The Challenge 19 January 2005

My goodness it has been forever since I've written one of these. I had

stopped for a lot of reasons, which I don't want to bore you with, but I

will say that I am ready to get back into the word and start writing again.

Thank you to the folks who have asked me where the Challenge was these last

few months. I really appreciate the fact that you missed it and kept on me

about it. So, if you are still willing to read and be challenged we'll

embark together on a new year of seeking HIM with all our hearts, minds and

souls. Deal?

Working, Working, Working

As with all my challenges I'm just passing on to you what God has touched me

with in the last few days and this one is no exception. Some of what I pass

on may be old hat to you, some of it may be something new. Either way, I

hope that this challenges you to climb into His word, search the scriptures,

and seek Him. When God touches me with these Challenge topics, it is often

obvious for me because He ends up teaching me the same lesson in numerous

different ways. This time is no exception. We are studying the book of

James in our Saturday night couples bible study, my daily devotion that I

read from R.C. Sproul just happens to be doing the book of James for the

next few months, and I saw a link to this when I was going over my notes for

my Sunday school class when we were talking about what faith is. In all

instances it came back to the word "work" or in Christian circles we call it

"works". What is Work? I think we consider the word "work" negatively in

our society and generally we have a negative connotation of it. I know that

in most Christian circles we think of "work" or "works" in a legalistic way

and kind of negatively. We are saved by faith in Christ alone not by

working to get our salvation... right? Then we read James and the waters

get a little muddy. James says that,

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

James 2:20

So, we get a little confused, at least I do, and we struggle with what he is

really talking about here. It all has to do with what we think of as work -

in what context the word is being used. I mean, one of the many reasons for

the lack of challenges in the last few months is the fact that I have just

been too busy - working! Not just at work either. I mean don't we work at

other things? I was working at work of course and things have just been

very busy there. But I've also been working at home, at church, at reading

my bible, at teaching my Sunday school class, and at taking care of the

kids. Even working out my schedule is sometimes work for me. I've been

working at being a better father and a better husband (I need lots of work

there) and I'm working on a way to finish my basement. I'm working on a way

to figure out how to ride my motorcycle more and I'm working on developing

some good and close friendships with some key people in my life. We work on

our marriages (or other relationships) and we work on our physical fitness,

on getting our weight down. Some of us are working on getting through

school, studying for midterms, working through an injury or working through

a hard time in our lives. I even have a friend who works very hard at

getting out of working! We work at almost everything we do - we are

constantly working.

God made us to work. In the Garden He gave Adam the command to "have

dominion over..." the earth and everything in it (Gen 1:26). Adam was going

to have to "work" at doing that. After the fall of man God even said that

some of our work would be "toil" or hard (Gen 3:17). But not all work is

hard or bad; in Ephesians it says that,

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

So, God created us to do work, He created us to do good works, but I'm not

saved by works, I'm saved by faith alone, but without work my faith is

dead... clear as mud, right? Not! Now I think most of us know the basic

difference between faith and works but we sometimes lack a clear way of

describing what James is saying to us here. I know that there is no way on

earth that I can "earn" my way into heaven by doing something or working for

it! The only way is by having faith in Jesus Christ and knowing Him. But

James says to us that,

"...even the demons believe and tremble!" James 2:19

So, how do we explain that as Christians we are to have faith but we are

also to have works? This past weekend, I heard the clearest explanations of

this concept that I've ever heard and I'm passing it on to you. It's a

matter of perspective and context.

When we talk about being saved by faith alone we are taking that teaching

from the Apostle Paul's inspired writings. Especially in Romans 3:28

through 4:5 (please read it for yourselves) where God says that we are

justified by faith apart from the law and that works are counted as debt for

each of us. But the key is who Paul is talking to - the Context. Paul is

talking to people who believed that the religious rituals were the things

that were going to ensure that they went to heaven. Paul was talking to

people who thought that the Law and the ceremonial rituals that went with

them were the means to saving themselves and getting into heaven. For Paul

Works = the Jewish Religious rituals. Another friend of mine clarified it

this way... Paul is looking towards the cross telling you what it takes to

be saved is not some ritual, it is not some ceremony, it is not something

you can do, it is not a WORK.

James on the other hand is looking at Work or Works after the cross. He is

looking at the outpouring of a true faith after a person has made a

commitment to Christ. For James Works = obedience!

I don't know about you but this makes so much sense to me now that I can

clearly see that James and Paul are in complete agreement. In fact Paul

uses Abraham to drive James' point home. In Romans 4 just after Paul states

that "man is justified by faith..." Romans 3:28 he says that Abraham was not

justified by works but by faith... but the example he uses is when Abraham

was going to kill Isaac. Abraham had faith that God would fulfill His

promise even if he had to kill Isaac. But we forget that Abraham had to

actually "DO" something that showed his faith. What did he do? He obeyed

God and did what He asked him to do. Abraham's obedience showed he had

faith. Paul says that you must show each other Love, that you must manifest

the Fruits of the Spirit, you must put on the full armor of God. Paul's

letter is replete with things you must do - Work that must be done. Is

loving your enemy easy? No, it is hard work! How about any of the fruits

of the Spirit? Are those easy things for any of you? Love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control? I'll bet we each have to

WORK to be able to show some of those fruits! For some of us the work is

harder than others to manifest these fruit. You see Paul does not call

these things "works" but the concept is exactly the same as in James. A

faith that does not show itself through the outpouring of the "good works"

that God planned for us from the beginning might mean that your faith is

dead or was never alive!

Are you counting on just knowing in your head that Christ is your Savoir?

Or does knowing Christ as your Savoir cause you to do good works of

obedience in your life? Another way to say it: would somebody look at your

actions, your deeds, your works, and see the living God through you and

those deeds? Another way to look at it: are you just going through the

motions of Christianity or are you doing the works associated with a

Christian whose faith is alive? Ritual or Obedience? Is your faith without

Works - the works of obedience?

I'll end today with two passages:

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not

have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and

destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be

warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for

the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not

have works, is dead." James 2:14-17

and

"For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward

appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Is your faith Alive or dead today?????

Until next week time ~ Dave

To make comments, to suggest topics you'd like me to tackle, to get past

devotionals, or to be added to this weekly "devotional email" please write

to: Dave Hansen at philip419@earthlink.net