I can almost hear the argument taking place between two of Christ's dearest disciples. One is arguing, "it's faith that matters!" (Galatians 3) The other is shouting "faith without works is dead!" (James 2:17) Yikes! Who's right? Is it faith or is it works that pleases God? The answer to this question has so much Biblical theological support that it would take a book to answer fully but, let's just take a quick glimpse at how God views this debate.
From the beginning of God's interaction with man, we see that faith in God equals righteousness in God's eyes. And yet, it's counter-part, action, completes it's manifestation. "And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." Gen. 15:6 In the above scripture, God just got done laying out all the promises He was going to fulfill to Abraham and his descendants. These promises resulted in the gift of Christ who's lineage can be traced straight back to Abraham. The point is, God's promises were lofty, great, such as never before declared to man. And yet, Abraham did not scoff, he believed. His belief in God's Word pleased God and God accounted it to him as righteousness. Abraham went on to walk in faith and obedience with the Lord, going where He commanded, doing as He asked. He had a personal relationship with God. He was a regular guy who God chose to make great. He also was so regular of a guy that he, just like the rest of us, experienced moments of failure. He had faith in God and yet he also acted several times out of fear in which he showed a lack of trust or understanding of the power of God. Good gracious, the whole world is still bearing the brunt of his choice to conceive a son with Hagar, his wife's maid! And yes, this is after God told Him that He, would make his name great and Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky!
However, when God really put Abraham to the test, when he asked him to give up his son, the promised son who came through his own wife Sarah, Abraham's faith came through with flying colors and God proved His own name trust worthy and righteous! Of course God did not cause Abraham to harm his son. God was faithful to Abraham in every promise and He never backed down on His word because Abraham had moments of failure. God's promises depend on His faithful character, not the character of his chosen servants! Our character is molded to be more "like" Christ as Christ lives and works in us, but ultimately, it's God's character that shines bright, never failing. Interesting enough, God ended up showing His love towards us through the gift of His Son, Jesus. He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to be crucified for the sins of the world, for the sins of you and I. What an interesting thing. God wanted to test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac and yet God intervened to show His goodness and Isaac was not harmed. It was just a test after all. But, God, He followed through with the action of His love. He gave us His only Son, Christ Jesus!
Now, what does it mean to God if we say we love Him yet do not show it in our actions? Is it works that God wants or is it faith? Well, God never changes, He gave us the right to become children of God through faith in Christ (Gal. 3:26). It was God's grace that saved us through faith in Christ!(Ephesians 2:8) And it is God's commandment that we believe on the name of His Son Jesus, that we may be saved. (1 John 3:23,John 6:29) Therefore, it's belief in God that causes us to attain a right standing with Him. Just as it was for Abraham, faith in God equals righteousness. Therefore, good works will save no one, but faith in Christ and in God's magnificent promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ!
After we believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Lord and we give our lives over to His will, just as Abraham did, we then experience the joy of working in His Kingdom, for His glory, not ours. So, do your actions confirm your faith in Christ? Do the things you do for others (or don't do) deny or confirm your faith in God? This, my friend, is the challenge that all believers face. May we love in word and deed, and take every opportunity to live for Him! May our faith put a smile on God's face and our actions show the world His love.
Love in Christ,
Sharon Marusteri
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