I had read James last week or earlier this week maybe, but I was talking with my friend about how Christians can be so divided over whether works are important or not, which is silly, but at the same time it does seem like works are important. James says faith without deeds is dead. Now it's not good to take things you read or hear at face value, but James backs up what he says with a good argument. He gives examples of people who found favor in the Lord that showed their faith by what they did. The more I think about it I can't really think of a way to display faith without doing something. How can a father show his son love without doing something? Can he really show his son love merely by saying "I love you" and nothing else? If you say you trust someone, but never give them opportunity to prove themselves trustworthy do you really trust them? Of course there is faith in God to provide for us and it doesn't seem like we need to do anything for that, but I think that there's a difference in having faith in God to provide for you and sacrificing all the other things He gives you and having faith that God will provide for you, but at the same time making sure that you are provided for by doing it yourself.
Ok, so don't get me wrong. I don't mean to sound judgmental and I definitely feel convicted of this myself. I know I suck at showing my faith in He who gave it to me, but I won't deny what seems obvious to me in scripture, especially since it is also just plain logical.
About an hour ago I just read a little of 1 Cor. and in chapter 4 Paul rather starkly points out that the way the Corinthians are living is very opposite of Christ in that they are gathering up wealth for themselves while Paul and the other disciples have become "the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world" in order to continue Christ's work. What Paul said here and what James said give me excitement and make me want to give up my life too. I think that God is preparing me for a life of actual sacrifice, but it could also be that this is just what he expects from all of us.
3 comments:
I look forward to the changes that God makes in your heart, mine, and in our body as a whole :)
I've been trying to convey the difference between salvation by works, and salvation by faith in my 1-on-2 study. It's somewhat challenging to show their is a different but both faith and works should be a part of authentic discipleship. We are saved by faith in Jesus, we have no way of earning it. That being said, our faith cannot be mere words or it's not worth anything. Our faith should inspire us to act on it. Like you said, if I say I trust someone but never let them do anything, my "trust" is useless.
Good entry dude!
umm...yeah what he said.
i totally agree with what you guys said. how can we say that we trust God without giving Him opportunities to show us that our faith in Him is justified. also, scientific study has proven that words are not enough, actions have to go along with words when it comes to building faith and trust in relationships.
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