with or without ...

There are some parts of the Bible that I have read, am reading, and will read again and again and again.

This is good.

These same passages to touch my heart in new ways during different times of life.

The book of James is a good example.

As a high school kid, I read the book of James with a good friend and a Young Life leader for the better part of a year. We ate breakfast, talked through the text, and considered what it was God wanted us to actually do with this thing called "faith."

Time and time again, my head would spin as I tried to grasp this whole "faith without works" idea.

My heart battles against the work because Jesus did the work in my place. Why do works?

My heart also battles against the faith because it didn't always seem real, it was intangible, and I wondered if my faith still "counted." Why have faith if it isn't making any visible difference in my day?

So, here I am again. A decade later, reading the book of James and discussing it with close friends.

Again, I had one of those "Aha!" moment.

The context of relationship is super important when reading the book of James.

Are we to believe in a list of statements concerning God and we need good works to prove our allegiance to a systematic arrangement of teaching about God?

No!

That's what the Pharisees were all about ... and we know how Jesus spoke with them!

The thing about doing works is - God wants to be in a relationship with us. When was the last time you told someone you deeply loved them, believed in who they are, yet never did anything with them?

Use of the word "with" in that last sentence was very intentional.

We do good - not for God - but with Him.

He is God after all and doesn't really need us to do anything for Him. Consider how He created the world by speaking; you'd think He can still do whatever He wants to do.

 But, He wants to be in a relationship with us. So, we wants us to do stuff with Him.

For those of you who are reading this and have decided to follow Jesus because without Him you realize you're stuck in sin, for you this is true; you have the Holy Spirit doing good with you.That whole "go into all the world and make disciples" thing --- yea, the Holy Spirit is doing that with us --- otherwise we're screwed.

Now I'm not saying that the faith/works paradox is suddenly an easy thing to handle. Rather, I am encouraging you to do something with God.

Just as I will do something with my wife because we enjoy being together and we enjoy getting to know one another more, I will do something with God.

Faith without works is like a relationship without dates,
Works without faith is like a date without a relationship.

So, with faith in the real person of Christ, what works will we do with Him so we can know Him more?