It’s Friday…Don’t Fall Into The Trap

Imagine a freshly baked apple pie coming out of the oven. Imagine the aroma filling the room and stimulating all your senses. Imagine inhaling deeply and letting that wonderful smell create in you an acute anticipation of the enjoyment to come. Now, after all that, can you comprehend such a delicacy coming out of the oven with no aroma at all?

Of course, you can’t, because it doesn’t happen. It is possible, I presume, to have the aroma without the pie – after all, there are some pretty close counterfeit smells in candles, air fresheners, and all sorts of products that simulate the real thing – but you can’t have fresh baked pie without the aroma. The substance can’t exist without some accompanying signs.

The same is true of faith and works. The Apostle Paul is clear in his letters to the Romans and Galatians that we are made right in God’s sight by faith. But he never indicates that you can have faith without accompanying signs. If it’s the real pie, so to speak, there will be some evidence, right? There will be an aroma of works that results from genuine belief.

“You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

A lot of believers throughout history have thought that the Apostles Paul and James contradict one another on this point, but those of us who are convinced that the whole Bible is inspired by God’s Spirit know that there are no true contradictions within it. Yet, there are different emphases, and while Paul emphasizes the faith that saves, James emphasizes the fallacy of faith that does nothing. It’s ludicrous, he says in effect, to think that someone can truly believe God for who He really is and not act accordingly. James focuses on good works as evidence of the real thing.

Don’t Fall Into The Trap of workless faith. We do well to avoid the trap of just playing religious – doing good works without living for the pleasure of Jesus Christ – but we make a tragic mistake when we think God isn’t interested in good works. The truth is, we were created for just such a purpose – to make much about Him and for Him. God’s design for us isn’t strictly internal. Let’s allow our faith to prompt us to outward action – today and every day.

Have a purpose-filled weekend. Make it better by worshiping The Lord with those who live each day to flesh-out-their-faith in tangible ways so that the world around them can smell the aroma of something really, really good and give glory to God.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)