Looking at Galatians 2:16 thru 21 and James 2:12-24

Galatians 2:16-21  knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.  (17)  "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!  (18)  For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.  (19)  For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.  (20)  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  (21)  I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

James 2:12-24  So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  (13)  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.  (14)  What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  (15)  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  (16)  and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  (17)  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  (18)  But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  (19)  You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  (20)  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?  (21)  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?  (22)  Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?  (23)  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." And he was called the friend of God.  (24)  You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

One of the main causes of confusion about law and grace within evangelical Christianity is the contrast between Paul and James about faith and works. It caused Calvin to write and say that “people are saved by faith alone, but, faith that saves is never alone.” This comment alone is responsible for much of the erroneous attitude about law and grace. Likewise, this apparent controversy is responsible for much of the schizophrenic attitude surrounding law and grace. Here are the facts as they relate to these two passages. Check them out in context and see if I am speaking correctly. Paul is speaking of works of the law and James is speaking of works of love.

When James says that faith without works is dead being alone he is speaking of very narrow works. He is not saying that one who has faith will obey the law. He is saying that one who has faith will have the law written on their hearts and will be loving toward their fellowman, and that means feeding them if they are hungry, clothing them if they need it, and giving them shelter if they are homeless. Let me repeat… James is not saying what the standard evangelical party line is. The standard evangelical understanding of James 2:17 is that the works that demonstrate true faith is obeying all the laws of the Old and New Testaments. This is absolutely false and is evident by reading the passages in context.

James uses a vignette of Abraham’s life as an example. He finds Abraham on the mountain willing to sacrifice Isaac. This is very close to the end of Abraham’s life. God had demonstrated his faithfulness to Abraham over and over again. Abraham’s faithful work was the result of a life witnessing God’s faithfulness. In Romans chapter four Paul uses the same argument that he used in the above passage from Galatians.  Both James and Paul quote Genesis 15:6 (“And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”) Paul uses the vignette that shows Abraham in Gen 15:1 so it is at the beginning of Abraham’s faith walk. This was before God had proven himself faithful over and over again. In this picture it is simply belief. It is important to remember here how the Amplified Bible treats the word faith. The Amplified Bible always includes with faith the definition (trusts in, relies on, and clings too.) Therefore real faith, real belief is more than a mere assent to facts. One must trust in, rely on and cling to the facts in order to demonstrate proper and true faith. When you read Gen 15:6 in the Amplified Bible believed is defined by (trusted in, relied on, and remained steadfast to.)

Therefore, James and Paul are discussing a different aspect of faith. Paul is referencing the initial act of faith and James is referencing the lifelong faith. A person who lives their life completely trusting in, relying on and clinging too a committed belief in God’s unconditional mercy, love and grace will over time develop the ability to love God beyond measure and thereby obey. Jesus showed in Matthew 25:31-46 that Christians would be judged by how they treated the unfortunate. Did they… would they… feed the hungry, clothe the naked and give shelter to the homeless? This is precisely why James makes these works the works that demonstrates true faith.

Observations of a recovering evangelical 1; Walking humbly with God

There are many kinds of addictions in our world; sex, alcohol, drugs, food… but, one of the most dangerous ones in my view is the addiction that evangelicals have with their religion. Let me just say that there is really a way that one can honor and love Jesus… can have a vibrant relationship with him… and not be a victim of religious addiction brought about in large part to control people and to get them to do things a certain way that end up benefiting a powerful few. I am beginning a series that will look at the flaws of this addiction, and will offer sound, reasonable, and even biblical ways to journey into recovery. I chose this one because of the insanity that surrounds the up-coming election.

Micah 6:8  “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

So many people are hung up with holiness and obedience. They are continually striving to live up to the letter of the law. Why are Christians caught up in Old Covenant righteousness? What is the cause of striving? Why are they burned out spiritually, and locked in continual fear? All too often it is because they are frantically trying to establish their own righteousness from law obedience. Yet, even under the Old Covenant, as the prophet Micah so poignantly points out, Gods requirements are relatively simple… do justice, that is, act justly… love mercy, that is love the mercy that God has given, and love to be merciful… and walk humbly NOT PROUDLY, but humbly before God. Those words produce two feelings with me. First, God is not looking for perfection but an attitude… a working towards these things. And secondly, let humility reign in the heart… be just a little humble.

Do you see how far off the path the Christian right is? There is no room for doing justice… they are too busy making sure that multi-national corporations can have no stumbling blocks in greed... Do not worry about the poor receiving justice and mercy in the gate (in governing.) And most of all, do not be humble… rather be proud of your right stance, and condemn anyone who would dare to strive for justice, who would love mercy to the point of being merciful, and who would show humility in allowing others to have their points… being tolerant.

I think that it is because most of orthodox evangelical Christianity is brainwashed. They operate like a cult… they are a cult. There is a need for de-programing. It is time for an intervention of a grand magnitude. There needs to be a broad change of mind… repentance if you will allow the term. It is time to look for the source of the gross lack of mercy and the propagation of pride. it is easy to find… it is in the doctrine and dogma… that is, in the teaching. The dogma and teaching is informed by the hermeneutic; by the interpretive lens used for scripture interpretation. De-programing demands education. De-programing demands an open mind. De-programing demands using logic to develop logical conclusions. One of the main problems that perpetuates the brainwashing is fact that evangelical Christians are asked to check their intellect that the church house door.

Why did Jesus and his followers change the hermeneutic? Why did they redefine the phrase word of God from Torah to gospel? The obvious answer is to help overcome the brainwashing that had been perpetuated by the scribes and Pharisees. It was to return to a simple use of common sense; the kind of common sense that can see the simple meaning of Micah 6:8. Do justice… love mercy… walk humbly before God!

Learning a theology lesson from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On August 23, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, delivered his epic “I have a dream” speech on the mall in Washington D.C. I would like to offer a quote from this speech that shows the brilliant, if not so subtle, criticism of Christianity at the time. It was a reference that he made in the speech. Here’s the quote:

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹” 

The scripture passage that he used in the above quote is from Amos chapter five. The exact clause is “until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” I would like to include the scripture passage where this quote is taken from, so that I may give it the context, that no doubt Dr. King, wanted it to have.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst," says the LORD. Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

(Amo 5:10-24ESV)

As you read the above passage, it should become clear that Dr. King was showing any and all who would listen and hear, that the white religious establishment in the south, was truly hypocritical, and that if they would in fact read the warnings that God had given Israel through the prophet Amos, they would have been given pause considering their treatment of fellow African American Christians. The gate is symbolic for government and commerce. Amos was telling Israel that their national sin was injustice.

As I look at the current situation here in the richest country in the world, we have not made much progress since the days of Dr. King some forty-four years ago. There is little concern for the poor and disenfranchised. Taxes are still exacted at the expense of the poorest Americans. Most of our charity efforts, allows too much of the finances meant to help with the distribution to the poor, to be consumed by unnecessary administrative costs. All to often in our courts, justice is not available for the poor but can be bought by the wealthy. If God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and I believe He is, then we as a country, as Christians, should reflect on the fact that God brought judgment to Israel because of the warnings of the prophet Amos.

When will we let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a might stream?

Blessed are those who care for the poor

Psalm 41:1  (A psalm by David for the music leader.) You, LORD God, bless everyone who cares for the poor, and you rescue those people in times of trouble.

There are so many Christians that object to social justice and call it socialism disguised; They say that it is merely a term for taking wealth from people and giving it to others. They claim that anyone who emphasizes social justice mis-quotes and mis-interprets the scripture. They insist that Jesus was not an advocate for social justice. Are they correct? In two words, absolutely not!

Social justice was not *just a theme* that Jesus promoted. The truth is that it is one of the over-riding themes of the Old Testament also. When God found fault with Israel for their corporate national sins, often times it was greed and the mis-treatment of the poor. Read Amos chapter five. Let’s look specifically at verse 11-12. (Amos 5:11-12)  “you abuse the poor and demand heavy taxes from them. You have built expensive homes, but you won't enjoy them; you have planted vineyards, but you will get no wine.  (12)  I am the LORD, and I know your terrible sins. You cheat honest people and take bribes; you rob the poor of justice.”  This could be an indictment of Wall Street and the global corporations today. They over tax the poor and pay little or no tax themselves.

When you search the word *poor* in the bible you find that there are over 170 verses that deal with the treatment of the poor by the wealthy. It is a VERY IMPORTANT concept with God. It was not just Amos. Isaiah also found fault with corporate, national Israel for the treatment of the poor. (Isaiah 3:14-15)  “He will even judge you rulers and leaders of his own nation. You destroyed his vineyard and filled your houses by robbing the poor.  (15)  The LORD All-Powerful says, "You have crushed my people and rubbed in the dirt the faces of the poor." The idea that Christians should not want nations to care for the poor is unbelievable, and it would be repugnant if it were not done from ignorance.

While the church judges drug addicts, drunks and sexually addicted individuals… they support people that rob the poor to increase their own wealth and ignore social justice. If the church would spend even half of the time on social justice that it does on condemning people the lot of the poor would be increased immeasurably. Now there are those in the church who care for the poor, but they are the minority; especially in Euro/American-protestant denominations. I find it amazing that those who take such a literal stance on the bible ignore the social justice themes of scripture. This is especially true in view of Matthew 25:31-46. It is a warning of judgment and the sole criteria for judgment is social justice.

I have often said, that if church folk would just rest in redemption by the grace of God, and then begin working hard at social justice issues, they would find that they are too tired to sin so much ;-).

Misrepresenting and misunderstanding James 2:17

James 2:17  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Whenever someone stresses the idea of God’s grace and the gospel, invariably someone will quote James 2:17. They will say *faith without works is dead… being alone.* What they always mean is faith without *law obedience* is dead being alone. They equate the works proscribed in James 2:17 as being works of the law with law obedience as the proof of the works. The problem is that they do not understand James 2:17 in its context and they neglect to understand that the works that James is speaking of are very narrow works of love; mainly, feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, dressing the naked etc. If anything, James chapter two provides a call to social justice works. It is a call to not favor the wealthy in assemblies and it has *NOTHING* to do with the works of the law or law obedience.

This is a passage that fits in well with Matthew 25:31-46 and Isaiah 58:6-12. Social justice is a very important part of God’s agenda. Taking care of the less fortunate and underprivileged is a theme that God has stressed over and over again in the scripture. There are 170 verses that focus on treatment of the poor. Psalm 41:1 is one of many verses that explains how God views those who consider the poor. This is the entire focus of James chapter two… and it is the foundational context of James 2:17. James two is not about obedience to the works of the law in general and it distorts the meaning to believe it is.

What is the point of this you ask? Well, plainly stated it is to counteract those who claim that James 2:17 is an admonition to show that grace alone is not the driver of the gospel. The fact is that grace alone is the driver. The law acts as a tutor to drive one to grace. Grace then acts supernaturally to provide peace with God. Peace with God from grace is the source of true love for God and true love for God is the motivating force in the obedience of faith… or the obedience brought on by faith. I am not suggesting that there is not an obedience that is driven by faith. I am merely stating that evangelical-orthodox dogma, doctrine, and practice eliminate the possibility of this faith obedience.

On the other hand, the works proscribed in James 2:17 are works that anyone can choose to do. Whether one has an addictive personality or not all can choose to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless and visit the sick. Interestingly enough, these faith works are mostly ignored by orthodox evangelicals. Oh, there may be an occasional Thanksgiving dinner or turkey give away… but feeding daily? … not many of those in the evangelical orthodox realm. They are too busy trying to elect congressmen that will take even more away from the poor.

Matthew 25:31:46; the kingdom and, the social justice mandate

In yesterday’s post we took a look at the condition of the fall and the effect of human pathology, sin and…how it promotes greed and the justification of greed through death and the knowledge of good and evil and, how it is the source of all sin. Further we described how redemption and faith in our eternal connection with the divine alleviates this problem. We become free to do the work of the kingdom which is social justice.

If you go to your electronic bible program and search on the word poor, you will soon find out God’s heart and thoughts on social justice. Using the ESV Bible on my e-sword I keyed in the word poor and found 170 verses with 178 hits of the word. It begins in the Torah/Pentateuch and runs through the Prophets and into the New Testament. Israel is warned not to cheat, take advantage or malign the poor in any way and on the positive side they are told to actually help them out. Exo 23:6 "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. And….Exo 23:11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. There are so many more that you really need to do the exercise and search it for yourselves.

Now, let’s look at what the Psalmist says about the poor. Here is a verse that shows the thrust but there are so many that you really should look for yourself Psa 41:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; there are all kinds of promises to those who consider the poor and the word translated consider is sakal which means to prosper or treat prudently. There is ample evidence that God’s heart is compassionate to the poor and that it only makes sense that the body of Christ should be preoccupied with social justice on a regular and ongoing basis.

Read Amos chapter five or Isaiah three through five; Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Amos five in his famous …I have a dream speech. I believe that he was trying to draw a prophetic comparison between the religious white people of the south and Israel. God was telling Israel that he hated their songs and celebrations….He was tired of their feasts…their rituals….then He said to them “let justice run down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.” This is a quote from Amos five. Look at Isaiah three: Isa 3:14-15 The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: "It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. (15) What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?" declares the Lord GOD of hosts. It is very easy for me to see the application of this passage into today’s society. There is really a need for the kingdom of God to operate on principles of social justice.

I am confident that if the people of God would busy themselves with social justice issues…they would soon find out… that they were too tired to spend time missing the mark. That is why God’s kingdom is called a kingdom…it is different than the world’s kingdom and the principles that guide the kingdom are love and faith which is manifested in social justice.

You can find posts that explain various positions of this blog in the following areas: Introduction, The Word of God, Realized Eschatology,Jew – Gentile Distinction. These are just a few of the blog posts but, I encourage you to look through them or, you can get a free PDF of the blog through the latest Saturday.

Justification by faith and Matthew 25:31-46; the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of salvation

Was Luther and Augustine right? Are humans born in sin? If the answer is yes and, yes, I believe it is yes, what is original sin? How is it connected with birth? These are questions that must be answered if we are to understand sin and redemption. I really would like to call it human pathology….the reason being….that evangelical Christianity has developed connotations about the word sin that are exaggerated and distorting.

The Hebrew word translated sin is chata and, it means missing the way. The Greek word for sin is hamartia and it means missing the mark…it is an archery term which means missing the bull’s-eye. There is a big difference between missing the mark and what evangelical doctrine has put on the word sin. The reality is that missing the mark is in fact a human trait. However, in the sense of the fall, missing the mark means being born into a world in which death is inevitable and the knowledge of good and evil is attainable. Facing mortality, being aware of mortality coupled with the survival instinct promotes selfishness and greed. Selfishness and greed is the source of all sin/pathology. Selfishness and greed is exacerbated by the knowledge of good and evil because we develop judgment and we then seek justification for our actions. I can see that this condition could easily be described as total depravity as it was used and meant by Luther and Calvin.

What is the cure for our condition? The answer is absolute faith in our eternal connection and acceptance with the divine. This is the reason that the resurrection and faith are important and, are an intricate part of redemption. On the other hand, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless and, visiting the sick and prisoners is the opposite of selfishness and it becomes a fair standard to judge by.

This in a nutshell is the gospel. The kingdom of God is available now and, faith in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ brings a settled faith in our eternal connection to the divine. The settled faith comes from the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that God is love, Jesus is the redeemer and we are eternally God’s children. The justification that we need is not our self justification. That is the source of wars and crimes and hate. We need to be certain that we are justified by God, by the source of all that is and that we are eternal and eternally connected to him. It is not merely a means for entering the covenant although it is that….but, it is also the way in which people can be certain of their divine connection.

People who are truly convinced of their eternal life can then be unselfish. They can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and provide shelter for the homeless. OK, I realize that there are many who have not believed in Jesus per se that are feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering the homeless but, I would wager that there are few if any, who do not have an abiding faith in the eternal and, in the goodness of their expression of the divine no matter what that is to them. Jesus is the one by which God became incarnate to show us how God would be as a man. He demonstrated perfect faith in the father by being willing to die so that we could be convinced of the resurrection. The sin that he died for is unbelief. That is why faith is obedience. The writer of Hebrews explained that without faith it is impossible to please God because one must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who diligently seek him as God.

This is precisely why the community of faith should be living out these social justice principles so that people everywhere will inquire about such love and kindness and we can then explain that is the result of Jesus and the gospel. While we miss the mark all the time, we can do the works called for in Matthew 25:31-46 and, if we are busy with that task we will often be too busy to miss the mark in other ways. That is why Jesus hit the mark for all of humanity.

You can find posts that explain various positions of this blog in the following areas: Introduction, The Word of God, Realized Eschatology,Jew – Gentile Distinction. These are just a few of the blog posts but, I encourage you to look through them or, you can get a free PDF of the blog through the latest Saturday.

Another Look at Matthew 25:31-46; What Jesus tells us about the judgment

We have finished up our look at James and Paul but, I would feel that I was remiss if I did not reinforce the mandate for social justice. There are several passages that speak of a final judgment but, Matthew 25:31-46 is the only one that spells out the criteria.

Mat 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (35) For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, (36) I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' (37) Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? (38) And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? (39) And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' (40) And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

This explicitly explains the standard that the saints will be judged by….and, repeating myself to make sure that it is really understood….this is the only place that clarifies the conditions of the judgment. And yet, this is not generally the main focus of evangelical Christianity. In fact, I grew up in a main stream denomination…I am not going to tell you exactly when….let’s just say it was a while back and, to my knowledge, I never heard a sermon on this passage. Likely, it was because my pastor was a strong proponent of the Scofield Bible and in the Scofield notes it is explained that this is a special judgment for the Jewish believers at the end of the great tribulation. Let me say that most commentators do not share this view….almost all see it as the final judgment.

So then, why is the church hung up on sexuality, alcohol, drugs and language conventions? Now before you get all riled up….I believe that one should live a chaste and sober life…but what I challenge you to think about is why the evangelical church has NOT shined a spotlight on this behavioral mandate. I also realize that there are many ministries that have but, again, this is not the focus one would expect if we really believed the message of Matthew 25.

Isn’t this just another sign that the evangelical church and evangelical doctrine is off the mark? Jesus said that tax collectors and prostitutes would go into the kingdom of God before the children and today, wouldn’t he say that prostitutes, drunks, homosexuals and aides patients will go into the kingdom before televangelists, preachers deacons and, theologians?

You ask, doesn’t Matthew 25;31-46 promote a works salvation mentality? I will ask right back at you….doesn’t current evangelical theology in reality have a work based salvation? I think it does, especially in view of the Calvin’s statement…”faith alone saves but, faith that saves is not alone.”

We have some ground to cover in the immediate future….I think that there is a way in which justification by faith and the faith works of Matt 25:31-46, James 2:15-16 and Isaiah 58:3-12 can be comfortably reconciled…Jesus gospel of the kingdom and Paul’s gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1Cor 15:1-4) are of one cloth and hopefully if you read on we will address this in future posts.

You can find posts that explain various positionss of this blog in the following areas: Introduction, The Word of God, Realized Eschatology,Jew – Gentile Distinction. These are just a few of the blog posts but, I encourage you to look through them or, you can get a free PDF of the blog through the latest Saturday.