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"FAITH Without WORKS" A tablet from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com ) by John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
"Doctored"... 10/00; 6/01; 8/01; 11/01; 1/02; 2/02; 9/02; 11/02; 2/03; 3/03; 9/03; 12/03; 3/04; 7/04; 3/05; 9/05; 10/31/06 CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author In another "tablet" (Principles of God -- "Not by Works or Deeds"), the "synthetic" deeds and man-made "works" of human-beings were discussed.... and were compared with the "duty" of God's people to respond (link) to the "INTENTION" of God, and to the "assignments" from God.... thereby indicating how God guides and directs His people to "generate" (or "produce") the efforts and responses that God has ordained.... for each of His people. Thus, under this "assignment" from God, an individual's works and deeds become the genuine "fruits" of God's "good trees" -- and not simply ritualistic and routine and inane churchy "procedures". (See the link: Fruits, and Deeds of God's People in this website.) In this "tablet", I want to indicate my understanding of how "faith" leads to the "good works" for which God has created each of His people. "Good works", as discussed in the tablet linked above ("Principles of God"), are those activities which God's People (link) "naturally" do, because Godspeople are indwelled by God.... and because God guides each of His people (God's children [link]).... to function and "produce" in precisely the way for which each was designed and created. That is not to say that a Godsperson never makes an error, or never "sins" -- but it is to say that God watches over His people, and molds them, and "prunes" them, and corrects them, and disciplines them..... all in the manner that God decides (and in a way that is unrelated to what we humans think of ourselves -- or to how other humans "judge" us.... or to what a minister or a rabbi proclaims.... and unrelated to the "notions" that a church-group may "vote" to agree-upon). To re-state this in a slightly different way (for emphasis, and for clarification of my personal understanding): God's own individuals are always under God's watchful eye -- and they change, and grow, and learn, and teach, and "work", and respond (link) in exactly the way that God has planned. That is, God's people "do" exactly what they were created to "do". If they fail, or fall short, or "deviate" -- then they (like children of human parents) will be guided back, by God, to the correct and intended course. I want to quote, now, the passage from James, which says that "faith without works is dead": James 2: 14 (NRSV) What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So, faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works; and I, by my works, will show you my faith....... 26 For just as the body without the Spirit is dead -- so faith without works is also dead. Now note the following scriptures, which bear on this same subject, and which pertain to what will be discussed below. Leading this next group of quotations is a most important Biblical teaching, from Hebrews 11. Then, the magnificent quotation from 1 Corinthians 12: 5. (Read all of these quotations out loud, so that you can "hear" what God is saying, while you "see" His words): 1.) Hebrews 11: 6 (NRSV) Without faith, it is impossible to please God; for whoever would approach Him must believe that He exists -- and that He rewards those who seek Him. (See link Faith and Belief.)
2.) 1 Corinthians 12: 5 (NEB) There are varieties of service, but the same Lord. There are many forms of work; but ALL of them -- in ALL men -- are the work of the same God. In EACH of us, the Spirit is manifested in a particular way, for some useful purpose.
3.) Ephesians 2:
10 (NRSV): For we ARE what He
has MADE us, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand -- to be
our way of life.
(JNT note: God "prepared"
[created] each one of His people for certain
"good works", ordained "beforehand" by God.) Same (KJV): Thou also hast wrought ALL our works in us. 5.) Philippians 2: 13 (NIV): "For it is God who works in you, to WILL --and to DO -- what pleases Him". Same (KJV): "For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of HIS good pleasure".
Same (NEB) 6: 29 Jesus replied: "This is the work that God requires: believe in the One whom He has sent." 8.) Luke 16:15 (NEB)
Jesus speaking: You are the people who impress your
fellow-men with your righteousness --
but God sees through you; for what sets itself up to be
admired by men, is detestable in
the sight of God (JNT
note: God is not fooled by man-made
"works", or deeds, designed to convince
God of one's own "righteousness"). My understanding of the above scriptures is that both "faith" and "works" are a part of the same "gift" from God. Each of God's people "responds" to God (see link on Responding) -- and "interacts" with God, according to what God has planned -- and not according to the paltry plans and schemes of us frail humans. Therefore, our actions -- our "good works", our "deeds" -- are all under the guidance and supervision of God -- and are a reflection of the "faith" that has been instilled in each of God's people Contrary to what is sometimes taught, God's people are not all formed in the same "mold". God intended each of His people to be an individual -- to be different from all others -- for God's own reasons, and for His plans (See link: Individuation by God). It is simply incorrect for anyone to suppose that all humans are created to fit into a solitary "cookie-cutter" configuration -- of a certain size and shape and color and function and thought -- all to "satisfy" the doctrinal ideas of one-or-the-other of the countless earthly "religious" groups. Nowadays, it is easy to get the impression from some "churches", and from some "denominations", and from certain ministers.... that the "organized church" expects all church-goers to "be", and think, and serve, and "work", and "do" -- in only one humanly-pre-determined way. How silly! If that were true, we would all be "preachers", priests, monks, or missionaries! Godspeople "are" what God made each one to be. Therefore, the works and deeds of a Godsperson are those activities that God planned for each of His people -- individually (much like we human parents direct and encourage our children to "be" and "do" that which we know is best for each of them). God's people do indeed perform those "works" assigned to each, by God -- as an indication of their being "indwelled" by God..... but not as some "churches" would have us to believe..... that is, not to "PROVE" faith, or to make a show of "goodness", or to try to convince God to accept us. "Faith", which is a gift from God (see again Faith and Belief), establishes that an individual believes in God, and "belongs" to God -- and that he is "indwelled" by God, and that he is guided and molded and developed by God. Faith enables God's children to commit to God everything they do. As a result of this commitment to God.... the works, and the plans, and the deeds of a Godsperson then reflect precisely the faith and trust that have been given to each of God's people God's people are not robots (link). God's people are His sheep (link), His children, His servants, His "soldiers", His "saints", His students..... God's hands. God's people "do" precisely what they are led to do -- what they were created to do. No child-of-God will say to Almighty God, "No -- I refuse to do what you created me to do." Can you imagine how our Sovereign All-Powerful God of the Universe would respond to a remark (or thought) of that type? A conviction of true belief, or "faith", leads one to the understanding of "trust", and "trusting" in God -- so that one does not have to spend all of his life wondering and worrying about whether or not he has pleased and satisfied God; or whether he has performed enough "works" and "deeds" to prove his allegiance to God.... or whether he has "obeyed" God. The concept of trying to force "deeds" in order to attempt to please and appease God -- or to prove faith -- is simply misguided! As was stated in my "tablet" Not by Works, synthetic "deeds" and "works" do not create faith, nor do they cause an individual to become "good" or "righteous" -- or to become a "Christian" Godsperson. "Forced" do-gooding does not trick our Almighty God. As I said before, we may fool ourselves, and our friends, and "the church" -- but we cannot fool God! Yes -- "faith without works is dead". But..... God's people-of-faith do indeed function and produce in precisely the way that God has planned. And, yes, God's people "do" the "works" that God requires. It CANNOT be any other way. 10/31/06 |