

Anything less than this puts the whole thing in the passive voice. A
lifetime of passive listening to the truth without responding to it
paralyzes the will and causes a fatty degeneration of the heart. The
purpose of Bible teaching is to secure a moral and spiritual change in
the whole life. Failing this, the whole thing may be wasted.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/aw-tozer/vital-faith-shows-itself-in-changed-living/
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