good works and faith

i was reading some comments on facebook recently and there was some discussion on the topic of good works and faith. Some people give the impression that they believe faith, without works is sufficient to get to heaven. While others say they believe you must not live in sin while saying you have faith and therefore faith and good works go hand in hand in granting us passage to heaven. I decided to read from Romans this morning and this is what i found:

Firstly, despite our awful sins (and some that we may not think are so awful) Romans 5:6 comes into play: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." It goes on to say just how spectacular this gesture is because yeah someone might die for a noble, good person, but there probably isn't anyone that would be willing to die for a big jerk (and we have all been big jerks at one time or another). So it is pretty amazing that someone would die for us PERIOD, let alone die for us despite our backstabbing, adulterous, lying, (etc.) ways. So we acknowledge that we did not need to be perfect people to have Jesus die for us (thankfully).

Next: Romans 5:19-20 "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous... But where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Sin entered the world in the blink of an eye because of one hasty decision, and we were given the chance to escape that sin by accepting the decision of another man to die for us- so shouldn't we try and escape that sin? Should we continue to live in that sin and by choosing to live in that sin are we REALLY accepting the gift He gave us? Lets find out...

Finally: Romans 6:1-4 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? BY NO MEANS! WE DIED TO SIN, how can we live in it any longer?? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a NEW LIFE."
Romans 6:6-7 "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
Romans 6:12-14: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God ... and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For SIN SHALL NOT BE YOUR MASTER." amen?

We are not to live lives of sin because Jesus went through unimaginable horror on the cross so that we could leave those lives behind and have the hope of something wonderful. How then do good works and faith not go hand in hand? How then does living a life of sin (whether we admit that we are living it or not) make any sense when Jesus gave us the chance to leave all that behind and live in grace?
So what I believe is that no we do not need good works alone to get to heaven, certainly faith is the defining factor, but with faith comes new life, desire not to sin, but to follow God and his commandments and therefore we cannot be living in habitual sin, knowing that we are sinning or being told over and over by brothers and sisters who love us that we are in danger and still think we are covered by grace. We are covered by that grace if we accept it and all that comes with it. You can't just take the word and lay it across your chest and expect to skate through heaven's gates- grace needs to be something we swaddle ourselves in and block the rest of the world out. God gives us very specific instructions on how to behave, check out Romans 12 if you are wondering what you should or could be doing differently.
I am certainly not saying that i am without sin, but to wake up and make the decision daily to try and live like Jesus- following His commands and being in active worship with Him all the time- this is what we must strive for. We should always be moving forward in our relationship, don't let it get so stagnant that you have to get defensive of your lifestyle and trick yourself into thinking that you are covered by a simple word (grace) despite the sinful life you are leading.

I hope this provokes some thinking/praying today and that those struggling with their faith and the foundation will take a look at Roman's and what God has said to us there. May God bless you all today.

Love is...

In light of Valentine's Day and the recent obsession i have with Brandon Heath's song "love never fails," i thought i would take a minute to reflect on Love.

God is love- simple statement with tremendous reverberation when you actually think about what those 3 words mean. God and love are synonyms- everything amazing that love is for us- God is. And 1 John 4 talks about when we live in God, our love becomes more perfect- because God is not only the perfect example of loving behavior- He embodies the actual word. Hard to wrap your head around.
When you love your friends and keep your promises to them- that is God. When you love your spouse and do things around the house that you know will make them happy- that is God. When you love your neighbor and shovel off their doorstep before they have a chance to- that is God. The reason you say you do these things is- love, but if God is love, then the reason you do them is God- right?
So then we all have people in our lives that we love and we love them the best we can, but we are not God and we are not capable of unconditional (agape) love. I want to reflect on what perfect love is- because it makes me feel like I don't need to be someone i'm not, despite my flaws i am truly loved in every sense of the word by the God of the universe. This is where Brandon's song comes into play. And i know worship certainly is not always music, but this song for me feels like direct communication between God and i... when i hear it and close my eyes, my heart cries the words to Him in thanksgiving because He is all that the song says- He encompasses every aspect of the love that makes life worth living.

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all matters most (which we usually forget)

Love does not run (when you fight, when you're scared,)
Love does not hide (it bears its soul even when its scary to do so)
Love does not keep locked inside (it communicates with a spouse, tells kids you love them everyday)

Love will sustain
Love will provide (not only physical needs, but spiritual, emotional,etc)
Love will not cease at the end of time (God- never ends)

Love will protect (shield you from hurt, make you feel like you are worth protecting)
Love always hopes (without negativity which rubs off on other aspects of life)
Love still believes when you don't (in your marriage, in your broken heart, in YOU)

Love is right here (all around you- God)
Love is alive (amen He is alive and all around)
Love is the way, the truth and the life (needs no explanation)

Love is a river that flows through
(and best of all...) LOVE NEVER FAILS YOU.

Those words have provided more comfort for me lately than i have felt in so long. I am trying to learn not to seek comfort in anything earthly as these things are all temporary, but to put my trust and hope in the One who is neverending and who will never fail me no matter what i do or don't do :)
This blog didn't even scratch the surface of the way these words make me feel, but there are times when you just can't put your feelings into words- when your worship is between you and God and that is a wonderful feeling!

Happy Valentine's Day!