RECEIVING THE PROMISE OF BLESSING THROUGH FAITH - PART 3 (24 OF 48)
Scripture: James 2:14-26
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Receiving the Promise of Blessing through Faith - Part 3 (24 of 48)
Series: Kingdom Foundations - Genesis
Patrick Edwards
James 2:14-26
Introduction
I don't know what it is about human nature, but it is a truth universally acknowledged that we all tend to drift and live toward one of two extremes. Its never the moderate voices in politics which are heard but instead the crazy left and right-wing extremists who make the loudest noise and garner the biggest attention. I think about a glass of red wine, which we're told is either of the devil or good for heart health, maybe it's both. Public schools will either corrupt your children or are necessary for proper socialization. For so long we had to choose between the extremes of Coke and Diet Coke, until we were mercifully blessed with Coke Zero. We tend to drift to extremes, and no example more exemplifies this reality than the question of good-works in relation to salvation.
You see within the church, within Christian theology, believers have been inclined over the centuries to promote either the importance of works or the supremacy of faith. We either emphasize grace and how it's all about grace, or we emphasize the importance of ethical living. As Christians we treat good works in one of two ways: We either build it way up, saying that if you don't do such and such or refrain from such and such you are not living as a good Christian, or we denigrate the importance of good works, saying that if you emphasize works then you are denying grace and denying Christ. We all either drift toward legalism, focusing on what you do, or toward antinomianism, saying what you do doesn't really matter.
Now, of course, this whole illustration is an exaggeration. Very few I think would conscientious state in the church that it is all about what you do or that what you do is unimportant. Rarely, would you ever actually hear someone say such a thing. And, yet, our actions tend to place us in one of these two camps. For ...
Series: Kingdom Foundations - Genesis
Patrick Edwards
James 2:14-26
Introduction
I don't know what it is about human nature, but it is a truth universally acknowledged that we all tend to drift and live toward one of two extremes. Its never the moderate voices in politics which are heard but instead the crazy left and right-wing extremists who make the loudest noise and garner the biggest attention. I think about a glass of red wine, which we're told is either of the devil or good for heart health, maybe it's both. Public schools will either corrupt your children or are necessary for proper socialization. For so long we had to choose between the extremes of Coke and Diet Coke, until we were mercifully blessed with Coke Zero. We tend to drift to extremes, and no example more exemplifies this reality than the question of good-works in relation to salvation.
You see within the church, within Christian theology, believers have been inclined over the centuries to promote either the importance of works or the supremacy of faith. We either emphasize grace and how it's all about grace, or we emphasize the importance of ethical living. As Christians we treat good works in one of two ways: We either build it way up, saying that if you don't do such and such or refrain from such and such you are not living as a good Christian, or we denigrate the importance of good works, saying that if you emphasize works then you are denying grace and denying Christ. We all either drift toward legalism, focusing on what you do, or toward antinomianism, saying what you do doesn't really matter.
Now, of course, this whole illustration is an exaggeration. Very few I think would conscientious state in the church that it is all about what you do or that what you do is unimportant. Rarely, would you ever actually hear someone say such a thing. And, yet, our actions tend to place us in one of these two camps. For ...
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