DT READING IX: FAITH AND WORK

 Dear brothers and sisters,

The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We might ask then, what does it mean without faith? And are we supposed to do everything by faith? Furthermore, the Bible also tells us that salvation is by faith, healing is by faith, and relationship with God is by faith, etc. So why is faith central to our existence as disciples of Jesus? Another important theme that people sometimes get puzzled about is the relation between faith and work. They asked: how do faith and work go together? This week, we will briefly look at these important questions.

READING IX learning objectives

-          Biblical faith

-          Faith is absolutely necessary

-          Faith and evidence

-          Salvation: Faith and Work (A clarification) 

-          Healing: Faith in action

Biblical Faith

We need to make a distinction between Biblical faith and faith in other things (or gods/people). As one servant of God rightly said, Biblical faith is solely based on the word of God. It means having faith in what God says and His Words recorded in the Scripture.

Any kind of faith that is not based on the Word of God is not Biblical faith. For example, Muslims have faith in their prophet or Allah, or Hindus have faith in their holy books, or their gods/goddesses, or someone might say, I have faith in doctors, etc. these are also a valid way of using the word faith, but such faith is not Biblical faith.

Faith is based on reality or truth that a person believes or trusts (put his or her confidence), and it is in such an act of faith a person acknowledges the reality or truth that he or she believes to be the case. So when Christians, for example, have faith in Jesus, it means they are putting their confidence/trust in Jesus, and in such confidence or confession they acknowledge Jesus as the reality or the truth.  

One of the distinctions between Biblical faith and faith in other things (other gods, doctors, or machines) is the role of faith. In Biblical faith, faith is indispensable or absolutely necessary. Without faith there is no salvation, there is no forgiveness, or there is no healing. The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.

On the other hand, a person’s faith in other things (other gods, doctors, or a machine) can be irrelevant in the outworking of a reality he or she professes faith. For example, a person may never have faith in a surgeon to remove a stone in his or her kidney, yet a surgeon can certainly remove a stone in a person’s kidney. In this case, a person’s faith in a doctor can be irrelevant. Furthermore, even if a doctor is a murderer, or an adulterer, or abuses children and has no faith in anyone, he still can do his job successfully. However, Biblical faith is entirely different. Biblical faith is a response to God and His Word; it is an act of obedience and therefore a person’s participation (having faith) is absolutely necessary for the working of God.

Another important thing to understand is that Biblical faith is holistic. It includes the entirety of one’s life. Our behaviors, characters, thought life, relationship with God and people, attitudes, etc. all these aspects in one’s life matter. A person cannot live nor do anything he or she wants (adultery, addiction to drugs, loss of character, corruption, disobeying God’s word, etc.) and claim to have faith in God, for such faith is not genuine faith. A person who has faith (Biblical faith) will live a life of obedience to God and his or her life will be a demonstration of God’s love, characters, and words.

Biblical faith is based on the Word of God; to have faith is to believe God, to seek and obey God’s Word.

“And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 6:11).

Faith and evidence

One of the criticisms/clichés atheists often throw at Christians goes something like this: “You Christians believe in God without evidence (scientific evidence?); your faith is blind faith.” This I believe is a faulty charge and a huge theme in itself requiring a lengthy discussion. One may also ask questions like; do we need evidence to have faith? Do we followers of Jesus have good evidence for our faith? Is our faith really blind as theists claim (or accuse)?

Like I mentioned above, a lengthy discussion can be done on such charges/criticisms/questions, but we will look at just one example of evidence for our faith that Apostle Paul pointed out in his letter to Romans. To the men of unrighteousness, ungodliness, who suppress the truth, Paul wrote, “For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown to them. For God’s invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine attributes have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).

The evidence of our faith in God that Paul stated in Romans 1 is the creation of the world, the universe, and the things God has made. The air we breathe; the skies above us; the sea below us; all that God made in the universe and in our world are the evidence of God whom we believe. From nothing comes nothing! The universe exists, our beautiful world came into existence, and they didn’t come out of nothing, but God who is the only self-existing, eternal, and perfect being made them all.

Salvation: Faith and work (A clarification)

One of the roles of faith as we learned is to receive salvation which is given to us by God’s grace. Apostle Paul stated this truth clearly in Ephesians 2, that salvation is by grace through faith, and salvation is a free gift of God, and not by our own works. On the other hand, James wrote to his readers that faith without work is death (James 2:14f).

Many have claimed that Paul and James differed in the question of faith versus works (and that they are contradicting each other), however, in reality, the spiritual fruit that James talks about simply demonstrates the true faith that Paul wrote as such their writing are complementary and not contradictory.

For more discussion on faith and work (on justification), please click this link to read… (Faith and Work, an essay by Thomas Schreiner) https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/faith-and-works/

Healing: Faith and prayer

Another role of faith is receiving healing from God. We learn from the Bible that God is a healer and we can read numerous examples of God’s healing various people of all kinds of sicknesses.

In the Gospel, Luke tells us a story of Jesus healing a leper wrote, “While he (Jesus) was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched his hand and touched him, saying, “I will, be clean.” And immediately leprosy left him. (Luke 5:12,13).

Now, suppose the leper never came to Jesus or ask Jesus to heal his leprosy, will the leper receive healing? I don’t think so. A person claims to have faith, but if he or she never prayed or if someone never prayed on his behalf (asking and trusting God for healing/ coming to God in faith) he will not receive healing. Prayer is faith in action. We believe in God so we pray.

Conclusion

As disciples of Jesus, faith is absolutely necessary. The Bible tells us without faith it is impossible to please God. From this week’s lesson, we have learned what faith is and the need to know the distinction between Biblical faith and faith on other things. As we continue our walk with Jesus, may we continue to gladly read, study, and learn His words to obey Him, and may we continue to listen and hear His Word as faith comes from hearing His Word (see Romans 10:17).

God bless you!      

 

DT Reading VIII: Jesus Christ: His Life, His Works, and His Teachings

  "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for

Him," C. T. Studd 

Greetings everyone! 

This week’s lesson/reading is something about the person who changed the course of human history and turned the world upside. The person is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We will briefly look at some of the powerful and unique aspects of Jesus’ life, works, and teaching.

Week VIII learning objectives:

- The life of Jesus
- The work of Jesus
- The teaching of teaching

NO ROOM FOR THE BOOKS

Apostle John wrote the Gospel of Jesus and concluded with a statement, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). This of course is one of the ways of writing to make a point that the works of Jesus are indeed are innumerable.

I like visiting libraries and Christian books stores even if I don’t get time to sit and read in libraries or buy books at times, and I have been to several. As I reflect, I am thinking of those huge libraries and book stores having thousands upon thousands of books on various subjects that center on Jesus.

Jesus didn’t write a single book or a letter with His own hands, but millions of books have been written about Him. His life, works, and teachings have been studied and written by countless people throughout history and it will continue till the end of this world.

HIS LIFE

The birth of Jesus was foretold 1000s of years ahead by prophets. His birth was announced by the angles, and upon His birth, the hearts of many were stirred. At His birth some rejoiced and celebrated that the savior was born, some feared and their hearts shook that a new king was born (Matthew 2), and still others wondered who the child was (Luke 1).

The life of Jesus revealed a mystery that God took the form of a man. No one has seen God but Jesus and He revealed who God is, thus seeing Him, people saw God (John 14:9). Jesus is the exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15). He is the Word that was in the beginning and that Word became flesh (John 1).  

His life represents perfection. There was not a single action, word, attitude, or behavior that was sinful in Jesus. He was blameless and he committed no sin. Before the laws of Moses, he was guiltless, and when judged by the teachers of laws, they could not find him a fault (John 18).  

Jesus is the son of God, and yet He chooses to live a life of humility, servitude, and complete obedience to His Father, even to the point of death on the Cross (Philippians 2). He is the perfect example of truthfulness, holiness, righteousness, love, etc. He is the one and only perfect model for us.

HIS WORKS

The works of Christ are innumerable. His works center on truth, grace, and sacrifice base on agape, the love of God. He gave himself to His Father’s Will, in the mission of redeeming the fallen creation. His works on earth were for the redemption of humanity; to reconcile the broken fellowship between God and his creation. The recreation of what was lost and broken. In Him, we receive life, and we become New Creations (2 Cor. 5:17).

Marked by love and selflessness, yet fulfilled the justice of God. He died that we may live. He paid the price to free us from sins and condemnation.

“Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4,5).

He came to serve, to save, to love, to guide, to heal, to forgive, and all his works were demonstrations of God’s great love.

 HIS TEACHING

Someone rightly said, upon reading the Gospel if a person is not astonished at the teaching of Jesus, he or she hasn’t really understood the Gospel. As Jesus began his earthly ministry, his first sermon, his teaching, the beatitudes (Matthew 6, 7) shocked people. He said,

-       “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on the account of me.”

-       “And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says, “Fool” will be sent to fiery hell.”

-       “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

-       “But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”

-       “But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins”

The teachings of Jesus were counter-culture in many ways and His teachings were beyond the traditions of humans. He spoke and taught the truth with love, authority, and perfect courage. He feared no threats from the human agency; no pressure, rejection, and persecution from people could hold Him. And to his last breath, he taught the truth and he died for the truth (John 18, 19).

He taught about His heavenly Father and told his disciples to call God our Father; He taught about heaven, a dwelling place of God; He taught about hell, a place of torment, a place prepared for the devil, demons, and all those who reject God. Someone said, Jesus taught about Hell or mentioned Hell more than any other subject. “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.” (Mark 9:47-48). This warning of Jesus shows the severity of hell.

Jesus thought about several other things that are needed for us on this journey of life, love, sins, forgiveness, demons, money, salvation, mission, his second coming, and so on.

WHAT NOW?

As disciples of Jesus, or students of Jesus, we follow his life meaning we live as he lived. We live in humility and we live a life of obedience to God. As disciples of Jesus, we do the works he did. He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28) and so shall we be. And we teach what he taught.

Someone has rightly said, salvation is a free gift of God and we receive it by faith, but discipleship will cost our life. At this point perhaps some may be thinking, well to be a disciple of Jesus is difficult and perhaps I am not ready or fit to be a disciple. I will also tell you that such thinking is true as well because the truth is none of us on our own merit can become disciples of Jesus.

The call to become a disciple of Jesus is a call of God’s grace. It is upon the realization of our inability; we will also know what the grace of God is. We are only qualified to be His disciple because of the grace of God and upon trusting in Him. By grace, we are called. By grace, we are saved. And by grace, we can and are his disciples.

“And yet one understands that to contemplate, write and learn His life, His works, and His teaching will require thousands upon thousands years, and to live as He had lived is only possible through the grace of God.”