Just a little Faith will do you . . . really? Think again.

The difference between knowing and doing is the difference between belief and faith, and to believe without faith is sin (James 4:17). To believe, however, is never enough (James 2:19). Obedient faith, even the size of a mustard seed, will make us strong in the Lord; however, such faith will soon die if we do not nourish it (Mark 11:12-14, 20-25).

It is not enough to be religious; rather, we are called into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ (John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-10). In that respect, we are made by the Holy Spirit new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) who called into a relationship that will bear fruit. Our faith must be proactive, one that is evident in the godly life we live.

James, the cousin-brother of Jesus, rhetorically expressed it this way,

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:14-17).

In a similar vein John also focuses on this principle when he quotes Jesus as saying:

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15:1-2).”

So, have no doubt about it, if you are not producing Spiritual fruit, you will soon wither away. And, what is this fruit?  

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)."

Now, what about it, no matter what age you are, may I ask you, are you fruitful? Have you added to:

[Y]our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election.

For, as Peter assures us,

[I]f we do these things, we will never stumble, and we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1-11).

Keep in mind, also, that indecision is your worst enemy because if you don’t decide to do better on a daily basis by default your lack of decision will only delay the best that God has for you. Even far worst, it may even cause irreparable damage to your soul and to that of others.

Now, don’t just think about these words, do something, if you have not already done so. On a practical level that may mean asking for forgiveness from someone you offended, or to repent of some secret sin that may be lurking in the closet of your heart. Each of us is different, so I don't know what your decision must be, but I do know the constant standard that all decisions rest on, and that is Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17). He is our example. Our perfect example. So, go to Him, and He will guide you along the way.

I remain, prayerfully yours,

JimR_/

Truth is a person

Jesus emphatically said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (John 8:33)”; and just as forcefully He also declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:36).” Both, of course, are declarative sentences which in and of itself may not seem all that significant; however, as with much of Scripture the truth often lies in the nuances.

You and I in a very real sense could have never made these statements without him first declaring them to be so. We must ever, in a thousand years, think that we can, as it were, vote on truth. It is something that we may know, but never determine. The same goes for what truth is. Without Jesus there is no truth. Why? Because, without God there can be no truth. He established truth by the sheer force of His will. In a word, there is nothing democratic about truth.

Truth is not a choice, either. It's a fact. A fact that we must live by if we wish to harmonize with God's creative purpose in the world. In that regards I am reminded of what Christ said a fanatical Pharisee: “Saul, Saul,” He said, “it is hard for you to kick against the cattle prods (Acts 26:14).” Why would that be so? From all accounts Saul was winning the battle against the Christians. He had them on the run; or at least he thought so. Whereas in fact, at best he was only stalling for time. Eventually, he would lose. True always wins. Perhaps not temporarily, but always in the long run.

JimR_/

The Cross: our only hope

The Cross is simply God ultimately reaching out to us and carrying us safely to the other side, helping us do what we could not do otherwise. Man has been trying to circumvent that process as long as sin has been around. Good works will never accomplish what the Cross did for us, never did and never will. May I go a step forward beyond that?  Intellectual acumen will not, either. Sadly, I did discover very early in my career that an intelligent theologian could talk convincing about the Cross all day long, yet never truly embrace its message. The longer I live the more I am amazed that so many substitutes are offered. The power of positive thinking, for example, may be a good practice to keep a healthy mind, but it is a poor substitute for the Cross.

Paul even went so far as to say to the church at Corinth,

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I decided to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

The Cross is our only hope to enter the Holy of Holies because without that sacrifice God has declared it impossible. Reject the Cross and you reject your only hope. For with or without the Cross you and I still face a just God. And without the Cross the only justice possible is punishment.

JimR_/

Heidegger and Dasein

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) uses the expression Dasein--a term which refers to a particularize experience that is peculiar to human beings. It is a singular particular atomized existential event. Thus, it is a form of being that has an nano by nano second ongoing awareness that must confront such issues as person-hood, mortality and the dilemma or paradox of living in relationship with other humans while being ultimately alone with oneself.

To me Dasein means "being there" in the moment as we project one moment into the next. Dasein is purposeless yet contingent and responsive within the context of “being there.” The moment, therefore, carries its own purpose. The clock of purposes, however, is disturbed by multitudinous wills, the primary will being God in whom we live and move and have our being. Time is as if we live in a cage, free to move about to the extent in which we have opportunity. Objectivity is only made possible by the creative will—that being, of course, God. This is an implied conclusion, however, not necessarily an ontological one. All creaturely events point to a contingent predecessor. God is not a creature, as the very concept negates that possibility. Nothing can create itself. At best it can procreate, but never create. Creatures can imagine, design, and shape creation, but never create such as such. This I base on the logical of experience, both personal and communal.

For we Christians to insist that we can know God is never predicated on the ability to seize God as an object of possession. It is, however, to experience God in His personhood. That is in His expressions as God.  

Think of it this way. A man walks into the room but says nothing. All you may know about him is that he appears to be like man as we define man, a homosapien in comparison to other objects we perceive. Do we therefore know “this man?”  Or do we know about “this man?” At best we know about this man. His height, weight, color, clothes he wears, and so forth. There is indeed very little that we know. For all we know, we may also be hallucinating. We do however begin to understand the what as a who when the what speaks and begins to act. In these cases, however, we only still know about him until he evokes a certain trust in who he is—once he deviates from that however we are back to square one for all practical purposes. 

When Bultmann speaks of knowing God only through the Word, this is precisely what he means. That is we know God in His personhood, but not Him as an object. To formulate an analogy and then call that form is to make an idol out of the concept of God. God is not a concept. He is a person, the I Am, the only I Am there is, as all other I am-s are contingent I am-s; not so with God, He is the I Am that I Am, unique in His personhood. Man can not say, “I am that I am” since he is self-existent within himself, there is no aseity with man. Man is fully contingent except in relationship with God, who them becomes man’s self-sufficiency by Grace and Grace alone. This is no doubt what is meant by “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.” Likeness is always contingent, never unique as such. The pattern is not the original, nor is a painting the actual image of what it represents. When Christ became man, He took on the likeness of Man, made in the image of God, not God made in the image of man since He was already God (2 Corinthians 4:4). There is a subtle but necessary difference here.

Both Heidegger’s and Bultmann’s theology has a tendency to pull you down a stream of logic then abandon you on the shoals of nonsense. This, I mean in the strictest sense of the word, sensuality—that is as in the 5 senses are abandoned in favor of the ethereal world of imagination and the aggrandizement of analogical love, steering us, of course, along the path of dialectical discourse, that is between the subject and the object of concern. The results are really nothing more than an imaginary debate between an elusive but stimulating idea of God possibility—some would say of Anslemic proportions, as if the very thought of God is a sufficient ontology.   

There are, however, some salvageable characteristics, one being a framework for discussion. That I say because on discussion, including debate, can function without a common language, in this case being analogy. The end results of such discourse are not without disappointment, since in essence there is no sensible "there" "there"—that process, understandable, is not in the acceptable sense of the word, since a there must be a "there" "there" in the real sense or all else is nonsense.

A framework for discussion is not enough, however. It is as if a blind man puts together a puzzle using his tactile skills and innate knowledge of space and so-forth only to be told that indeed he has arranged all the pieces perfectly, but the puzzle so arranged is on the table right side down thus obscuring the picture beneath. 

Got it? If not, don't sweat it. Your eternal salvation is much more secure than that.

JimR_/

Unless you can suggest a better alternative.

Christ does not come to us in bits and pieces. With Jesus we get we have the fullness of the Godhood. Nothing is left out. For in Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). The Greek word we translate as ‘dwells’ is κατοικεῖ which means to ‘dwell permanently.’ So, when we pray in Jesus’ name, we are not just addressing Jesus, but God in the fullness of His essence, which has taken up permanent residency in a human body. So, we are praying to a real person. Someone who has experienced the fullness of life, as well. He experienced it all, tempted as we are tempted, suffered as we suffer, hungered, became thirsty, wept, grew tired … name it, and if it is human, He experienced it.

Through it all, He came out victorious, even death could not hold Him down. For on the third day He rose again and shortly thereafter ascended into Heaven where He now resides with a glorified body at the right hand of the Father with one singular purpose—that is, to make intercessions as an advocate for us. Can you imagine anything more remarkable than for the very Son of God pleading our otherwise hopeless case for us—not on our merits, but on His? If you ask me, that’s a win-win situation, bar none.

Therefore, I can boldly approach the throne of grace fully confident that God is on my side, rooting for me.JimR_/

JimR_/

Wisdom and courage go hand in hand . . .

Wisdom and courage go hand in hand. Either one is worthless without the other. He that knows to do good and does not do it has sinned (James 4:17), according to Holy Writ. Here the emphasis is on doing good, just for the sake of good. It is selfless, generous, and without a hidden agenda. Such goodness, as with all goodness, is not passive. “Oh, he’s a good person,” you may hear someone say. “Sticks to himself. Would never harm a fly.” And, yet that same “good person” can sit right in the middle of misery all around them and never lift a finger. That being the case, I say, what rubbish! 

Goodness never straddles the fence nor is apathetic towards injustice. Yes, we Christians should be concerned with the refugees, Muslims, and others. Goodness is always willing to go the second mile. So, should we. Goodness is willing to take charge to work for the good of all mankind, as should we. And, as such, goodness is love in action. Therefore, we can safely say that goodness is proactive. Willing always to protect others. Harbor the homeless, care for the destitute. And, yes, to live clean and wholesome lives ((James 1:27). As such, goodness always produces good citizens, too. Further, goodness is a team player, also, knowing full well that three standing together are better than even two … (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Thereby, we know that it is more than just a popular adage to say that there is strength in numbers. It’s the truth! It’s Bible. 

I certainly hope that what I am about to say doesn’t offend some of you that old verbiage of “Once saved, always saved,” is blatantly false. Full of false security. Even dangerous. Scripture is full of cautions against backsliding. Why would God warn someone of an impossibility? Bad, sinful people are slated for destruction, baptized or not. Goodness is measured not in words or ritual, but in acts of kindness, charity, and purity. 

Isaiah said to Ahaz,  

"'If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’” (Isaiah 7:9) 

What more does a man need to warn them that steadfast proactive faith is required in any and all circumstances that life may throw at us? 

True, works cannot save us; but works can keep us save in the arms of Jesus (James 2:18). And, friends, that is precisely what an active faith does. Good solid Christian faith takes the guessing out of who we are and that for which we stand, too. Let us then strive for goodness, so that the world may know that we are children of the Most High.  

After all, Jesus did say,  

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). 

Goodness reaches no greater heights than to love as Christ loved! 

JimR_/

Behold a vapor ...

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. ― William Shakespeare

Behold, a vapor …

Time passes and along with it each succeeding generation. What is life? It is even as a vapor, James the Apostle declares (James 4:14). This fact is indeed an article of faith.

In the midst this brevity, the truth is life is not fair. However, regarding that, injustice will not prevail. Every valley shall be filled, the high places brought low, and the crooked paths shall be made straight (Isaiah 40:4)

We can, however, rest assured that God will take all of that into consideration when we stand before Him in judgement. Excuses will be laid aside; our bare responsibilities will account for everything. Thus, we are left without an excuse and held responsible for not only our sins of commission but those of omission as well (Romans 2:6). We all will pass and give an account for what we have done in this transience we call life.

Every child of God who as taken the time to read His word and reflect on the meaning thereof knows this to be true (2 Corinthians 2:11). On that day we will not be handed a get out of jail free card. It’s crunch time. Justice demand a verdict. That verdict is already in—for the soul that sins, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:20-24). It is in this context that we truly know the meaning of “For to fear God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).”

Yet, despite ample Godly warnings and just the moral laws of commonsense man in general continues to blunder ahead like fools in each succeeding generation. Shall humanity ever come to their senses? Apparently not. Strife and bitterness are codified in the highest court of all, humanly speaking, the ever shifting contemporized social conscience. Truth is flexible, modified with each changing generation. Truly the blind for the most part are leading the blind (Matthew 15:14).

We, therefore, seek a more sure way, and that we have in the promises of God (Hebrews 6:17). What are these promises? For sure they can be found only in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20) because He is not only the beginning and the end  but also the only way to have an intimate and eternal relationship with God (Revelation 21:6).

Therefore, in the words of Scripture, we must not become weary in well doing for in due time we shall reap eternal life (Galatians 6:9). This is the promise of God and one that we can depend on.

JimR_/