Our Lord stated that there will be wars and rumours of wars but to not be terrified. Yet we are so consumed by conspiracy theories, masonry, Illuminati etc etc that we lose focus on those issues which are truly important. Are we afraid that these groups control the world and society as we know it and may cause us harm? If our answer is yes, then we need to re-evaluate our faith, for we are not to be of the world, we are to live in the world but our focus is to be on Christ, His love and the glory that is to be revealed. Why do we pay attention to these conspiracies? Didn't the Lord in many parables state that we should be working by feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, visiting the sick and those in prison? Basically we should focus our attention solely on living as a Christian in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord, praying, fasting and being a beacon of light to those who are in darkness.
Satan will use any methodology possible to take our focus away from Christ, which will ultimately ensure that all our energies are being put to work in fruitlessness. Satan has used the book of revelations to confuse people and to use people to lead others astray. People are infatuated, even obsessed with focusing their energies on trying to decipher signs, hand shakes, symbols etc that relate to those who are perceived as being the "elite". But as faithful members of the Church of the East, should we really be spending all our energies on such idleness? We all know the answer to this question, but let us look at what the Bible says about conspiracies - Isaiah 8 12 - 13
12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.
We are to fear the Lord and Him alone, Our Lord Jesus also states that we should only fear He who can destroy both the body and soul (Matthew 10:28). We should not fear those who can maim and kill the body because as Christians who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus, our hope is not in this world as we are citizens of heaven having been purchased by the blood of the lamb, and we are here on a temporary 'working' visa living our lives in humility and subjection to God and servitude to our fellow man.
Our time here is short, too short to worry ourselves to the point of apostasy by forgetting the core of our faith and concentrating on end times and the hope of deciphering signs that are taking place on earth. Give yourself wholly over to God, sacrifice yourself and this also includes your inquisitiveness and curiosity regarding conspiracy theories that are rife on the Internet.
Amen
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Saturday, 17 March 2012
I know Jesus, His body and blood dwell in me, Part 4 b.
We last meditated on the subject of faith and deeds and how they must be coupled together in order to bear fruit for the Lord, Jesus Christ explicitly states on many occasions that judgement will be based on the deeds of men. We shall now delve into St. Paul's and St. James' letters concerning faith and deeds.
It seems at first glance that the letter of St. James is contrary to the words expressed in the writings of St. Paul. Where St. James expounds on the importance of faith and works, St. Paul teaches that it is no longer works that please God, but rather it is purely by faith that we attain perfection. Let us delve into the passages written by St. Paul so that we can come to an understanding of his words as taught by the Holy Church.
We read in Romans 3:21-26
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
St. Paul is going to great lengths to convey the simple message that faith in Christ is superior to the works of the law, which is the law given during the times of the old covenant. The blessed Apostle is not stating that good deeds are nullified, but rather the works of the law, the sacrificial system, which included sacrificing irrational animals is no longer a means of salvation, but rather our faith in Jesus the perfect sacrifice is now the only means of salvation, "I am the way the truth and life' our Lord boldly declares.
St John of Chrysostom expounds on this point to a degree that I will never be capable of doing, the blessed Saint writes -
When he had shown that by faith they were superior to the Jews, then he goes on with great confidence to discourse upon it also, and what seemed therein to annoy he again heals up. For these two things were what confused the Jews; one, if it were possible for men, who with works were not saved, to be saved without them, and another, if it were just for the uncircumcised to enjoy the same blessings with those, who had during so long a period been nurtured in the Law; which last confused them more by far than the former. And on this ground having proved the former, he goes on to the other next, which perplexed the Jews so far, that they even complained on account of this position against Peter after they believed. What does he say then?
Ver. 29.
As if he said, On what foot does it then seem to you amiss that every man should be saved? Is God partial? So showing from this, that in wishing to flout the Gentiles, they are rather offering an insult to God's glory, if, that is, they would not allow Him to be the God of all. But if He is of all, then He takes care of all; and if He care for all, then He saves all alike by faith. And this is why he says,
Ver. 30.
That is, the same is the Master of both these and those. But if you tell me of the ancient state of things, then too the dealings of Providence were shared by both, although in diverse ways. For as to you was given the written law, so to them was the natural; and they came short in nothing, if, that is, only they were willing, but were even able to surpass you. And so he proceeds, with an allusion to this very thing,
It is quite obvious that St. Paul is speaking in regards to the grace of God being poured out to those who did not receive the covenant of the law and that faith in God through His only Begotten Son is superior in every way to the works of the law. For the new covenant, which is the shedding of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, is perfect and by His life, death and Resurrection He fulfilled the law so that all who have faith in Him may be justified by Him.
In no way, shape or form is the Apostle nullifying good deeds, how could he? For the Lord Jesus Himself, as expounded upon in part 4 a. of the series, will judge us according to our deeds and the management of our talents. St. James makes it abundantly clear in his epistle regarding the intimate connection of faith and deeds, let us examine a few verses from his epistle.
We read in James 2:14-26
14 What use is it,my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
St. James' teaching is what the Holy Church places its emphasis on that faith without works is useless, for if the demons believe and shudder what use will faith alone be for us on the day of judgement. Detractors of the Apostolic faith may object and state that works without faith is also incomplete, which we would answer Amen. Our works alone do not save us, but we have never made such a claim nor does any Apostolic church dogmatically claim works alone.
Brothers and Sisters, do not fall into idleness and think within yourselves that your belief in God is enough to save your soul. There must be a renewing of the mind when we come to repentance and a change in our perspective towards how we live our lives, no longer do we live a life of decadence and pleasure but rather we are to be selfless and found working in the harvest. Feed the poor and hungry, visit those who are sick and alone, comfort the mourners and work for the benefit of the Holy Church.
Our faith in God must not be taken for granted, but rather servitude and worship must be at the forefront of our minds and hearts at all times, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” as commanded by our Lord in Matthew 26:41. We do not know when we will be called for and on the day of judgement how terrible will it be if we here the words "depart from me, i never knew you", therefore let us allows be found working, giving and serving rather than being waited upon and receiving.
Amen.
It seems at first glance that the letter of St. James is contrary to the words expressed in the writings of St. Paul. Where St. James expounds on the importance of faith and works, St. Paul teaches that it is no longer works that please God, but rather it is purely by faith that we attain perfection. Let us delve into the passages written by St. Paul so that we can come to an understanding of his words as taught by the Holy Church.
We read in Romans 3:21-26
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
St. Paul is going to great lengths to convey the simple message that faith in Christ is superior to the works of the law, which is the law given during the times of the old covenant. The blessed Apostle is not stating that good deeds are nullified, but rather the works of the law, the sacrificial system, which included sacrificing irrational animals is no longer a means of salvation, but rather our faith in Jesus the perfect sacrifice is now the only means of salvation, "I am the way the truth and life' our Lord boldly declares.
St John of Chrysostom expounds on this point to a degree that I will never be capable of doing, the blessed Saint writes -
When he had shown that by faith they were superior to the Jews, then he goes on with great confidence to discourse upon it also, and what seemed therein to annoy he again heals up. For these two things were what confused the Jews; one, if it were possible for men, who with works were not saved, to be saved without them, and another, if it were just for the uncircumcised to enjoy the same blessings with those, who had during so long a period been nurtured in the Law; which last confused them more by far than the former. And on this ground having proved the former, he goes on to the other next, which perplexed the Jews so far, that they even complained on account of this position against Peter after they believed. What does he say then?
Therefore we conclude, that by faith a man is justified.He does not say, a Jew, or one under the Law, but after leading forth his discourse into a large room, and opening the doors of faith to the world, he says
a man,the name common to our race. And then having taken occasion from this, he meets an objection not set down. For since it was likely that the Jews, upon hearing that faith justifies every man, would take it ill and feel offended, he goes on,
Ver. 29.
Is He the God of the Jews only?
As if he said, On what foot does it then seem to you amiss that every man should be saved? Is God partial? So showing from this, that in wishing to flout the Gentiles, they are rather offering an insult to God's glory, if, that is, they would not allow Him to be the God of all. But if He is of all, then He takes care of all; and if He care for all, then He saves all alike by faith. And this is why he says,
Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.For He is not partial as the fables of the Gentiles are, but common to all, and One. And this is why he goes on,
Ver. 30.
Seeing it is one God.
That is, the same is the Master of both these and those. But if you tell me of the ancient state of things, then too the dealings of Providence were shared by both, although in diverse ways. For as to you was given the written law, so to them was the natural; and they came short in nothing, if, that is, only they were willing, but were even able to surpass you. And so he proceeds, with an allusion to this very thing,
Who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith,so reminding them of what he said before about uncircumcision and circumcision, whereby he showed that there was no difference. But if then there was no difference, much less is there any now. And this accordingly he now establishes upon still clearer grounds, and so demonstrates, that either of them stand alike in need of faith.
It is quite obvious that St. Paul is speaking in regards to the grace of God being poured out to those who did not receive the covenant of the law and that faith in God through His only Begotten Son is superior in every way to the works of the law. For the new covenant, which is the shedding of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, is perfect and by His life, death and Resurrection He fulfilled the law so that all who have faith in Him may be justified by Him.
In no way, shape or form is the Apostle nullifying good deeds, how could he? For the Lord Jesus Himself, as expounded upon in part 4 a. of the series, will judge us according to our deeds and the management of our talents. St. James makes it abundantly clear in his epistle regarding the intimate connection of faith and deeds, let us examine a few verses from his epistle.
We read in James 2:14-26
14 What use is it,my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
St. James' teaching is what the Holy Church places its emphasis on that faith without works is useless, for if the demons believe and shudder what use will faith alone be for us on the day of judgement. Detractors of the Apostolic faith may object and state that works without faith is also incomplete, which we would answer Amen. Our works alone do not save us, but we have never made such a claim nor does any Apostolic church dogmatically claim works alone.
Brothers and Sisters, do not fall into idleness and think within yourselves that your belief in God is enough to save your soul. There must be a renewing of the mind when we come to repentance and a change in our perspective towards how we live our lives, no longer do we live a life of decadence and pleasure but rather we are to be selfless and found working in the harvest. Feed the poor and hungry, visit those who are sick and alone, comfort the mourners and work for the benefit of the Holy Church.
Our faith in God must not be taken for granted, but rather servitude and worship must be at the forefront of our minds and hearts at all times, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” as commanded by our Lord in Matthew 26:41. We do not know when we will be called for and on the day of judgement how terrible will it be if we here the words "depart from me, i never knew you", therefore let us allows be found working, giving and serving rather than being waited upon and receiving.
Amen.
Monday, 12 March 2012
I know Jesus, His body and blood dwell in me, Part 4 a.
Continuing with our series, we last learnt that the Qurbana Qadisha (Holy Eucharist) is an essential element in the quest of salvation. We will now discuss the importance of faith and deeds and how one of these attributes, in and of themselves, cannot please God but that they must be coupled together by the grace of God.
Prior to the reformation the dichotomy of faith alone vs faith and deeds was a non sequitur, it required no discussion as all Apostolic Churches were in concurrence. However, an obscure German monk by the name of Martin Luther rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church (which incidentally opened the door to modern and post modern thinking) and unbeknown to him, started an avalanche of heretical sects, churches and doctrines that continue to splinter due to the rebellious nature of such individuals. Martin Luther went so far as to add the word 'alone' after the words 'by faith', he also labelled the book of James (an Apostle of the Lord) "a book of straw" as its message contradicted Martin Luther's theological innovation.
All salvation is made possible only through the grace of God, without God's grace our faith and deeds would be futile, without God's grace Jesus Christ would have not offered Himself up on the altar (cross) for our salvation, without God's grace we would be dead in our sin.
It is true that in order to please the Lord we must have faith in Him, from this statement the question arises, what is faith? As always, sacred scripture provides the answer, in Hebrews 11 we read -
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
Faith, as the Apostle Paul states is the "conviction of things not seen" and although we have not seen God face to face, we have faith in His existence and we feel a conviction through the Holy Spirit given to us through baptism regarding the existence of our Lord and the hope of things to come. It is through this faith that we confess His name and offer up our worship to Him, it is through this faith that we love God with all our being and our neighbour as ourselves and it is through this faith that we pick up our crosses and follow our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our faith must be pure and child-like as stated by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:3 -
3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
A simple wholehearted faith is what God desires, we see that those who are considered of low stature in society come to Church and portray this faith, they have no questions, they have no doubts but display pure reverence and sincerity that is akin to the trust a child shows to his or her parents. We must strive to attain this faith, which is simplistic in nature. Our faith must be grounded upon the 'rock' of salvation and should our faith be built upon Him through His Holy Church and the "winds and waves" batter against us, we shall remain standing. The question arises, what is the faith that is grounded upon the rock? We read in Matthew 7:24 -
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock"
Jesus states unequivocally that in order to build our faith upon Him (the rock) we must act on His words, not just hear them, not simply believe or agree with them, but to actually act on them. Jesus Christ our Lord is basically conveying a message that the Holy Church has accepted for 2000 years, faith and deeds go hand-in-hand and faith without works is futile. Let us examine how important our faith and deeds are in order to attain salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven, we read in Matthew 25 -
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
This passage is profound and it would be wise to try to ascertain what is being said, Jesus separates the sheep (believers) from the goats (non believers) based on the deeds they commit to Christ. When we feed or clothe or give someone a drink who is in need, we are actually inadvertently feeding or clothing or giving drink to Christ! The stranger we give assistance to is akin to assisting Christ, and let us not forget that the poor and the foolish of the world are those who will inherit the kingdom. Thus it will be on the basis of our deeds that we will be judged, in fact there is no where written that states you will be judged based on faith alone. Another example of judgement based on deeds is found in Matthew 25 -
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Lord provides us with spiritual gifts and we must make use of them, lest we find ourselves to be a wicked and lazy servant. We must be put to work for the glory of God, faith on its own is a sign of fruitlessness! Works without faith in God is useless, but coupled together we are ensuring that we continue walking upon the narrow path that leads to salvation. Do you have a talent? Can you teach, show mercy, kindness, love, humility or exhortation? Are you able to cook, clean or lend any professional assistance to the Church? If so, then put the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon you to good use and work as one body and be of one mind with one love, always striving to do what is right in the eyes of our Lord.
As there is much more to cover with the topic of faith and works, another post will be dedicated to the letters of St.Paul and St. James with further discourse on the matter of faith and works.
God Bless.
Prior to the reformation the dichotomy of faith alone vs faith and deeds was a non sequitur, it required no discussion as all Apostolic Churches were in concurrence. However, an obscure German monk by the name of Martin Luther rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church (which incidentally opened the door to modern and post modern thinking) and unbeknown to him, started an avalanche of heretical sects, churches and doctrines that continue to splinter due to the rebellious nature of such individuals. Martin Luther went so far as to add the word 'alone' after the words 'by faith', he also labelled the book of James (an Apostle of the Lord) "a book of straw" as its message contradicted Martin Luther's theological innovation.
All salvation is made possible only through the grace of God, without God's grace our faith and deeds would be futile, without God's grace Jesus Christ would have not offered Himself up on the altar (cross) for our salvation, without God's grace we would be dead in our sin.
It is true that in order to please the Lord we must have faith in Him, from this statement the question arises, what is faith? As always, sacred scripture provides the answer, in Hebrews 11 we read -
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
Faith, as the Apostle Paul states is the "conviction of things not seen" and although we have not seen God face to face, we have faith in His existence and we feel a conviction through the Holy Spirit given to us through baptism regarding the existence of our Lord and the hope of things to come. It is through this faith that we confess His name and offer up our worship to Him, it is through this faith that we love God with all our being and our neighbour as ourselves and it is through this faith that we pick up our crosses and follow our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our faith must be pure and child-like as stated by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:3 -
3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
A simple wholehearted faith is what God desires, we see that those who are considered of low stature in society come to Church and portray this faith, they have no questions, they have no doubts but display pure reverence and sincerity that is akin to the trust a child shows to his or her parents. We must strive to attain this faith, which is simplistic in nature. Our faith must be grounded upon the 'rock' of salvation and should our faith be built upon Him through His Holy Church and the "winds and waves" batter against us, we shall remain standing. The question arises, what is the faith that is grounded upon the rock? We read in Matthew 7:24 -
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock"
Jesus states unequivocally that in order to build our faith upon Him (the rock) we must act on His words, not just hear them, not simply believe or agree with them, but to actually act on them. Jesus Christ our Lord is basically conveying a message that the Holy Church has accepted for 2000 years, faith and deeds go hand-in-hand and faith without works is futile. Let us examine how important our faith and deeds are in order to attain salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven, we read in Matthew 25 -
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
This passage is profound and it would be wise to try to ascertain what is being said, Jesus separates the sheep (believers) from the goats (non believers) based on the deeds they commit to Christ. When we feed or clothe or give someone a drink who is in need, we are actually inadvertently feeding or clothing or giving drink to Christ! The stranger we give assistance to is akin to assisting Christ, and let us not forget that the poor and the foolish of the world are those who will inherit the kingdom. Thus it will be on the basis of our deeds that we will be judged, in fact there is no where written that states you will be judged based on faith alone. Another example of judgement based on deeds is found in Matthew 25 -
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Lord provides us with spiritual gifts and we must make use of them, lest we find ourselves to be a wicked and lazy servant. We must be put to work for the glory of God, faith on its own is a sign of fruitlessness! Works without faith in God is useless, but coupled together we are ensuring that we continue walking upon the narrow path that leads to salvation. Do you have a talent? Can you teach, show mercy, kindness, love, humility or exhortation? Are you able to cook, clean or lend any professional assistance to the Church? If so, then put the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon you to good use and work as one body and be of one mind with one love, always striving to do what is right in the eyes of our Lord.
As there is much more to cover with the topic of faith and works, another post will be dedicated to the letters of St.Paul and St. James with further discourse on the matter of faith and works.
God Bless.
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