Monday, November 19, 2018

faith and works


Today we read from James 2:18-3:18 in the One Year Bible. And it would be easy for this to turn into an argument between Catholics and Protestants over whether works are necessary for salvation. But both Catholics and Protestants agree that works are a natural result of having faith in God. In one view, those works are part of the salvation process. In the other view, they are a result of the act of salvation. In either case, faith by itself is insufficient for the Christian life, and the good works that come from faith are a necessary and natural part of what true faith really means.

So let's move to the next aspect of the faith + works concept: what are the works that naturally result from faith? There are many, but they are handily categorized into the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy.

The corporal acts of mercy are: 1. Feed the hungry 2. Give water to the thirsty 3. Clothe the naked 4. Shelter the homeless 5. Visit the sick 6. Visit those in prison 7. Bury the dead. There is a list of things you can do, acts that Jesus told us are very important. He even said that when we do them, we're doing them to Him.

The spiritual acts of mercy are: 1. instruct the ignorant 2. counsel the doubtful 3. admonish the sinner 4. bear wrongs patiently 5. forgive offenses willingly 6. comfort the afflicted 7. pray for the living and the dead. Once again, these are important acts of service that we can do, making the world a better place, and growing in our spiritual lives as we perform them.

So let's commit to doing these things more, shall we? See if you can visit the sick or feed the hungry. Pray for the living and the dead. And all of the other things above... work them into your daily routine. You'll be surprised how much better your life will be when you do these simple things.

God, thanks for giving us practical ways to serve You.