Faith -that- Works?

Yep. Years ago we had a kitchen plaque that said "Not faith or works, not faith and works- but faith that works". Yup. And the only way it does in the will of God is... "by love" and that meaning HIS love in and through you and me if we say we're followers of Jesus.

Everything else is "wood, hay and stubble".

Various English translations lay this out loud and clear. Paul writing to the church in Galatia dealt with the Jewish rite of circumcision and said in being circumcised or uncircumcised isn't the issue, doesn't really matter, rather : (Galatians 5.6b) "the only thing that counts is faith working through love."

We may think and say we have faith in God, in Jesus Christ risen, but what practical difference does our proclaimed faith make to people around us if we do not love them?

We may simply consider our very salvation "transactional", an acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice, His shed blood and love for us doing everything in a total sense as if He were now the only one making decisions in our mind and our life.

Sorta like thinking "It's ALL His responsibility now, not our own to love God and love our neighbor as our self."

This of course, is not only without sense, it's flatly not true!

So many professing Christians love God rather little and sometimes neighbors even less. Some justify hating their neighbor as if that were some sort of Christian virtue, as if Jesus somehow condones or taught it right and proper to do so. That's simply -not- the truth!

True love indeed works. And it IS work, and of the sort we're each and all tempted to toss at times, no?

May our hearts toward God and people be evermore shaped by the teachings, example and compassion of the One we say is our Lord and Savior.

And as always, thanks for stopping by. -Glenn