Justified By Faith Alone... Or Not?

Justification by "faith alone" is one of the great truths of Christianity. It's a reminder that we are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone by grace alone. I believe this, preach this, and contend for this on a regular basis. But last Sunday we bumped right into James 2:24: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." It stopped us in our tracks.

What's going on? Here we find the only place in the entire Bible where the words "faith" and "alone" are joined together in the same verse... and it appears to be saying the exact opposite of what we want it to say? How is this possible? Is salvation by "faith alone" the wrong message? What about Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 3:28?

The long answer was my sermon last weekend. The short answer is this: The problem is not with the message of the Scriptures, the real problem is with our (often) inadequate or non-biblical definition of the word "faith". Faith is never merely believing a set of facts about God, or Jesus, or the Bible. James says that even demons believe that stuff (and supposedly most Americans do too). Demons aren't atheists. They most certainly believe in God. But that's not that same as biblical faith. James is saying that biblical faith is obvious - you can see that it is real by obedience, by fruit (good works) in a believer's life. That's saving faith. The other kind is mere dead orthodoxy. Can you tell the difference between these two definitions of faith? I hope so.

The book of James: This ain't no pie eating contest!

One of my friends says that reading James is like getting into a boxing match. Another pastor calls it a dangerous book. One scholar says that James' candor and clarity are like a two-edged sword - penetrating, almost too penetrating.

For the rest of 2011 (and into 2012) we are wrestling with the teaching of James. A warning: he pulls no punches. And he covers so much ground for such a short book (only 108 verses). James body slams useless faith and challenges his readers to be "doers of the Word". He fearlessly tackles trials, worldliness, favoritism, anger, suffering, and temptations... just to mention a few.

I'm praying that we emerge out of James with only minor bruising, but with major growth as followers of Jesus. But get ready, because as Rocky Balboa says, "This ain't no pie eating contest..."

Am I on the wrong road...?

"I'm just wondering, is it possible that you think you are on the narrow road but you are actually on the broad road? Could it be that you have set cruise control, turned up the Christian radio, and are traveling down the road of destruction with a Jesus fish on your bumper?" -Kyle Idleman

Jesus says "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Am I a follower of Jesus... or just a fan of Jesus?

"The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them." -Kyle Idleman, Not A Fan

This new book I'm reading from Kyle Idleman pulls no punches! Many today think they are OK with God because they attend a church, or say they believe in Jesus, or have a fish on their car, when in fact they have fooled themselves. This book is helpful in evaluating whether or not we are simply fans of Jesus (something He is never interested in having), or if we are truly committed followers (something He absolutely requires). The difference between the two has serious consequences - both now and later! I'll be posting some quotes from it over the next few weeks.

While we have "hurricane" on our minds...

"How happy are we if the hurricanes that blow across life's raging sea have the effect of making Jesus more precious to us! It is better to weather the storm with Christ than to sail smooth waters without Him" - J.R. Madcuff

(thanks Margaret Land)

Are my friendships wise?

Good friends... bad friends. We all have them. But who are your closest friends? Who do you go to when you are in need of counsel or help?

"The problem is not conversation or acquaintance or even the occasional hang-out. The problem arises when bad friends replace our inner circle of godly, wise friends. The real problem happens when they replace Scripture and Jesus-loving friends... when they become our inner circle, our wise counsel, or our support during trial, we will be overcome by their foolishness and become fools ourselves." -James Pruch