| May 3, 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 1
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There is much confusion and misunderstanding in religious circles about the relationship between faith and works. Passages like Eph. 2:9 make it obvious that some kinds of works are excluded from having a part in salvation. Other passages like James 2:24 indicate that some kind of activity is necessary. And then there is Gal. 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” There is definitely some relationship between faith and works!
1. We are not saved by works without faith. The idea of being saved by works without faith is the false hope of millions. Many assume they will be saved by being a “good” father, mother, citizen, neighbor, etc. Or by NOT being a murderer, thief, etc.. “I pay my debts, mind my own business, am kind to those less fortunate...” This the precise thing Paul tells Titus WILL NOT be the basis of our salvation. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us...” (Titus 3:5). None of us will be saved because we were too righteous to have ever been in danger. Any of us who are saved at all will be saved by God’s mercy. God’s mercy has made it possible for us to be born again, “through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
2. We are not saved by faith without works. “You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?... You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:19-26).
3. We are not saved by faith plus meritorious works of human origin. For centuries the Roman Catholic Church has thrived on the teaching that after a man has fallen short in one area, he can go beyond the call of duty in some other area to supply the lack, and balance the scales. Penance, giving up things for lent, partial fasts, etc., are examples. The truth is, it is impossible for us to go beyond the call of duty in serving God. That which is not according to His will is no service to Him at all, and that which is according to His will is nothing more than our duty, Luke 17:10. If a man could devise his own plan of salvation and his own system of righteousness, and be saved by it, he could boast of saving himself. Such works can never produce salvation. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
4. We are not saved by faith plus works of the Old Testament Law. Sabbath keeping, food restrictions, tithing, etc., will not be the basis for our salvation. “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20). See also Gal. 2:16, Rom. 3:28, and Gal. 5:4. That is precisely why “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything...” (Gal. 5:6). But, what does avail?
5. We are saved by faith that works, Gal. 5:6. Faith enough to do what God commands. Godly men of old were saved by the faith which prompted them to obey God’s instructions. Faith at work is called faithfulness. To receive the “crown of life,” we must be faithful, Rev. 2:10. It is the faithful servant who has true hope of a home in heaven, Matt. 25:21-23.
If your car doesn’t work, repair it. If your employee doesn’t work, fire him. If your clock doesn’t work, throw it away and buy another one. And if your faith doesn’t work, you’d better do something about that, too, because it is dead and useless and a burden to you. The faith that avails is a faith that works through love, Ga. 5:6, James 2:24.
--CRJ
Each year, American mothers kill more of their babies (by abortion) than all the soldiers who have died in all the wars that Americans have fought. In America, the most dangerous place for a child to be is in his mother's womb.
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Matthew begins his account of the gospel by tracing Jesus' ancestry back through King David, all the way back to Abraham.
Luke also gives a record of Jesus' ancestry in chapter three of his account of the gospel beginning with verse 23. There are several differences between these two records caused by different methods of reckoning. The writers wrote to two very different audiences.
Matthew, writing primarily for a Jewish readership, put the emphasis on King David, greatest of Israel's kings, and on Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. His primary purpose was to establish that Jesus was a direct descendent of King David and legal heir to the Jewish throne. Bible scholars generally agree that he followed the legal genealogy of Jesus through Joseph.
Luke wrote for basically a Gentile readership. He did not stop his genealogy with Abraham, father of the Jews, but went all the way back to Adam, the ancestor of all Gentiles as well as Jews. It is usually recognized that Luke traced Jesus' actual ancestry through Mary.
At any rate, there can be no doubt that both genealogies were correct. In those days the Jews kept genealogical records meticulously, and those genealogies were a matter of public record until they were lost in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Certainly, if there had been the slightest discrepancy in either genealogical account, we may be assured that the enemies of Christ would have detected that discrepancy, and pointed it out.
Though genealogical records are neither as easy to read or as interesting as many of the Bible's wonderful stories and lessons, we may be assured that they are accurately recorded to serve the purpose of the writer in addressing his particular audience. Sometimes, some generations were skipped over because it was not in the purpose of the writer to include every possible ancestor, but what has been recorded is accurate and complete so far as the writer's purpose is concerned.
From Matthew's list of the genealogy of Jesus we learn, just as his first century readers did, that Jesus of Nazareth is qualified and certified to be the heir to the throne of David. From Luke's account, we learn that Jesus is not only the King of the Jews, but the King of the whole wide world.
Simon Peter showed in Acts 2:30-36 that Jesus is now reigning on His throne. Jews who had taken part in crucifying the Son of God were now convinced of His true identity. They cried out to the apostles, "'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'" His promise is just as valid in the 20th and 21st centuries as it was in the first.
—CRJ
Many people we come into contact with are not familiar with the church of Christ. Let us introduce ourselves.
The Susquehanna church of Christ is not a part of the denomination known as the United Church of Christ, We are not a part of the movement which produced the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). We have no connection with the National Council of Churches of Christ or any other inter-church group. We are in no way affiliated with any of the “holiness” groups that wear the designation “Church of Christ” in some form or fashion. We are not even members of some Church of Christ Denomination. We have no organic ties with any other congregation. But so much for what we are not. What are we?
The Susquehanna church of Christ is a congregation of Christians living in this general area who have joined together to study the Bible and encourage one another to live and worship in harmony with the teachings of the Scriptures. Some of us live in Marietta, some in Columbia, some in Mount Joy, Lancaster, York, Wrightsville, and other communities in the Lancaster/York area of south central Pennsylvania.
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and that the New Testament is a pattern or blueprint by which our lives and actions should be influenced, both as individuals and as a congregation. We maintain that from its beginning, Christ’s church has had the doctrine, worship, organization, and work God wanted it to have, and that following the New Testament pattern will produce the first century kind of Christianity in any century.
We subscribe to no creed books, catechisms, manuals, or disciplines written by mere men. We believe all questions of spiritual importance can be settled by appealing to the Scriptures alone. Anything less than the Bible is not enough, anything more than the Bible is too much.
We do not answer to any convention, association, synod or council of any sort. Christ is Head over all things to His church which is His body, Col. 1:18, Eph. 1:22-23. The church needs no earthly head or headquarters. We reach out toward all who are interested in practicing first century Christianity in the 20th and 21st century.
--CRJ