I have been having one or two friendly discussions, usually with like-minded people who perceive of it exactly the same way as myself, about the Law of God, and our duty to strive for obedience to it, even though we can never be pefectly obedient to it. We have a thought in our heart, that goes aginst the law, we have immediately trasngressed the law, just by the thought, however, if we fight our flesh and do not externally act out that thought in open disobedience,  we are doing our duties as Christians, and have reason to hope on the promises of God, because we are fulfilling our obligation.

On the other side of the coin, it has become markedly notable to me of late, just how many Christians have a dead faith.  They believe the gospel and that every word in the Bible is true. They think because of that, they own and can claim the promises, even though they live in disregard to trying to obey God’s Law. It’s not just a thought that the tempter puts in their heart, they just sit back and do their own will, instead of striving to do the revealed will of God which he gives us in His Law.

The Kings book, is a book that was approved by King Henry VIII. and corrected by his own hand. Hardly a paragon of virtue, or holy reformation. He swung like a pendulum back and forth between being for the reformation out counter-reformative, depending on how his love life was at the time, and what was involved in his being released from his current marriage so that he could start a new one. However, listen to the first few clauses of the King’s Book, and note in paticular the references to death faith and living faith, and see how even he understood it much better than many an average Christian today.

It begins with a description of faith, “of which,” says the book, “there are two acceptations. (1) It is sometimes taken for ‘a belief or persuasion wrought by God in mens hearts, whereby they assent and take for true all the words and sayings of God revealed in Scripture.’ This faith, it proceeds no further, is but a dead faith. (2) Faith is sometimes considered in conjunction with hope and charity and so it sigifies, ‘a sure confidence and hope to obtain whatsoever has promised for Christ’s sake, and is accompanied by a hearty love to God, and obedience to his commands.’ This is a lively and effectual faith, and is the perfect faith of a Christian. [From Burnet's history of the Reformation vol 1 p. 263, cited from Daniel Neal's history of the Puritans, Volume 1 pp. 22 Tentmakers edition]

The statament above should put many a person claiming Christ to shame today, that a tyrant and despot like Henry had such an understanding of what equates true and false faith, while they cling on to their dead faith, convinced they are safe and secure.