03/18/2024
Faith and works have long been hot topics of discussion in the Church. The question is which is most important the religious works we do, or the faith we hold dear, and can we really have one without the other. Do you have them both in your life? Do you perform good works, the kind that any moral person can perform, but don’t believe in Jesus, or have faith in God? Or, do you believe and have faith in Jesus, but never demonstrate that in your works? Do you keep your faith, but are reluctant to live it outwardly?
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
James 2:17 KJV
I like something that Pastor E.M. Bounds once said regarding this; Listen…
"The spirit of devotion removes religion from being a thin veneer and puts it into our souls. With devotion in our soul, religion stops merely doing a work and becomes a heart, beating with pulsations of vigorous and radiant light." – E.M. Bounds
Bounds is speaking of faith and works in this quote, and stressing that unless we radiate Jesus Christ (our faith) through our actions we do then they are dead. He is speaking to the heart of the Church’s discussion by showing us that James says faith is dead without works while he, Bounds, says that works are dead without faith. On the surface it appears to be a chicken and the egg argument… which comes first, but this debate has raged on for thousands of years. In fact they are more like a breath; one is breathing in while the other is breathing out, and unless we do them both, and do them consistently, then surely they are useless, and we will die.
There is an old saying that my family uses often and that I have always liked, it is simple but says a great deal; "The proof is in the pudding." This was first uttered in 1605 by William Camden; so this is not a new expression at all. What it means is that you can't say something is good, or a success, until you have used or tried it. There is an alternate meaning... You can't call something or someone a success until you see it (them) in action. I want to dwell on the alternate definition this morning... Specifically in regards to our faith and works.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV
In my youth I spent Sunday mornings in church services but once I passed through the sanctuary doors, back into the world, I left my devotion behind. Interestingly, I would have told you that I was a Christian if you had asked me, but you had to ask because my faith wasn't readily apparent otherwise.
Most of us have either lived through this dichotomy between faith and humanism, or are living it now. We convince ourselves that we are men or women of Faith, but our pudding reveals otherwise... It is either bland, bitter, or nonexistent. James says that such a faith is dead.
Let's step back from our bowls for a moment and evaluate the quality of our pudding; which is our faith in action. When we walk through the world do people around us smell the wonderful fragrance of our faith in Jesus or do they smell a repugnant odor? Perhaps they smell nothing at all and assume our bowl is empty, and that we are agnostic. This fragrance we are speaking of is what works produce from our faith; works are the outward facing evidence of an internal faith as it is manifest.
I am certain you have a favorite restaurant that you like to eat at. You go there because the food is incredibly good and the atmosphere pleasing. But, what if you went to an eatery whose food was incredible one night and terrible the next? Would you continue to patronize it? My guess would be no... Absolutely not. If you can't depend on something or someone then you lose confidence. This is us in regards to our faith, we are the restaurant, and the quality of our fare is the faith we show the world through our actions. Our actions, or works, are demonstrating our faith to the world around us. The aroma of our pudding should reveal Christ in us each and every time we are encountered. Our outward demonstration of faith (works) should instill confidence in our Lord Jesus to those around us, and they should be confident in them. We tell the truth always, we are merciful consistently, we love our neighbors without fail, can you see how by doing this our faith is not only seen, but gives people that good taste of pudding consistently through our lives.
Funny thing about works... they increase our faith as well as they present Jesus to the world. When we put our faith to work it is like adding a wonderful pudding as a dessert to an already good meal; it is the taste that people will have in their mouths when they walk away from us. It is the proof of who we are and who we serve.
This coming week let's concentrate on our pudding, and make certain that we demonstrate who we are to all those we come in contact with us. Let’s show them that our chef is a master chef, and tell them that His name is Jesus Christ. Let's give them confidence in our faith through our actions... Not just once or twice but every time they deal with us. Let's bring them back to Christ's table by showing them his unwavering goodness in ourselves.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for transforming us through our walk of faith, and for our desire to behave in accordance with your Word, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for making us righteous men and women, and then allowing others to see our righteousness, love, belief, and faith in you through our behavior, and those things we do each day as a result of our faith, and obedience to you. Father we thank you for the new person we have become, and the character, and characteristics that now are who we are, and what we do. Help us Lord to be ever vigilant as we strive to be more like Jesus each day, and to behave as He does without wavering. You have given us your Holy Spirit to guide us Father, and we ask the he do so in both our beliefs, and our actions of faith. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you and may we be made holy as we walk in the world believing in you, speaking as you would have us speak, and doing those things many call works, but are simply the actions of your faithful children who have been transformed in Christ Jesus. Make us like a sweet dessert Father, a pudding that you can’t wait to eat, and which tastes wonderfully the same with every spoonful. May we please you always Abba, and always be either hot, or cold, but never a lukewarm dessert that you would desire to spit from your mouth. Let those in the world see us as your loving and well behaved children as we deliver the Good News of Jesus Christ to the far reaches of the world, and see our good works to be righteous manifestations of our faith, and our faith to be consistently represented in them. Bless us as we believe, and as we do those things that you have instructed us in. Let feeding the hungry also feed our soul. Let giving drink to the thirsty also quench the thirst we have for you. Let loving our neighbors also allow us to love ourselves, you, and Jesus. Always let our faith instill you in what we do, in everything we might call works, but which are simply the smell, taste, and pleasing consistency of Jesus, who is the pudding in our meal of faith that we share with the world. Praised be your name Father, and we give all glory to you for every good thing we do in you, and in the name of Jesus Christ your Son.
Amen
””You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Rich Forbes