Monday, September 5, 2011

Faith requires works

Faith is a gift from the grace of God. Works are deeds or action taken. In the bible we will find different kind of works, works related to the old testament and the law that the Jews hold in extreme value but have poor value compared to the grace of the lord, there are the works of predication and there are the works of charity, miracles are a combination of the last two where God manifest himself through Jesus. Different translation will use the term works others may use the term deeds. In 1 cor. 13 we can read that love is what we must develop. If we have love we will care for one another.

1 cor. 13-13 and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

John 6, 28-29 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Mathew 5, 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

John 10, 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

Acts 26,20 but declared both to them of Damascus first and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

John 14, 6-14 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Ephesians 2, 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James 2, 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 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? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

We should be asking Jesus to intervene so often in our lives to show the works of God.

In October 2010, the news caught my attention. Quebec city, Canada’s seventh largest city, is accepting professionals from around the world of all religion and race to a city mostly catholic and white. Many cities in Canada are expending and the need for immigrants is progressing. What got me thinking is how religion is becoming lest and lest of a statistic. If it is like Montreal, the churches are mostly empty. It is sad to see how people forget, all the precious deeds that God did through his son…

So many are still claiming to be Christians but are not practising; few are even talking about it. Boasting moral teaching is not what I think will please God the most.

To remember the precious acts performed we often need the interest, the actual need for help. There is no more fear of God and death comes with tranquillizers and often old age and the worst only seems to happen to others. Conflicts and wars are non apparent here in the surrounding of a rich country. But no one believes to be rich lacking constantly of new material things, it seems that a rich person has to be at least a millionaire. There is little participation in community prayers, few believes in having to repent, there is less real celebration of the good news that God made man paved the way for our eternal life. Christmas is becoming xmas. What is the reason for such stubbornness facing truth or reality? Is it the shame to admit guilt in front of the redeemer preferring not to believe in all is miracles? Or is it the shame of having been the cause of Gods suffering, preferring is non existence and no eternal life? What ever the reason I believe it to be of an egoistic nature. If we recognise ourselves as sinners, we must manifest it and repent. After all, when life nears the end, I believe that everyone is hoping for acceptance by God.

We must recognise that Jesus is everything, he is sharing the glory of God first hand, sitting at is right. Jesus knows us well for having experienced the joy of living as a man. We must be joyful, proud and satisfied thinking of his life on earth. And now we can hope for a place in heaven so small might it be where we can be satisfied for eternity.

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