Faith and Works

How we live our lives as Christians is VERY important. Christians are under as much scrutiny as media celebrities, although not always publicized as widely. Many people observe a Christian and assign a set of expectations to that title. Many times, an observer expects Christians to act in ways in which their integrity is unquestionable. A mature Christian realizes this interpretation will not always be levied. While the actions of a Christian may be valid according to Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, those looking on may realize only a portion of the picture being revealed. Some people see a conflict between Paul and James over the matter of justification by faith versus works when comparing Rom. 3:24, 28 and Jas. 2:18-26. When we examine this carefully, we should conclude the Holy Spirit was leading each Apostle in describing the same picture to different audiences, or different mindsets and opinions. Paul was confronting the Pharisaic idea that our good works will cause God to grant salvation to humans. He argues that no one can ever be good enough to earn salvation. It is by Grace that God justifies guilty sinners through faith in Christ alone. James however, was challenging the view that saving faith does not necessarily produce good works. He teaches that genuine faith always produces good works, “… faith was completed by his works;” – Jas. 2:22 (ESV). In this verse, “completed,” means to bring to the final phase, or conclusion. We do good works or actions because Jesus saved us, not in order to be saved. When we express faith in Jesus and allow it, the Holy Spirit will lead our lives to produce actions that are good and praiseworthy to God. This issue was so poorly understood, that Paul provided the Galatians a comparison between actions of the Flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) and results or Fruits of a life (Gal. 5:22-23) guided by the Holy Spirit. {Please follow this if you are interested}