Faith and works in Christian preaching emphasize that genuine faith naturally expresses itself through obedient actions, reflecting a living trust in God (James 2:17). Illustrations often contrast passive belief with active obedience, portraying faith as the root and works as its fruit, demonstrating the inseparability of belief and practice (James 2:26).
Faith supports hope and love, resting fully on Christ's finished work on the cross.
On a wall in the Vatican, an artist sought to express the relationship between three spiritual gifts. He represented Love as standing up attending to the needs of those around her, and Hope as looking upward with prophetic expectation. Both of them, however, are standing on another form named Faith who has her arms around the cross to which she clings for support. The Finished Work
A great many people find it extremely difficult to accept Christ's death on the cross as sufficient ransom for their sins. They want to do something themselves. "But I can't see it," said a certain cabinetmaker to a friend who was trying to show him how the death of Christ completed the work of atonement. At last an inspiration struck his friend, who, lifting the plane, moved as if to plane the top of a beautifully polished table that stood near. "Stop!" cried the cabinetmaker. "Don't you see that's finished? You'll simply ruin it if you use that plane on it," "Why," replied his friend, "that's just what I have been trying to show you about Christ's work of redemption. It was finished when He gave His life for you, and if you try to add to that finished work you can only spoil it. Just accept it as it stands-His life for yours-and you go free."
God helps those who actively fight and pray, not those who do nothing.
When a soldier was leaving to fight for his country, a minister said to him, "I shall pray constantly that you may win." The soldier replied: "I don't see the necessity of your prayers. If God wants to give us victory, then He will do it without your prayers. And if it is our luck to lose, do you think your prayers could prevent this?" The minister thought for a moment and said, "All right. Take off your helmet. Take off your uniform. Put your rifle away. Go and rest. It's not necessary for you to fight. Nor is it necessary for the other soldiers to fight. If God intends to defeat the enemy, He is going to do it anyway without your arms." The soldier got the point. God helps those who fight, not those who do nothing. The sower plants the seed. That is our job, to sow the seed in human hearts. But we must also pray that God will give the increase which is salvation. Then what a joy to witness the result and to give all the glory to God!
Faith and works must work together to progress in the Christian life effectively.
An old boatman painted the word "faith" on one oar of his boat and "works" on the other. He was asked his reason for this. In answer, he slipped the oar with "faith" into the water and rowed. The boat, of course, made a very tight circle. Returning to the dock, the boatman then said, "Now, let's try 'works'without 'faith'and see what happens." The oar marked "works" was put in place and the boatman began rowing with just the "works" oar. Again the boat went into a tight circle but in the opposite direction.
When the boatman again returned to the wharf, he interpreted his experiment in these strong and convincing words, "You see, to make a passage across the lake, one needs both oars working simultaneously in order to keep the boat in a straight and narrow way. If one does not have the use of both oars, he makes no progress either across the lake nor as a Christian.
Faith and works together move us forward in the Christian life, not one alone.
Two gentlemen were crossing the river in a little boat. They began to argue about faith and works. The man who was rowing them across the river was a fine, enlightened Christian and on hearing their discussion he turned to them and said, "I believe I can solve your difficulty. I hold in my hands two oars. The one I call faith and the other works. Now watch it. I pull the oar of faith alone. You see, we can only go around and around; we cannot go forward. Now I pull the oar of works; again we move around and around. Now, see, I pull both of them together and on we go." Then the Christian ferryman added his conclusion, "In my opinion, a faith without works is dead, or works without faith will not suffice" (James 2:26).
The gospel requires both believing and behaving; faith without works is dead.
An old country preacher used to say: "There are two parts to the Gospel. The first part is believing it, and the second part is behaving it." The hearer only is the one who is satisfied with just believing without behaving. That is what James describes as dead faith (James 2:17).
True faith is shown by loving actions and generous giving, not just belief.
A bishop once told of two men, one of whom asked the other for a contribution for his church. The reply was that the church was always wanting money. The other friend said, "When my lad was a boy, he was costly; he always wanted boots and shoes, socks and clothes, and wore them out fast, and the older and stronger he grew the more money had to be spent on him. My son died and now does not cost me anything." A faith that descends from God is manifested toward men in acts of love and generous giving.
Listening without responsibility or action yields no spiritual reward.
An auditor is one who sits down with the other students, and has the same advantages of learning, but does not have the same responsibilities. When examinations are given, he does not have to take them. He is just an auditor. He may have listened very carefully and have greatly benefited from what he has heard, but he does not have to be checked by his professor. He doesn't have to hand in any term papers or theses. He feels very free when he sees the other duly registered students studying hard while he can take it easy. But the day of graduation comes, and you know what happens then. The one who sat for the examination and had responsibilities as well as duties receives a diploma, a degree, and can be a practicing lawyer, teacher, doctor, businessman, etc. The auditor, however, can have nothing at all, except possibly a certificate showing that he had been physically present in class while the professor gave the lectures on a certain subject.
Serving God faithfully brings assurance and joy, even if started late in life.
A preacher went to see a dying old man who was very anxious about his soul. After a few visits by the preacher, the truth dawned upon him, and through repentance and faith he experienced the joy of forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. Just before he died, he said to the preacher with obvious regrets, "I feel such a sneak because I've served Satan all my life and only now at the end have I yielded my heart to God." His conscience told him it was a mean, despicable way to accept and serve his Master and Redeemer. In Partnership with God
A gardener expressed his idea of a co-worker: "As I work in the garden with the flowers and vegetables I feel that I am having a share in creation." And when a mother says to a little child who carries some small item into another room for her, "You are helping me," what stature it gives to that child and what a sense of dignity and place in life's affairs. This ought to take away any sense of the worthlessness of the countless small tasks you perform day by day. Look beyond the temporal and limited as you work in partnership with God. Your attitude will determine your sense of satisfaction with your task.
Salvation is free but requires earnest effort and use of means like prayer.
"There is a difference between merit and means; a schoolmaster may teach a child gratis, and yet the boy must himself take pains to get his learning. There is, moreover, a difference between cause and effect, and the mere order of coming. Mercy is never obtained but in the use of means: wisdom's dole is dispensed at wisdom's gate." (Prov. viii. 34.) This is a very important remark, and tends to screen from the charge of legality those who earnestly exhort men to gospel duties. There is no merit in seeking the Lord; but we may not hope to find him without it. Prayer does not deserve an answer, and yet we are to pray without ceasing, neither may we hope to have if we refuse to ask. The cup must be held under the flowing fountain or it will not be filled, yet the cup does not create the water or purchase it. All the exertion which a man makes in running the heavenly race will not merit the prize of eternal life; but it would not therefore be right for him to lie in bed and hope to win it. The Father freely gives the bread of heaven without money and without price, and yet Jesus bade men labour for it.
G6 ILLUSTRATIONS AND MEDITATIONS. Lord, thou hast taught me to see a great distinction between the idea of meriting thy favour and the truth that earnest effort is necessary to salvation. Help me to work as if my salvation depended on my working, and then keep me trusting in thee alone, as if I worked not at all. Thou givest me all things, the end and the means to that end. That measure of holy labour which I put forth is first wrought in me, and therefore would I be doubly diligent. I would work because thou workest in me, and strive for victory because thou givest me both the strength and the crown.
Believers should combine faith in Christ with diligent works in their Christian life.
A bishop of the Episcopal Church says, "When I was about entering the ministry, I was one day in conversation with an old Christian friend, who said, 'You are to be ordained: when you are ordained, preach to sinners as you find them; tell them to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they shall be as safe as if they were in heaven; and then tell them to work like horses.'"
Faith and action are united like a marriage, jointly producing all that is good.
The second chapter of the Epistle by James seems, to my mind, to describe a spiritual wedding. We are "bidden to a marriage;" and, as at the older marriage in Cana of Galilee, the holy Master is present, and consummates the nuptials. The parties to be united are but symbolic personages, and yet are real and life-like too. The bride is young and beautiful, — ever young, and ever clothed upon with light as with a garment. Her face is clear as the day; her look is firm, and yet trustful. She is not of the earth, but heaven-born, and wears her celestial parentage in every lineament of her radiant countenance. Her name is "Faith." She is the daughter of God. And beside her stands one whose lusty form was made for deeds of daring and endurance. He is sinewy and athletic. There is valor in his eye, and "cunning in his ten fingers," and strength in his right arm. He was created to act, to do, to suffer. He was formed for strife and struggle. His name is "Action." With solemn rites, the two are joined in wedlock. They are both to love, and both to obey. They are always to live and move and suffer and conquer together. They are to be the fruitful parents of every thing good on earth. On them, while united, Jehovah pronounces a "blessing" richer than that which gladdened the nuptials of Isaac and Rebekah, or of Jacob and Leah. While united, they are to live and grow and conquer; when separated, they are to droop and perish. For each other, and in each other, and with each other, their days of struggle and victory are to be passed, until time shall be no longer. And so "faith" and "works" were coupled by infinite Wisdom; and in the presence of the world it was solemnly announced, "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
— T. L. Cuyler
Faith and works must work together to make spiritual progress and reach eternal rest.
Two gentlemen were one day crossing the river in a ferry-boat. A dispute about faith and work arose, — one saying that good works were of small importance, and that faith was every thing; the other asserting the contrary. Not being able to convince each other, the ferryman asked permission to give his opinion. Consent being granted, he said, "I hold in my hand two oars. That in my right hand I call 'faith;' the other, in my left, 'works.' Now, gentlemen, please to observe: I pull the oar of faith, and pull that alone. See! the boat goes round and round, and the boat makes no progress. I do the same with the oar of works, and with a precisely similar result, — no advance. Mark! I pull both together, we go on apace; and in a very few minutes we shall be at our landing-place. So, in my humble opinion, faith without works, or works without faith, will not suffice. Let there be both, and the haven of eternal rest is sure to be reached."
Faith and action together have produced all great deeds and true evangelists in the church.
From that union have sprung up a glorious progeny. All the mighty deeds which have ennobled and elevated humanity own that parentage. Faith and action have been the source, under God, of every thing good and great and enduring in the Church of Christ: the very Church itself exists through them. Its model men were men of faith and action. Such have ever been God's true evangelists. Such was Luther, the flaming iconoclast of Europe; to-day writing theses and commentaries, and to-morrow translating the Scriptures, or hurling fresh, invective against the black domination of the Man of Sin. Such were Baxter, the indefatigable pastor; Edwards, the perpetual thinker; Neander, the perpetual student; Owen, the perpetual writer; Knox, the untiring reformer; Whitefield, the untiring preacher; and Chalmers, who appears to have been pastor, preacher, writer, thinker, and reformer, all in one. Brethren, such may God honor us in being. A faith sound as that of the Westminster Assembly will not save the dying world, around us unless it flows out into action.
— T. L. Cuyler
Smaller ships succeed through constant work, while the great ship fails despite grandeur.
Some years ago, certain capitalists of England built "The Great Eastern," which, in dimensions and tonnage, was truly the "mistress of the sea." She was fitted up in the most gorgeous manner. It seemed as though she must supersede all shipping with which she came in competition. From the time she first crossed the ocean to the present, smaller ships, bearing no comparison with her in size and capability, have been crossing and recrossing the ocean constantly, stopping in port only long enough to unload one cargo, and take on another; thus constantly enriching their owners. This has been done so quietly, that the world has hardly noticed it. How different with "The Great Eastern"! She has crossed the ocean only a few times, with the eyes of the world upon her, her arrival and departure being heralded all over the land; and yet she has come and gone almost empty, having been a dead loss to her owners.
True genius requires labor and preparation, not just natural talent.
Mr. Webster once replied to a gentleman who pressed him to speak on a subject of great importance, "The subject interests me deeply; but I have not time. There, sir," pointing to a large pile of unanswered letters to which he must reply, before the close of the session (which was then three days off), "I have no time to master the subject so as to do it justice." — "But, Mr. Webster, a few words from you would do much to awaken public attention to it." — "If there be so much weight in my word," said Mr. Webster, "it is because I do not allow myself to speak on any subject until my mind is imbued with it." Demosthenes was once urged to speak on a great and sudden emergency. "I am not prepared," said he; and obstinately refused. The law of labor is equally binding on genius and mediocrity. Dr. Haven.
Morality without religion is an empty, misguided effort lacking true guidance.
Morality without religion is only a kind of dead-rockoning, — an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the distance we have to run, but without any observation of the heavenly bodies. Longfellow.
Demonstrated ability outweighs mere talk in proving competence and gaining trust.
PRACTICE, Superiority of Two architects were candidates for the erection of a temple at Athens. One of them discussed largely on different orders of architecture, and how the temple should be built. The other said, that, "what his brother had spoken, he could do," and was awarded the position.
True knowledge of oneself comes from active obedience, not mere self-examination.
PRACTICE, Test of Suppose a man should sail all the boiling and blazing day round and round an old Dutch ship in the harbor, and the next day you should see him, like a magnified fly, creeping up and down the masts and spars, and examining the rigging, and you should ask him what he was doing, and he should answer, "I have heard that this ship is a dull sailer, and I want to look at it and see." Could he ever find out in this way? No. Let him weigh anchor, and spread the canvas, and take the wind, and bear away, if he would know how she sails. So, if a Christian would learn his true state, let him not row round and round the hull of his self-consciousness, and creep up and down the masts and spars of his feelings and affections; but let him spread the sails of resolution, and bear away on the ocean of duty. Then he shall know whether he be a dull or a fast sailer. Beecher.
True faith is always accompanied by good works; faith alone justifies but is never alone.
The eye alone seeth in the body, yet the eye which seeth is not alone; the fore-finger alone pointeth, yet that finger is not alone on the hand; the hammer alone striketh on the bell, yet the hammer that striketh is not alone in the clock; the heat alone in the fire burneth, yet that heat is not alone without the light; the helm alone guideth the ship, yet the helm is not without the tackling. Thus though faith alone doth justify, yet that faith which justifieth is not alone, but joined with charity and good works. Though good works are not the cause why God crowneth us, yet we must take them in our way to heaven, or we shall never come there. Spencer.
