Grace, Faith, and Works.

 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph.2:8-9).

This is, quite possibly, one of the most frequently quoted statements in the New Testament, after John 3:16. It deals with three essential aspects of the Christian Faith - grace; faith; and works. That faith (or belief, it's the same Greek word) in the substitutionary work of Jesus, the Christ, on the cross, is essential to salvation (see John 3:15-18, etc.). But faith does not stop there; it grows as a disciple of Jesus matures. Let us look at some of the characteristics of a growing faith in God.

One who has accepted God's gracious offer of forgiveness and salvation, one who, by faith, has found God trustworthy, comes to trust Him and His promises in other areas as well. Paul, who had been sorely persecuted for his faith, claimed, "I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am sure that He is able to guard until that Day what I have entrusted to Him." (II Timothy 1:12). God will faithfully fulfill His promises, and we can have faith that He will.

The great heroes of faith, some of whom are listed in Hebrews 11, all had one thing in common. They dared to trust God for great things, even impossible things, and moved out on that basis. Consider Joshua: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days." (Heb.11:30). Joshua was confronted with an impossible problem, but dared to trust God for a solution.

Then there is the mature faith which can "rest in YHWH, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7) in the face of hardship and opposition. "For the wicked shall be cut off; but those who wait for YHWH shall possess the land." (v. 9).

But, as James reminds us: "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (2:14-17). Some try to suggest that James and Paul were "at odds" with one another. Nothing could be further from the truth! Read on from those words at the head of this post! "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph.2:10). 

So, we are saved, by grace, through faith, for good works.

At every stage of our lives as disciples of Jesus, Father God allows us opportunities to exercise and expand our faith. Remember, "without faith it is impossible to please Him." (Hebrews 11:6).