Good Works Are The Certain Effects Of Faith

Come, my beloved,

Let us go forth to the field;

Let us lodge in the villages.

Let us get up early to the

vineyards;

Let us see if the vine has

budded,

Whether the grape blossoms

are open,

and the pomegranates are in 

bloom.

There I will give you my love.

Song of Solomon 7:11-12

     James the writer who admonished us and taught us an old adage from God that faith without works is dead: "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). As the writer, probably Solomon, wrote that we show love when we actively go to the fields to examine them and see if any good fruit is beginning to come forth. Jesus pointed out the fact that there is work to be done: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest?' behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest" (John 4:35).  Paul adds: "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field,you are God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9). This field will not sit idle waiting forever for there will come a time when the owner of the field will come and harvest His field: "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Revelation 14:15). The question that might be asked is: Are you one of God's fellow workers? or Are you just holding on to some ticket you believe you have, a one way ticket to heaven? 

     Yes, faith does sanctify and is the necessary condition of the efficacy of the means of Grace. We are supplied grace by His Word, sacraments, and prayer. This is how God communicates to us. Grace is supplied by means of the calling of the activities of spiritual life into exercise. A note: far too many churches make the sacrament of communion to be nothing more than an ordinary, common place event. They do not follow the manner given to us, the importance is reduced and  the sacraments have no special quality, they are not received as being a holy time, a time of reflection, a time to come before God with a clean heart, to have examined ourselves before partaking of the bread and the cup. Children who have not been confirmed, baptized, are allowed to partake, they even go and get the bread and the cup and bring them back to parents. Where is there in this manner any solemnity and reverence for our God and Savior? Yes, we are to exercise or faith, but not in this manner. The only institution given by God is marriage, the only sacraments are baptism and communion let us hold them with all due respect to the giver, God. You see, these means of Grace are inoperative unless they are received and used by faith. Faith does not give them power, but it is the condition on which the Spirit of God renders them efficacious.

     It is good works that are the certain effects of faith and shows that we are sanctified by faith. How can we show inward holiness, love, spirituality, brotherly kindness, and zeal, without an external manifestation of theses graces in the whole of our outward life? Therefore, faith without works is dead. We are saved by faith. It is important to remember that salvation includes deliverance from sin. If faith does not deliver us from sin then we are not saved. Think upon this fact, we are saved, not by anything we have done, rather by the mercy and love of God towards His children, this ought to drive us to work for Him and bring this good news to everyone. We do not know who are the children of God, we have no need to know, we only follow what we have been commanded to do and that is to go into the field, a field ripe for harvest and take the Words of God, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to save them. They will come, they will obey the Word, they have the faith given to them and will be drawn to God, enabled to accept Him and this is our work, this is why we are here on earth. If we are not able to become fellow workers of God then we are antinomian, and this is a contradiction in terms, we cannot embrace antinomianism, and the grace of God.

And He has on His robe

     and on His thigh

a name written:

KINGS OF KINGS

AND LORD OF LORDS.

                       Revelation 19:16

May God Bless Your Efforts To Serve Him

Richard L. Crumb