Seven hundred years before the first Christmas, the Prophet Isaiah stated that a "virgin" would give birth to a Son conceived by God, not man. Later the Prophet Micah said this Son would be born in Bethlehem. (Two different prophets … same Son.)
God arranged for this virgin named Mary, to be in Bethlehem at the proper time with a decree from the then Caesar of Rome, Augustus (Caius Octavius who reigned from 29 B.C. to 14 A.D.) to have a census taken for taxation.
At the same time as the birth of Mary’s first child, an unknown number of shepherds tending sheep on the hillsides around Bethlehem, had an Angelic visitor who told them of the birth of Christ, which prompted them to go and find Him. When they did find the stable, (the only place left because of the taxation crowd) He was still in a stall, His birthplace.
The date of the birth is unknown. It was not on December 25th as is celebrated today. Shepherds never kept their flocks in the open fields in the winter from late fall to spring. The time of year is not important, but the fact that He was born is.
After the birth of Christ, some men of unknown number or nationality, (perhaps astrologers since they had been watching the stars) came from the east to worship the new "King of the Jews," whose star they had seen. They knew of the prophecy given seven hundred years before. (Many think there were three because of the gifts.)
When they arrived in Israel, they inquired about the birth with King Herod, who being worried about the birth of a new king, asked the so called "wise men" how long ago they had seen the star. It must have been close to two years earlier since Herod later had all males put to death that were two years of age and younger. So, by the time the wise men saw the star, traveled to Jerusalem, then to Bethlehem, the star went before them and stood over the "house" (not a stable) where the young "child" (no longer a baby) was with Mary, His mother.
Since the star moved to a new location, many believe that Joseph, Mary, and her Son went back home to Nazareth and lived there until the wise men came one or two years after the birth of Christ. They then had to flee to Egypt when Herod killed all the male children two years old and younger.
Many stories and legends have perverted the actual true facts about the birth of "the Son of God," so as to cause doubt and confusion as to who He really is, and why He came.
One of His names was "Emmanuel," which means "God with us." He was Jesus, "the Lamb of God." He was God wrapped in flesh. He is our Hope of Salvation, for there is no other name given whereby man "must" be saved.
These are the true facts about Christmas. He "is" the reason for the season!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Showing Mercy
In the following scripture, Moses has just asked God to allow him to see God's face in all of it's power and glory, to which God responds … "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." So God covers Moses with His hand while His glory passes by … and then removes His hand so Moses can see Him from the rear as He walks on by.
Right in the middle of all this, for whatever reason, God says to Moses in the last half of Exodus 33:19 … "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
This statement by God, on the surface, doesn't give us a complete understanding of why God said this or what God actually means by these words.
The word gracious usually means ... "courteous, kind, pleasantly indulgent, especially toward an inferior." As it is used here in the original Hebrew, it's meaning is ... "to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow."
There's an old Christian song that says … "When the Savior reached down for me, He had to reach way, way down for me …" God did indeed have to bend or stoop way down to reach fallen man, who was and is inferior in every way to the Lord. But He was willing … for He said, "I will," and God became a man.
The thought in this song of God reaching down is taken from Psalms 40:2 ... "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." That's where man was, always digging deeper into the muck, the horrible pit that here in this Psalm represents the sin of the world. What a gracious and merciful Savior.
There is another very important word we need to look at in this same scripture, and that is … mercy … meaning in Hebrew, "to have compassion on."
Take a look at Romans 9:15 where the Apostle Paul basically quotes this same scripture, but he changes his wording slightly from that of Moses …
"For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
"Mercy" in the Greek is close to the Hebrew meaning … to show pity through compassion.
"Compassion," as used in the same verse, strangely enough means almost the same thing ... to exercise pity.
What Paul's words are saying to me, if I may rephrase them are … "God said, I will show pity on whomever I choose, and I will exercise pity on whomever I choose." And does He not have that right?
When God said … "I will" … He was expressing His intention to initiate action; in this case it was to give mercy rather than withhold it. Either way, God's "will" … was to be done.
John Gill (1697-1771) the old English Baptist biblical scholar and theologian speaks about God's willingness in Exodus 33 to show mercy to Moses and his people …
" 'I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy' … the children of Israel had sinned against Him such as they had, yet He would show favor, grace, and mercy to them, in pardoning their sins. It would be distributed, not according to any merits of theirs, but according to His sovereign will and pleasure, and not to all, but to whomsoever He thought fit.
And so it is with respect to grace and mercy, as displayed in Christ to sinful men; it is not in proportion to their deserts, but according to the purpose and good will of God, and 'that' not unto all, but unto some whom He has appointed, not unto wrath, but unto salvation by Jesus Christ … and the more enlarged view men have of this, the more clearly and fully does the goodness and glory of God 'pass' also before them."
So, if I understand what he is saying ... God, who is still sovereign, has reserved the right to give or to withhold grace and mercy at His discretion. He therefore may dispense His blessing to whomever and with whatever terms He pleases.
Do God's words to Moses show that He has a right to dispense His blessings as He pleases?
Adam Clarke (1762-1832) a British Methodist biblical scholar and theologian answers this question with this statement ...
"It's as if God had said: 'I will make such a display of My perfections as shall convince you that My nature is kind and beneficent … but know, that I am a debtor to none of My creatures. My benefits and blessings are merely from My own good will. And therefore I now spare the Jews; not because either you, (Moses) who intercede for them or they themselves have any claim upon My favor … but of My own free and sovereign grace I choose to show them mercy and compassion. I will give My salvation in My own way and on My own terms.' "
Romans 9:16 … "So then [God's gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy."
I conclude, therefore, that we have nothing to do with receiving God's mercy … it is strictly given according to His sovereign will for our lives.
Paul continues using the example of Pharaoh as one whom God didn't show any mercy too.
Romans 9:17-18 … "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you ... So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills."
And lastly … I will present the same question Paul does in Romans 9:21 …
"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?"
Paul is showing that even as the potter has a right, out of the same lump of clay, to make one vessel more honorable and another less honorable … does not God also have the same right with the vessels He creates?
Showing mercy is one of the things God does best.
So, whether you think your vessel of clay is in the more honorable category, or the other one, remember … "He brought whatever type vessel you are out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set you upon a rock, and established your goings."
And that Rock today is Jesus.
Right in the middle of all this, for whatever reason, God says to Moses in the last half of Exodus 33:19 … "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
This statement by God, on the surface, doesn't give us a complete understanding of why God said this or what God actually means by these words.
The word gracious usually means ... "courteous, kind, pleasantly indulgent, especially toward an inferior." As it is used here in the original Hebrew, it's meaning is ... "to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow."
There's an old Christian song that says … "When the Savior reached down for me, He had to reach way, way down for me …" God did indeed have to bend or stoop way down to reach fallen man, who was and is inferior in every way to the Lord. But He was willing … for He said, "I will," and God became a man.
The thought in this song of God reaching down is taken from Psalms 40:2 ... "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." That's where man was, always digging deeper into the muck, the horrible pit that here in this Psalm represents the sin of the world. What a gracious and merciful Savior.
There is another very important word we need to look at in this same scripture, and that is … mercy … meaning in Hebrew, "to have compassion on."
Take a look at Romans 9:15 where the Apostle Paul basically quotes this same scripture, but he changes his wording slightly from that of Moses …
"For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
"Mercy" in the Greek is close to the Hebrew meaning … to show pity through compassion.
"Compassion," as used in the same verse, strangely enough means almost the same thing ... to exercise pity.
What Paul's words are saying to me, if I may rephrase them are … "God said, I will show pity on whomever I choose, and I will exercise pity on whomever I choose." And does He not have that right?
When God said … "I will" … He was expressing His intention to initiate action; in this case it was to give mercy rather than withhold it. Either way, God's "will" … was to be done.
John Gill (1697-1771) the old English Baptist biblical scholar and theologian speaks about God's willingness in Exodus 33 to show mercy to Moses and his people …
" 'I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy' … the children of Israel had sinned against Him such as they had, yet He would show favor, grace, and mercy to them, in pardoning their sins. It would be distributed, not according to any merits of theirs, but according to His sovereign will and pleasure, and not to all, but to whomsoever He thought fit.
And so it is with respect to grace and mercy, as displayed in Christ to sinful men; it is not in proportion to their deserts, but according to the purpose and good will of God, and 'that' not unto all, but unto some whom He has appointed, not unto wrath, but unto salvation by Jesus Christ … and the more enlarged view men have of this, the more clearly and fully does the goodness and glory of God 'pass' also before them."
So, if I understand what he is saying ... God, who is still sovereign, has reserved the right to give or to withhold grace and mercy at His discretion. He therefore may dispense His blessing to whomever and with whatever terms He pleases.
Do God's words to Moses show that He has a right to dispense His blessings as He pleases?
Adam Clarke (1762-1832) a British Methodist biblical scholar and theologian answers this question with this statement ...
"It's as if God had said: 'I will make such a display of My perfections as shall convince you that My nature is kind and beneficent … but know, that I am a debtor to none of My creatures. My benefits and blessings are merely from My own good will. And therefore I now spare the Jews; not because either you, (Moses) who intercede for them or they themselves have any claim upon My favor … but of My own free and sovereign grace I choose to show them mercy and compassion. I will give My salvation in My own way and on My own terms.' "
Romans 9:16 … "So then [God's gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy."
I conclude, therefore, that we have nothing to do with receiving God's mercy … it is strictly given according to His sovereign will for our lives.
Paul continues using the example of Pharaoh as one whom God didn't show any mercy too.
Romans 9:17-18 … "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you ... So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills."
And lastly … I will present the same question Paul does in Romans 9:21 …
"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?"
Paul is showing that even as the potter has a right, out of the same lump of clay, to make one vessel more honorable and another less honorable … does not God also have the same right with the vessels He creates?
Showing mercy is one of the things God does best.
So, whether you think your vessel of clay is in the more honorable category, or the other one, remember … "He brought whatever type vessel you are out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set you upon a rock, and established your goings."
And that Rock today is Jesus.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Suffering According to the Will of God
1st Peter 4:19 … "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
You know, most of the time I enjoy reading and studying the Word of God. But when I take an in-depth look at a few certain scriptures … like the one above … well, I want to make sure I have my theology right.
The very first thing I notice is the declaration that some people do … "suffer according to the will of God." Peter isn't just suggesting such a thing, he is saying … "let them that suffer" … meaning some do. The word "suffer" means … to experience pain of some kind; but it doesn't always mean physical pain.
So then next, I want to find out, (1.) why God would want them to suffer; (2.) who Peter is speaking of; and (3.) the reason they should suffer. I have selected four other verses in this same chapter which will help us understand these three points.
1st Peter 4:1 … "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind …"
1st Peter 4:12 … "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you …"
1st Peter 4:14 … "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ …"
1st Peter 4:16 … "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."
It looks to me as if the answers are …
1.) Why … "Christ suffered for us … have the same mind."
2.) Who … "you, the beloved."
3.) The reason … "reproached for the name of Christ … or for being a Christian."
From the beginning of this chapter to the end, Peter continues to exhort his fellow Christians to walk in love and avoid the lusts of the world.
The main principle was this … they had accepted and followed Christ whom the world rejected; they were walking in His footsteps in righteousness, abandoning the sin in the world. They were to do good, even if it meant suffering for it; for this is what Christ did.
Observe what Peter wrote earlier in this letter, Chapter 2, verses 19-21 …
"For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps …"
Notice the phrase … "hereunto were ye called" … not to suffer for wrong doing; you might well deserve that anyway. But if God saw fit that you suffer for well doing … "take it patiently" … like the example that Jesus gave us to follow.
As an evil doer, the Christian should never have to suffer; but if he suffers for well doing or because he is a Christian, Peter is saying that he was not to be ashamed, but to glorify God for it. God takes no pleasure in allowing His people to suffer, but He permits it. The Book of Job explains this, but not to our full understanding.
In every form of God's dealings, including discipline as He has established it … it is always done in love. He did so with Israel and He does so with the Church today. If the Church attaches herself too closely with the world, God allows the enemy to trouble her … or so it seems. But the truth really is that sin has its own reward.
God judges everything according to His own nature. He desires that all should be in accordance with His nature, especially those nearest to Him … we the body of Christ. God is pure and holy and wants us to be also.
I woke up one morning to find six inches of new, pure, white snow covering everything I could see. It was a beautiful sight. It made me think of the following scriptures …
Isaiah 1:18 … "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow …"
Daniel 7:9 … "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow …"
Snow is at its prettiest right after it falls and even more so when the sun shines on it. It looks pure and clean. That's the way we are after the blood of Jesus cleanses our lives … we become pure and clean like the snow.
The home my wife and I live in is maintained clean enough for our personal desires. It's not sterile, but it's clean. We both like things around us to be clean. The principle is the same with God … His house must be pure and clean. I'm speaking of both houses; the church at large as well as the individual personal temples we live in … our bodies.
1st Peter 4:17 … "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God …"
The word "judgment" in this verse means … a decision. Peter is telling us to make a decision to discipline ourselves and keep God's temple pure and clean.
As a Christian, there is but one thing to do; commit yourself to Him who watches over the revealed decision He has made for you. And that may be to suffer according to His will … as Christ did.
You may ask … why would God want his children to suffer? The Apostle Paul speaks to this question from a little different angle. I have edited these two verses and in parentheses added the proper meanings from the original Greek that it was written in.
2nd Thessalonians 1:4-5 … "all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure (hold up against) … (are) a manifest token of the righteous judgment (tribunal) of God, that ye may be counted worthy (deemed entirely deserving) of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer (experience pain) …"
Honestly … I am unable to fit this scripture with-in my theology except to say … by enduring this "suffering" you are proving to all who watch … your faith in God. And they are watching.
Let me be very clear about one thing. Where this verse says … "that ye may be counted worthy" … you had nothing to do with being counted "worthy."
It was all Jesus.
Comments welcome.
You know, most of the time I enjoy reading and studying the Word of God. But when I take an in-depth look at a few certain scriptures … like the one above … well, I want to make sure I have my theology right.
The very first thing I notice is the declaration that some people do … "suffer according to the will of God." Peter isn't just suggesting such a thing, he is saying … "let them that suffer" … meaning some do. The word "suffer" means … to experience pain of some kind; but it doesn't always mean physical pain.
So then next, I want to find out, (1.) why God would want them to suffer; (2.) who Peter is speaking of; and (3.) the reason they should suffer. I have selected four other verses in this same chapter which will help us understand these three points.
1st Peter 4:1 … "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind …"
1st Peter 4:12 … "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you …"
1st Peter 4:14 … "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ …"
1st Peter 4:16 … "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."
It looks to me as if the answers are …
1.) Why … "Christ suffered for us … have the same mind."
2.) Who … "you, the beloved."
3.) The reason … "reproached for the name of Christ … or for being a Christian."
From the beginning of this chapter to the end, Peter continues to exhort his fellow Christians to walk in love and avoid the lusts of the world.
The main principle was this … they had accepted and followed Christ whom the world rejected; they were walking in His footsteps in righteousness, abandoning the sin in the world. They were to do good, even if it meant suffering for it; for this is what Christ did.
Observe what Peter wrote earlier in this letter, Chapter 2, verses 19-21 …
"For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps …"
Notice the phrase … "hereunto were ye called" … not to suffer for wrong doing; you might well deserve that anyway. But if God saw fit that you suffer for well doing … "take it patiently" … like the example that Jesus gave us to follow.
As an evil doer, the Christian should never have to suffer; but if he suffers for well doing or because he is a Christian, Peter is saying that he was not to be ashamed, but to glorify God for it. God takes no pleasure in allowing His people to suffer, but He permits it. The Book of Job explains this, but not to our full understanding.
In every form of God's dealings, including discipline as He has established it … it is always done in love. He did so with Israel and He does so with the Church today. If the Church attaches herself too closely with the world, God allows the enemy to trouble her … or so it seems. But the truth really is that sin has its own reward.
God judges everything according to His own nature. He desires that all should be in accordance with His nature, especially those nearest to Him … we the body of Christ. God is pure and holy and wants us to be also.
I woke up one morning to find six inches of new, pure, white snow covering everything I could see. It was a beautiful sight. It made me think of the following scriptures …
Isaiah 1:18 … "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow …"
Daniel 7:9 … "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow …"
Snow is at its prettiest right after it falls and even more so when the sun shines on it. It looks pure and clean. That's the way we are after the blood of Jesus cleanses our lives … we become pure and clean like the snow.
The home my wife and I live in is maintained clean enough for our personal desires. It's not sterile, but it's clean. We both like things around us to be clean. The principle is the same with God … His house must be pure and clean. I'm speaking of both houses; the church at large as well as the individual personal temples we live in … our bodies.
1st Peter 4:17 … "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God …"
The word "judgment" in this verse means … a decision. Peter is telling us to make a decision to discipline ourselves and keep God's temple pure and clean.
As a Christian, there is but one thing to do; commit yourself to Him who watches over the revealed decision He has made for you. And that may be to suffer according to His will … as Christ did.
You may ask … why would God want his children to suffer? The Apostle Paul speaks to this question from a little different angle. I have edited these two verses and in parentheses added the proper meanings from the original Greek that it was written in.
2nd Thessalonians 1:4-5 … "all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure (hold up against) … (are) a manifest token of the righteous judgment (tribunal) of God, that ye may be counted worthy (deemed entirely deserving) of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer (experience pain) …"
Honestly … I am unable to fit this scripture with-in my theology except to say … by enduring this "suffering" you are proving to all who watch … your faith in God. And they are watching.
Let me be very clear about one thing. Where this verse says … "that ye may be counted worthy" … you had nothing to do with being counted "worthy."
It was all Jesus.
Comments welcome.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Works
Galatians 2:16 ... "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
What does it mean ... to be justified? The word itself means ... "to show or regard as just or innocent ... to be righteous."
In this article, I want to look at Paul's understanding of justification by faith alone, without works, and compare it to what James said about faith and works.
Let me first start with Paul ... He has been speaking in Romans 3 about any natural advantages Jews might have over Gentiles because of the law; and he continues his point in Romans 4.
Romans 3:27-28 ... "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
The two words ... works and deeds ... were translated from the same Greek word, "ergon" which means ... toil, an act, an effort. So, when Paul says "works or deeds of the law," he is meaning the same thing; making an effort by what you do to earn or add to your salvation.
Romans 4:3 ... "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Romans 4:5 ... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
It's not that the believer does not work at all, but he does not work in order to obtain salvation; he does not seek justification by his efforts to earn it.
Paul of course, is not saying that Christianity does not produce good works, or that they who are justified no longer have to obey God's moral law or live holy; but rather, that no righteousness of their own will be the foundation of their justification. We don't have any righteousness.
This doctrine by no means interferes with the doctrine that good works are to be performed by Christians. Paul urges this as much as any other writer in the New Testament. His doctrine is, that they are not to be relied on as the basis of justification. That Paul teaches the producing of good works is readily apparent from the following scriptures ...
2nd Corinthians 9:8 ... "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
Ephesians 2:10 ... "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
2nd Timothy 3:17 ... "That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
Titus 3:8 ... "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
In my own personal life; even what I usually emphasize in my teaching ... what I believe ... is that works have nothing to do with salvation or justification. Now in saying that, I fail to articulate that the Scriptures really speak of two types of works.
Doing the works of the Law, trying to fulfill all it requires to earn salvation is totally different from the good works, the good deeds that proceed out of a heart of love for others as you represent Jesus to them.
But at the same time I would be amiss if I didn't warn believers that by doing good works they cannot add one thing more to their salvation or even make God love or think more highly of them. Yes, we will be rewarded for what we do. But those things done for reward will be burnt up like straw stubble in the fire.
Nicholas Herman, a seventeenth century Carmelite monk from French Lorraine said this about works ... "God regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed." As it always is with God, it's a heart thing.
Now, turning to James and the point he is trying to make about works, I want to consider three verses ...
James 2:17, 2o, 26 … "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone ... But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
James has just said that the believer who never feeds the hungry or clothes the naked might as well not have any faith at all, because that kind of faith ... kept to yourself ... is useless. What good is faith alone; it might as well be dead.
When Paul says that "a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law," he plainly speaks of another sort of work than James does, but not another faith.
There is only one faith that counts ... faith in Jesus Christ. What you do with that faith is the thing that both Apostles are questioning. James teaches that people are supposed to be able to see your faith in action ... by your good works.
Paul speaks of works done in obedience to the law of Moses before men embraced the faith of the gospel; and now he had to deal with those who valued themselves because of those works ... some rejecting his teaching of faith alone for salvation.
James speaks of works done in obedience to the gospel as the proper and necessary efforts of believing in Jesus. But Paul magnifies faith alone by showing the insufficiency of any works of the law in opposition to the doctrine of justification by Jesus Christ ... period. James magnifies the same faith, by showing what are the necessary products of that faith ... good works.
Paul speaks of different works from those insisted on by James. Paul had to deal with those who depended on the merit of their works in the sight of God, for their justification and righteousness.
James had to deal with those who confessed faith, but would not allow works to be used even as evidence. They depended upon just their profession of faith as sufficient to justify them. So to these he urged the necessity and importance of good works ... loving and helping others.
The justification which Paul speaks of is different from that spoken of by James. Paul speaks of our souls being justified before God, and James speaks of our faith being justified before men.
"Show me thy faith by thy works," says James ... "let thy faith be justified in the eyes of those that behold thee by thy works." But Paul speaks of justification in the sight of God, who justifies only those that believe in Jesus, and then ... purely on account ... of the redemption that is in Him.
So we see that we are justified before God by faith ... but our faith is justified before men by our works.
Comments welcome.
What does it mean ... to be justified? The word itself means ... "to show or regard as just or innocent ... to be righteous."
In this article, I want to look at Paul's understanding of justification by faith alone, without works, and compare it to what James said about faith and works.
Let me first start with Paul ... He has been speaking in Romans 3 about any natural advantages Jews might have over Gentiles because of the law; and he continues his point in Romans 4.
Romans 3:27-28 ... "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
The two words ... works and deeds ... were translated from the same Greek word, "ergon" which means ... toil, an act, an effort. So, when Paul says "works or deeds of the law," he is meaning the same thing; making an effort by what you do to earn or add to your salvation.
Romans 4:3 ... "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Romans 4:5 ... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
It's not that the believer does not work at all, but he does not work in order to obtain salvation; he does not seek justification by his efforts to earn it.
Paul of course, is not saying that Christianity does not produce good works, or that they who are justified no longer have to obey God's moral law or live holy; but rather, that no righteousness of their own will be the foundation of their justification. We don't have any righteousness.
This doctrine by no means interferes with the doctrine that good works are to be performed by Christians. Paul urges this as much as any other writer in the New Testament. His doctrine is, that they are not to be relied on as the basis of justification. That Paul teaches the producing of good works is readily apparent from the following scriptures ...
2nd Corinthians 9:8 ... "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
Ephesians 2:10 ... "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
2nd Timothy 3:17 ... "That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
Titus 3:8 ... "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
In my own personal life; even what I usually emphasize in my teaching ... what I believe ... is that works have nothing to do with salvation or justification. Now in saying that, I fail to articulate that the Scriptures really speak of two types of works.
Doing the works of the Law, trying to fulfill all it requires to earn salvation is totally different from the good works, the good deeds that proceed out of a heart of love for others as you represent Jesus to them.
But at the same time I would be amiss if I didn't warn believers that by doing good works they cannot add one thing more to their salvation or even make God love or think more highly of them. Yes, we will be rewarded for what we do. But those things done for reward will be burnt up like straw stubble in the fire.
Nicholas Herman, a seventeenth century Carmelite monk from French Lorraine said this about works ... "God regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed." As it always is with God, it's a heart thing.
Now, turning to James and the point he is trying to make about works, I want to consider three verses ...
James 2:17, 2o, 26 … "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone ... But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
James has just said that the believer who never feeds the hungry or clothes the naked might as well not have any faith at all, because that kind of faith ... kept to yourself ... is useless. What good is faith alone; it might as well be dead.
When Paul says that "a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law," he plainly speaks of another sort of work than James does, but not another faith.
There is only one faith that counts ... faith in Jesus Christ. What you do with that faith is the thing that both Apostles are questioning. James teaches that people are supposed to be able to see your faith in action ... by your good works.
Paul speaks of works done in obedience to the law of Moses before men embraced the faith of the gospel; and now he had to deal with those who valued themselves because of those works ... some rejecting his teaching of faith alone for salvation.
James speaks of works done in obedience to the gospel as the proper and necessary efforts of believing in Jesus. But Paul magnifies faith alone by showing the insufficiency of any works of the law in opposition to the doctrine of justification by Jesus Christ ... period. James magnifies the same faith, by showing what are the necessary products of that faith ... good works.
Paul speaks of different works from those insisted on by James. Paul had to deal with those who depended on the merit of their works in the sight of God, for their justification and righteousness.
James had to deal with those who confessed faith, but would not allow works to be used even as evidence. They depended upon just their profession of faith as sufficient to justify them. So to these he urged the necessity and importance of good works ... loving and helping others.
The justification which Paul speaks of is different from that spoken of by James. Paul speaks of our souls being justified before God, and James speaks of our faith being justified before men.
"Show me thy faith by thy works," says James ... "let thy faith be justified in the eyes of those that behold thee by thy works." But Paul speaks of justification in the sight of God, who justifies only those that believe in Jesus, and then ... purely on account ... of the redemption that is in Him.
So we see that we are justified before God by faith ... but our faith is justified before men by our works.
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