Faith vs. Works // the grand debate
At floor bible study this week, we were talking about James 2: 14-16, which talks about faith and deeds. It reads:
When I was a kid, I was always taught that faith is all you need to get into heaven, you don't have to do anything. It's all God. However, in this verse, I feel like it's telling me you have to do something/act out your faith, otherwise it's dead. Well, then which is it? Because I can't live my life being confused about deeds or grace. It's just too big of a debate that I don't know enough about.
So natural, I was really excited when we got to talking about this in bible study for two reasons: 1. I've been confused over the whole faith vs. works debate for a while, and 2. My bible study leader, Laurel, is really good at explaining things in ways that I understand. Plus, James is a great book of the bible that is just going to tell you how it is and expect that you want to grow from in. I planned on going to bible study and finally having it all figured out.
And I can completely assure you that I do NOT have it totally figured out, but I do understand another piece of the puzzle more. Laurel started the sessions by simply explaining what faith is, which, according to her definition, is "complete trust or confidence in something or someone." Then, we all had to do a trust fall. For those are you who aren't familiar with this exercise, it's when two people stand up, one facing the others back. The one whose back is turned then falls backwards, with their arms out, trusting that the other person will catch them. It's a really great experience, especially if you don't really know the person that well (even if it is a social norm that you have to catch them). Laurel then showed us that if we stood with our backs to another person, but never fell, it wouldn't be very obvious that we trusted them. If we don't put ourselves into positions of weakness and vulnerability, we aren't able to be caught.
In the same way, without works we aren't really proving to God that we follow Him. When we have faith, that is enough for us to be saved. "We are saved by grace through faith" to quote the Apostle Paul. However, we need works too. Not to save us -- grace has us covered for that -- but to prove to God and to the world that we do follow Him. By living out his word, we are putting ourselves in vulnerable position, but we're showing that we do believe and that we are saved. It's putting our trust in Him to know that He will work through our life.
Maybe I can add some more insight once I have my bible in front of me again (I take notes, and I'm currently in biology class...), but I think this is the key part of the debate that I've been missing my entire life.
Learning to make myself vulnerable,
Carly
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
When I was a kid, I was always taught that faith is all you need to get into heaven, you don't have to do anything. It's all God. However, in this verse, I feel like it's telling me you have to do something/act out your faith, otherwise it's dead. Well, then which is it? Because I can't live my life being confused about deeds or grace. It's just too big of a debate that I don't know enough about.
So natural, I was really excited when we got to talking about this in bible study for two reasons: 1. I've been confused over the whole faith vs. works debate for a while, and 2. My bible study leader, Laurel, is really good at explaining things in ways that I understand. Plus, James is a great book of the bible that is just going to tell you how it is and expect that you want to grow from in. I planned on going to bible study and finally having it all figured out.
And I can completely assure you that I do NOT have it totally figured out, but I do understand another piece of the puzzle more. Laurel started the sessions by simply explaining what faith is, which, according to her definition, is "complete trust or confidence in something or someone." Then, we all had to do a trust fall. For those are you who aren't familiar with this exercise, it's when two people stand up, one facing the others back. The one whose back is turned then falls backwards, with their arms out, trusting that the other person will catch them. It's a really great experience, especially if you don't really know the person that well (even if it is a social norm that you have to catch them). Laurel then showed us that if we stood with our backs to another person, but never fell, it wouldn't be very obvious that we trusted them. If we don't put ourselves into positions of weakness and vulnerability, we aren't able to be caught.
In the same way, without works we aren't really proving to God that we follow Him. When we have faith, that is enough for us to be saved. "We are saved by grace through faith" to quote the Apostle Paul. However, we need works too. Not to save us -- grace has us covered for that -- but to prove to God and to the world that we do follow Him. By living out his word, we are putting ourselves in vulnerable position, but we're showing that we do believe and that we are saved. It's putting our trust in Him to know that He will work through our life.
Maybe I can add some more insight once I have my bible in front of me again (I take notes, and I'm currently in biology class...), but I think this is the key part of the debate that I've been missing my entire life.
Learning to make myself vulnerable,
Carly
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