Friday, September
7, 2018
Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. James 2:26(NLT)
If you ask enough people you can start to believe there is
something of an informal war between the words of apostles Paul and James. Paul is heavy on faith being the key
ingredient in salvation; James seems to think good deeds or works are so important
they, alone, demonstrate whether you actually possess God’s salvation.
When it comes to pressing your side of a theological question there
is a danger of tipping the scales too far in either direction. That’s not to say we ought to straddle fences
because we’re afraid to take a stand.
Suffice to say, I’m glad Paul does complete the circle by showing that faith
finds its expression in works:
For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. Romans 2:13-16(NLT)
It’s true that Paul flatly states it is by faith that we
are saved (Ephesians 2:8,9). But the
apostle goes on (in the following verse) to say that any faith which doesn’t
blossom into good works is a useless, or only a so-called
faith:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10(NLT)
Further, Paul points out the uselessness of claiming faith, when
the life you live declares otherwise; the people at Crete were known for a life
of lies, cruelty and a gluttonous attitude towards every pleasure:
Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. Titus 1:16(NLT)
Speaking of shameful behavior, there’s been a lot of it …a LOT…
uncovered in the leaders of our country; the news has been full of it lately on
a scale that makes the last few years one of the most scandalous in America’s
history. That’s not to say there have
not been unscrupulous and dishonest leaders at other times; but our 24-hour
news cycles are filled with that kind of shame…and not much good news! If you check with each of the ones indicted,
suspected, convicted, or turned states-evidence to avoid jail time, you will
hear stories of how the system got them; you won’t hear
confessions that they’re Cretans, liars, gluttons and cruel to the core.
If, when it comes to crunch-time, you won’t even admit the truth then,
it’s hard to believe you were ever introduced to it! I had the pleasure of meeting the well-known
Baptist evangelist, Vance Havner in 1980.
One of his favorite expressions was:
Faith that Fizzles at the Finish was Fickle from the First.
Bottom line: When your
actions are of kindness, gentleness, longsuffering, goodness, generosity, and
care for your fellow human being, the words you use to describe your faith are
the last thing anyone cares about. To
paraphrase Paul’s friend, James:
Your deeds of faith show me your faith is real.
For You Today
Live in such a way with your good works and deeds that it won’t
matter who is theologically-correct about whether it is faith, or works, or
both that saves you.
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