I’ll tell you, though, I can’t think of the Abbey Medley without thinking of the whole Faith and Works discussion. Saved by Faith, not works, but faith without works is a dead faith. The fact that you can’t earn your Salvation is a universal truth, but Jesus said if you love me, you’ll keep my commandments. Ephesians 2 says that 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Then Paul talks in Romans and says in Chapter 4 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, that clearly states that if you think you get saved by works, then it’s not a gift…if you work, you’ve earned something. But you’ve earned nothing since it was a gift. Then there’s 1 John 2:4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; that says that if we don’t keep Jesus’ commandments, then we’re a liar. But I thought it was faith, not works – but then we keep reading that we have to do works. But if we’re saved by faith (and we are) why do we keep reading about the works? It gets summed up with James telling us in Chapter 2 that “Faith without works is dead.” Quite possibly the single most misunderstood verse of the Bible.
It’s an old problem, and one I’ve heard
best described by a friend of mine as “Memory Verse Theology”. It’s the same topic that the “Father Abraham
and the Deathly Hallows” devotional was about.
To quote myself: Without the whole of the Word, you’re missing
out on the larger part of understanding. You’ll come to find that a lot of
things that you think you know based on a “single verse” approach may be
something you question when the whole of the text is taken into account. That is to say, to understand James’
point about Faith and Works, you need read it all…not just five simple
words. Because he also says quite
plainly in verse 24 You
see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. But if it’s only faith, why does James
say that man is not justified by faith alone.
Listen for the Whisper that says Faith and Works are a
palindrome like bob, kayak, racecar, or a sentence like “Ma is a nun, as I
am”. Same frontwards and backwards and
blend together so you can’t tell what’s faith and what’s works. Going front to back, where does one stop and
the other start. Symmetry about the
middle. What’s “You never give me your
money” and what’s “Carry that weight”?
Can you really stand up proud and yell, “I believe Jesus is the Son of
God,” then sit in your recliner and do nothing…ever? Jesus said that whatever you did to the least
of these, you did to me. Jesus said that
if we loved Him, we would feed His sheep.
James said in 2:26 – I’ll quote the full verse, not just the catch
phrase - For just as the
body without the spirit is
dead, so also faith without works is dead.
That’s not a preaching of salvation by works at all! That’s the last thing that James is trying to
say…but that’s how rumors get started.
Somebody hears one short snippet of something someone says, and they run
with it. Clipping verse 24 from the news
story makes a completely different headline.
Extra Extra! Read all about
it! James says, “Man justified by works,
not faith alone!” Extra Extra!!
But don’t listen to the kid selling
papers yelling out a blurb. Take the
time to read the whole thing. It’s a
palindrome. “We panic in a pew!” There’s another one there. Start at the front, start in the back, same
same. Along the lines of misheard,
misused, misunderstood phrases, let’s take a quick look at one that would be
applicable here. “The proof is in the
pudding!” We’ve heard it, used it, and
not understood it. What does that mean? Did someone drop evidence in the
pudding? (insert a British accent here)
It was Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen with the Candlestick! How do I know that? Welllll…the proof is in the pudding!! WRONG!
The ACTUAL phrase…the real phrase…the original phrase is technically
“the proof of the pudding is in the eating” and THAT is a whole different
concept! And it’s a concept a LOT closer
to the faith/works discussion. It’s one
thing to say that a pudding is good.
It’s one thing to talk about how well it sets up after you fix it. It’s one thing to say that it’s the best
pudding you’ll ever eat in your life.
It’s a whole different discussion to take a big, fat spoon from the
drawer and actually put a huge glob of pudding in your mouth and eat it. And that, my friends, is the crux of the
faith/words discussion. It’s one thing to say
you believe this or that or the other…but to act on that belief shows it’s a
real belief.
Faith and works run together like
“Golden Slumbers” and “Carry That Weight”…you start by believing, then before
you know it, you look up and you’re doing God’s work. It might be mission trips. It might be helping old ladies carry
groceries down the street talking to them about Jesus. It might be teaching a class of kids at
church. It might be writing corny little
devotionals that have a knack for taking something as disconnected as anvils
and marshmallows and finding a way to use it to help explain the Bible. But whenever I get confused about something I
read, I always try to go back to what Jesus said. I see Paul saying, “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not as
a result of works,” but then James says “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” and
then John clears it up (I guess) with “The
one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is
a liar,” so that you essentially end
up with what sounds like Plan A) Faith alone, B) Works not faith alone, or C)
simply keeping his commandments – whatever that means. So let’s go back to what Jesus said. Matthew 15 7 You hypocrites, rightly
did Isaiah prophesy of you: 8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is
far away from Me.9 ‘But in vain do they
worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts
of men.’ Then in Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the
glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to
his deeds. And just to throw an
unexpected one for this conversation – John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life.
You know what that sounds to me like
Jesus said? “Talk is cheap.” It’s easy to say, “I believe”, but have I
changed my life? God can say, “I love
the world”, but He proved it by His actions of giving His Son. Faith and works flow together hand in hand
demonstrating one another as real. They
flow in and out of each other like waves on the shore. It’s like standing on the beach and worrying
about where the ocean stops and where the sand starts. It’s not one stopping and the other
starting…it’s the beach. Water washes up
on the sand while the sand stretches out under the waves. And in the swirl of
the beach, the sand mixes with the water…and it’s just “the beach.” It’s not eight different songs. It’s just the Abbey Road Medley. And it’s not Faith and Works. It’s just Christianity. Like a fish being a fish – meaning he
breathes in the water. It’s what a fish
does. Like an eagle being an eagle –
meaning he soars the highest heights.
It’s what an eagle does. Like
Yahweh God being Yahweh God – meaning that He loved the world so much that
Jesus was sacrificed for it all. It’s
what Yahweh God does. Like a Christian
being a Christian – meaning he does the works that are pleasing to God. It’s what a Christian does. It’s quite simply Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what
is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do
justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God. That’s Christianity. One simple word that
encompasses the changed person you are.
Changed beliefs, changed behavior, and a changed heart all demonstrated
by the complete change of what you are. Like
a fish being a fish, and an eagle being an eagle. It’s not worrying about that beaten, dead
horse “is it faith or is it works” question.
It’s a Christian being a Christian.
And what does a Christian do? A
Christian does the things that are just, loves kindness and walks humbly with
God. It’s Abbey Road all flowing
together. It’s being dead to yourself
and alive for Christ. It’s Yin and
Yang. It’s two sides of the same
coin. It’s a palindrome…start with one
and go back the way you came…it’s the same both ways. The next time you hear someone ask if it’s
Faith or Works, just ask them “Do Geese See God?” It’s a reminder of the
palindrome (“do/G eeS e/see/G oD”) that makes up Faith and Works. It’s a beautiful painting where Faith and
Works are strolling down the beach in their flip-flops at sunset together…not
the place where the water and the sand meet, but on the beach. If you’re asking if it’s Faith or Works then,
sadly, you’re missing the whole picture.
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