Faith or Works?

It is some time since we have posted anything here. Somehow summer has slipped by.

The following is a sermon preached by me one the 3rd of September. I had not intended to publish it, but some people have asked for a copy, so putting it up here seemed the best option.

Dave

Faith or Works?

Readings: James 1-17 –end, Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1-27)

For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of your own doing; if is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that on one may boast. (Eph 2-8)

Introduction

These to verses, to some extent, sum up the long standing debate in Christianity – just how are we put right with God? Is it by having faith in the person and sacrifice of Jesus, or is it by living a good and caring life?

However, this debate is older than Christianity. In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus is confronted with the Pharisees. They wanted to know why Jesus was allowing his disciples to eat without washing their hands. Surely, anyone who claims to be religious and a good Jew should be following all the laws and traditions laid down. To the Pharisee, there were rules for everything, and only by following these rules could a person be considered righteous before God.

Throughout the centuries, the church too began to act this way. To put it simply: sin separated people from God; it was as if they had a large negative bank balance with God. To pay off that debt they not only had to have faith in Christ but to earn credits. They could do that by attending mass, going on pilgrimage to holy places and (surprise, surprise) giving money to the church. Even then, the debt was likely to be so large that the balance had to be worked off by torment in purgatory and by people paying for mass to be said for you soul.

All this changed with the reformation and the doctrine of ‘Justification by Faith.’ For a person to be put right with God they simply had to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and that by his sacrifice on the cross he had paid the debt of their sins. The cry of the Reformation became “Faith Alone.” Good work, though desirable, were not essential to the salvation of ones soul. Because of this Martin Luther, the so called father of the Reformation called the Book of James an ‘Epistle of Straw,’ because of its emphasis on works. This difference caused the split between Protestantism and Catholicism

To some extent, these two opposing view remain even today, nearly 600 years on.

The Biblical Argument

The question of faith alone or faith plus works is made difficult by some hard-to-reconcile Bible passages. In Romans 3:28, Paul states: we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law: but in James 2:24. we read: You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Some see a difference between Paul (salvation is by faith alone) and James (salvation is by faith plus works). In reality, Paul and James did not disagree at all. The only point of disagreement some people claim is over the relationship between faith and works. As we have seen, Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) while James appears to be saying that justification is by faith plus works. This apparent problem is answered by examining what exactly James is talking about. James is refuting the belief that a person can have faith without producing any good works. So faith by itself, if it has no works is dead. (James 2:17). James goes on to emphasise the point that genuine faith in Christ will produce a changed life and good works (James 2:20-26). James is not saying that justification is by faith plus works, but rather that a person who is truly justified by faith will have good works in their life. If a person claims to be a believer, but has no good works in his life – then he likely does not have genuine faith in Christ (James 2:14, 17, 20, 26).

Paul says the same thing in his writings. The good fruit believers should have in their lives is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Immediately after telling us that we are saved by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9), Paul informs us that we were created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Paul expects just as much of a changed life as James does, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)! James and Paul do not disagree on their teaching on salvation. They approach the same subject from different perspectives. Paul simply emphasized that justification is by faith alone while James put emphasis on the fact that faith in Christ produces good works.

For me the Biblical argument raises two fundamental questions? What application does it have for us today? Does it really affect life in the 21st century?

Does it really affect life in the 21st century?

If we believe, our salvation is by faith alone then it leads to a very self centred form of Christianity. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the Fundamentalist Christian groups in the United States. Their unerring belief that prophecies regarding God’s people Israel and major war in the Middle East which will bring about Christ’s return has lead them influence American politicians , including President Bush to give unwavering support to the Nation of Israel , a county that has ignored more United Nations resolutions than Sadam Hussain ever did. That support has lead to the subdegration of the Palestinian people and now the destruction of Lebanon as well as insecurity for many of the Israeli people. There seems to be little evidence of care for these people from these Fundamentalist groups.

Contrast that with the work of other Christians who are there on the streets of Lebanon, living with the people of the Gaza Strip, doing their best for the people of Iraq as their country slips into civil war. For these Christians, simply believing is not enough they feel called to help in some small way. Sadly, there voice is seldom heard in the corridors of power – what they do often goes un-noticed, but they have a firm belief that ‘faith without works is dead’ and that following Christ for them means ministering among the dispossessed.

What application does it have for us today?

The Church in England faces a huge challenge. Britain is one of the most secular societies in the western world. Why is that so? We are given many reasons, but it is fairly safe to say that a main cause is that we in the church have become inward looking. The Church of England a prime example. Just look at the agendas for General Synod for the past 30 years! It seems we are more worried about our own faith and how that works out in the church, than we are about what is happening in our parishes and the wider world.

What of St. David’s? We too face huge challenges in the future. Do we say to ourselves ‘Well my faith is Ok’ I’ll come along Sunday by Sunday and do my duty to God; I’ll even support other church activities. All very laudable, but if that’s all we do – if that becomes the sum total of our Christian commitment and all our efforts are put into maintaining the status quo at St. David’s – we should not be surprised when we become even less relevant to society outside.

However, If we begin to see St. David’s as the place where our faith in God is both strengthened and renewed, a place from which we can go out into the world so that we can not only bring the message of Christ but also work for him in whatever way he should choose, then St. David’s becomes more than a building and its presence in the parish extends further than the corner of Rocky Lane, its relevance along with the relevance of Christ grows.

Conclusion

Where do I stand?

Faith. You may be the sort of person who has faith, but have never really expressed it other than in worship. You need to seek out what God would have you to do.

Works. It may be you’re the sort of person who is trying to work your way into heaven. You do marvellous things, but deep down there is a void that only God can fill.

Faith and Works. You need to make sure that you keep the balance right between the two. Having a soul friend who you can trust is one idea to make sure you do.