I'm a pretty easy going guy. No, seriously, I am! I realize that there are those who think I'm a coiled spring ready to pop, but the truth is that underneath it all I stay on a pretty even keel. Maybe it's my upbringing or perhaps it's just in my genes (all of you nature versus nurture people can argue that one out), I don't know...nor do I really care, for that matter. Most people, who really get me, know that I'm not a very emotional person. Therefore, it takes something pretty significant to violently swing my mood in one direction or the other. Yes, this can be a bad or good thing depending on the situation, but it is who I am.
There are, however, a few things that can blow my inner tranquility and, otherwise, stable temperament out of the water. One of those is computers. It has never ceased to amaze me that a computer ALWAYS works perfectly until the very moment you need it to...at which time it ALWAYS seems to come under the control of demonic forces bent on perfectly demonstrating Murphy's Law (look it up). Yep, computers are one thing that really get to me. The other is automobiles. Not working automobiles, of course...I'm talking about broken ones! Now, truthfully, I think the two are somewhat related since it's usually the automobiles that incorporate some kind of weird computer system in order for them to work that give me the most grief.
Case in point... I've, recently, been trying to determine what is causing a problem with my sister's car. The car won't crank. I don't mean it just won't start...I mean it actually won't do anything. When you turn the key it doesn't try to turn over...it doesn't even click...it...does...nothing! I know what you're thinking, "Hey, dummy, check the battery!" Well, that's been done! We actually replaced the battery...and still nothing! Having worked on vehicles before, I know that what I'm dealing with is not actually a hardware issue...I'm sure that the engine is ok, along with most of the parts attached to it. The problem is that the computer has been told by some sensor somewhere that to allow the engine to crank would be a bad thing. I've bypassed the computer and gotten the starter to turn over, but the engine still won't crank because the computer is refusing to allow any fuel to go the engine. So...the computer wins again...at least it does for now. Since I'm frustrated with it, I am now committed to seeing it run so it'll get fixed after I do all my research and hunt down the $10 part that I'm sure is causing the confusion.
The reason I even bring any of this up is because that car has gotten me to thinking about something. My sister has owned the vehicle for a couple of years. Want to know when it broke down on her though? Back in June of last year! That means it's been sitting in her driveway for 7 months now. In all that time, my sister has been the owner of a vehicle. If anyone asked her, "Hey, are you a vehicle owner?" She could emphatically argue that she was. However, was that vehicle of any use to her or anyone else? Absolutely not! You see, a dead vehicle might as well not even be a vehicle since the whole purpose of a vehicle is to be useful in getting one from Point A to Point B. If all the vehicle does is sit at Point A, we would all agree that it must be broken and is, therefore, useless until it is fixed! Everyone agree? Good, now hold on!
The whole reason I got to thinking about that vehicle today was because of something that I read in the book of James. In Chapter 2, verse 17, James says that "faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself." In other words, you may emphatically claim that you are the proud owner of faith, but if that faith doesn't "work"...in other words, it doesn't accomplish anything, then it, like my sister's car, is dead...and useless, I might add. We really get this concept when we think about things that are supposed to do something like a car or a computer or a TV or a phone or a blender or a coffee pot or a lawnmower or an airplane or a cruise liner or a smoke detector or even a yard man. However, we have a hard time grasping this concept when it comes to living out something as simple as our faith.
In the later half of James, Chapter 2, Jesus' half-brother spends a good bit of time trying to explain the futility of claiming a faith as real that doesn't actually do something. In fact, ole boy goes so far as to say that if your faith...and my faith...don't accomplish some things then it is dead and...get this...can't save you! "Whoa, wait a minute, Wayne, I walked down an aisle!" Doesn't matter! "Hold up, faith is all about believing and I believe!" Doesn't matter! "But I go to church!" Doesn't matter! "I tithe!" Well, that's good, but if that's all you got it DOESN'T MATTER!
Why doesn't all that matter? Well, it boils down to how you understand the word "faith". In modern terms, when we think of faith, we have to differentiate between "faith that is" and "faith that does". "Faith that is" is an acknowledgement of something...be it God, a set of beliefs or a code of morals that exist external to the person who holds the faith "in" these things. In other words, a person believes these exist. "Faith that does" involves a radical reorientation of one's life around what that person has faith "in" in such a way that it produces results in a person's life. In other words, this person has moved past simply acknowledging the existence of these things and has given themselves to the pursuit of what these things claim. Now, I can have "faith that is" without ever having a relationship with the things I have faith "in". I've never been on a cruise, but I have faith that they are safe and provide an enjoyable experience. I've never skydived, but I have faith that chutes open more times than they fail, therefore, it must be a relatively safe-ish activity. I never intend to have "faith that does" skydiving, but I do hope to, one day, have "faith that does" a cruise. I have "faith that is" concerning Disney World...I believe it to be a fun, family experience for kids of all ages. I ALSO have "faith that does" Disney World because my faith "in" Disney World has driven me to take my family there and experience the fun for myself. Not only that, but I intend to take my family back to Disney World, at some point, to exercise my faith "in" its family-fun atmosphere again.
Got all of that? Good! Now let's apply that to what James says about our faith in God. James is saying that it is perfectly possible for you to have "faith that is" concerning God without ever having "faith that does" anything with God. In other words, you can KNOW about God...you can go to church, study a Bible, memorize scripture, give to the church, even go on a mission trip...without ever actually KNOWING God! Simply knowing about God is not enough to produce salvation, however, knowing God involves a relationship that produces change! This "faith that does" drives one to emulate Christ in every area of life. These are the "works" that James is talking about. In other words, James would say that if the actions of your life don't demonstrate that you have "faith that does", chances are pretty good that all you have is "faith that is". And, guess what? According to Jimmy, that faith is dead...useless...kaput...it can't and won't save you!
If you're still struggling with this concept, check out what James says in verse 19. "You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe - and they shudder." In this little verse, James shoots down the concept of "easy believism". You see, it's not just about acknowledging God! Even the demons acknowledge God. And let's be honest about something here...the demons actually one up some of us because they, actually, shudder at God. What a shame that so many people who claim they "believe" in God are, in all honesty, some of the most apathetic people towards God! Want to hear this same thing from a different source? Check out Matthew 7:21-23 and 25:41-46. We get the teaching, here, straight from the mouth of Jesus. Jesus, Himself, makes it clear that your "faith that is" will not save you if it doesn't make the transition into "faith that does"! Why? Because "faith that is" puts you in the driver's seat of your life. If all you do is acknowledge your belief in something then you retain all the power...you're still the boss! However, "faith that does" demands that you allow Jesus to become your Lord.
Now, let's make something very clear here. You do NOT work in order to have salvation! You and I work BECAUSE we have salvation! So when James makes the claim that our works are the actuation, actualization, authentication and activation (look them up) of our faith, what he's claiming is that they are the PROOF that our faith is real! The truth is that you can pretty much tell if a person is REALLY a believer by watching the way they live their lives. (No, that's not "judging" them. Satan is the author of the lie that Christians aren't to "judge" other Christians! Jesus emphatically told his believers to be discerning and to inspect the fruit of those who claim His name to see if they're the real deal! What Jesus actually taught is that we shouldn't be hypocrites in our judging...but that's a different blog for a different day!)
Anyway...real, saving faith proves itself in action(s). Fake, not-saving faith just believes stuff. So, yea, right now my sister's car still sits dead in her driveway. The question is, how is your faith sitting right now?
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