MORE THAN ACTIONS
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"--and He was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
James 2:23-26 (ESV)
The passage in James has caused many Christians through the years to struggle and wrestle, maybe more than any other passage in the New Testament. Martin Luther said of James 2: James's epistle is really an epistle of straw compared to these others, for we have been justified by faith. Luther struggled because He felt James was saying there was a saving faith in works.
But James isn't saying works can save us; he is saying there is a sign of faith in works. The order matters. We don't do things to earn God's love; we do them out of an overflow of love because God has transformed our lives. All other religions point to a god out there waiting to be found when we do the right thing. In Christianity, God isn't distant. He comes to us in grace. Through His work on the cross, He transforms our lives. God does the work first, and ours is simply a response.
This matters because we can't see the heart. Two people can serve God with two different motives. One serves to earn God's love and pay Him back, while the other serves out of gratitude and a transformed heart. Actions don't transform us; the blood of Jesus does.
We need to be reminded that we can't do what the Spirit can do, and the Spirit won't do what we can do. As Dallas Willard says, Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is attitude. You have a part to play in your discipleship.
APPLICATION: Don't just hear the Word--be doers of the Word!
PRAYER: Spirit of God, awaken my heart to God's love. Speak to me about what I need to guard my heart from and how I can cultivate it. Show me what's pulling me away from You and what spiritual practices will help me grow closer to You. I am listening. Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don’t let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?