Somewhere in the dusty recesses of my mind is some unknown preacher, with a spare chin or two, shaking his head and speaking with a deep tremolo voice about some friend of his who was a: “Great man of faith.” I cannot remember who the preacher was or who his friend was. I just remember the Billy goat flair he inserted in his voice when he said that line: “Greeaaaat maaaannnn of faaaaiiiith” and the undulating waddle beneath his original chin as he moved his head from side to side. I had many such views from the pew as a child.
Having read the Bible now for many years I have become more and more enamored with the profound truth that Jesus spoke when He said: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed – then that is enough to cause a mountain to be uprooted and flung into the sea.” To take this passage literally would rob it of its real usefulness and purpose. I have a lot of mountains within view of the desk from which I write. I have never tried to uproot them because I sort of like them where they are. But, the real intent of this image that Jesus painted was to simply contrast something very small with something very large and ostensibly impossible to budge. The power inherent in a tiny seed could in fact dislocate and disburse large, impossible barriers. And, He seemed to me to be saying that the “Great man of faith” wasn’t really the issue. The issue was the small faith pointed in the right direction and placed in the right power and the right resource. This “big God” could dispatch efficiently and effectively a miraculous answer to any situation were we predisposed to simply take the faith we had been given and place it in Him.
But, what if you question whether or not you even own a seedling of faith? How depressing to think that one might be lacking even that speck of which Jesus spoke. And, if that is the case – how then can we grow our faith to the point that we begin to see things happen that are explained only in terms of the supernatural hand of God at work? I believe the answer is very simple – at least in terms of an explanation. Let’s give it a go…
One of the more misunderstood and therefore “underpreached” passages of Scripture is found in the Book of James. James, an apostolic father of the Jerusalem church, makes a simple statement that has caused spirited theological debates and church splits ever since he penned these words: “Faith, if it has no works, is dead.” What on earth did James mean by this statement? I would like to suggest that he meant this: Faith, if it has no works, is dead. “How helpful,” you say. Well, it really is, especially if you desire to have and experience the type of faith that actually gets things done – that moves mountains.
Before I move on and explain this verse, let me tell you why it has caused so much commotion over the years. You see, those of us who are the heirs of the Protestant tradition are steeped in the rich heritage of the rediscovery of the revelation that we are saved by grace through faith – not by works. They feel that this verse undermines that great doctrine if taken literally.
Now, I agree wholeheartedly with the doctrine of ‘saved by grace through faith’. There is no good work that we can do that will “earn” for us a spot on the team. Grace does it all. But, the point that James is making is that grace does do something. A God encounter through grace is by its very definition, a transformative moment. Grace doesn’t just change things – it changes everything. Grace points us in a new direction with a new heart and with a new purpose. If what you refer to as your faith moment, your conversion, has left you as sullen, sinful, nasty, and purposeless as before, then there is a good chance – an almost certain chance - that your “faith” was not faith at all.
True faith always comes with a positive and negative call which grows and widens as one matures in the faith journey. God really does begin to speak at conversion – even at pre-conversion - of some things in us which must be ejected and left behind. That is a negative. And, the list of negative things that He will require of us to be removed will continue throughout this life. At first, the list of negatives will be obvious not only to you, but to those around you. If you were a self-centered, self-absorbed, foul-mouthed, inebriated jerk – well, it is pretty obvious that that will have to go. But, as we move on, His demands on our inner purity become more nuanced. He starts whittling away at the very core of our being, our motives, and our secret thoughts. His purpose is to make us good on the inside so that our thoughts mirror perfectly His thoughts.
He also calls us to new and greater goods. That is a positive. These goods quite often go hand in hand with giving up something. For me, it often has to do with my preferences and my conveniences and my comforts. God calls me to love my enemies, to forgive my enemies, to give water to the thirsty, to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and to visit the prisoner. Each of these good things He calls me to do requires a payment of some kind that is deducted from my pride, my rights, and my resources. All of these can put a real crunch on my daily campaigns and the relentless pursuit of my own “space”, comfort, and plans.
The point that I am making is that faith is something like a muscle that needs to be exercised or it will quickly atrophy. One cannot have faith to move a mountain if one does not exercise the faith to obey. The two are inseparable. People who wonder why their prayers remain unanswered oftentimes need only look to the operation and exercise of their faith on a moment by moment basis. Are you defeating the wicked thoughts that bombard your mind each moment? Or, are you allowing those thoughts a dark place to reproduce like a mold in your spirit? Are you learning to let go of this world and to grow in radical generosity because you are becoming more and more rooted in the true soil of a different kingdom? Or, are you becoming more and more attached to things of this world – which will pass away - and declaring with greater frequency the word “mine” over a growing hoard of objects, widgets, and self-centered pursuits?
You see - faith is not a static thing. It grows or it dies. A testimony that is 30 years old is fine and dandy so long as there is 30 years of fresh testimony that follow. But, if you place your “faith in your faith” – in an event of 30, 20, 10, 5, or 1 year ago without any fresh report of God’s activity in your life – then there is nothing with which God can work. There is an obedience today – this very moment – which requires faith and which faith requires. To not move with and toward the inner nudge indicates a lack of faith - something less than the seed.
(Okay – here I must stop simply because of length. But, there is much left to say to complete these thoughts, so – stay tuned and be blessed. –CJ)
Having read the Bible now for many years I have become more and more enamored with the profound truth that Jesus spoke when He said: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed – then that is enough to cause a mountain to be uprooted and flung into the sea.” To take this passage literally would rob it of its real usefulness and purpose. I have a lot of mountains within view of the desk from which I write. I have never tried to uproot them because I sort of like them where they are. But, the real intent of this image that Jesus painted was to simply contrast something very small with something very large and ostensibly impossible to budge. The power inherent in a tiny seed could in fact dislocate and disburse large, impossible barriers. And, He seemed to me to be saying that the “Great man of faith” wasn’t really the issue. The issue was the small faith pointed in the right direction and placed in the right power and the right resource. This “big God” could dispatch efficiently and effectively a miraculous answer to any situation were we predisposed to simply take the faith we had been given and place it in Him.
But, what if you question whether or not you even own a seedling of faith? How depressing to think that one might be lacking even that speck of which Jesus spoke. And, if that is the case – how then can we grow our faith to the point that we begin to see things happen that are explained only in terms of the supernatural hand of God at work? I believe the answer is very simple – at least in terms of an explanation. Let’s give it a go…
One of the more misunderstood and therefore “underpreached” passages of Scripture is found in the Book of James. James, an apostolic father of the Jerusalem church, makes a simple statement that has caused spirited theological debates and church splits ever since he penned these words: “Faith, if it has no works, is dead.” What on earth did James mean by this statement? I would like to suggest that he meant this: Faith, if it has no works, is dead. “How helpful,” you say. Well, it really is, especially if you desire to have and experience the type of faith that actually gets things done – that moves mountains.
Before I move on and explain this verse, let me tell you why it has caused so much commotion over the years. You see, those of us who are the heirs of the Protestant tradition are steeped in the rich heritage of the rediscovery of the revelation that we are saved by grace through faith – not by works. They feel that this verse undermines that great doctrine if taken literally.
Now, I agree wholeheartedly with the doctrine of ‘saved by grace through faith’. There is no good work that we can do that will “earn” for us a spot on the team. Grace does it all. But, the point that James is making is that grace does do something. A God encounter through grace is by its very definition, a transformative moment. Grace doesn’t just change things – it changes everything. Grace points us in a new direction with a new heart and with a new purpose. If what you refer to as your faith moment, your conversion, has left you as sullen, sinful, nasty, and purposeless as before, then there is a good chance – an almost certain chance - that your “faith” was not faith at all.
True faith always comes with a positive and negative call which grows and widens as one matures in the faith journey. God really does begin to speak at conversion – even at pre-conversion - of some things in us which must be ejected and left behind. That is a negative. And, the list of negative things that He will require of us to be removed will continue throughout this life. At first, the list of negatives will be obvious not only to you, but to those around you. If you were a self-centered, self-absorbed, foul-mouthed, inebriated jerk – well, it is pretty obvious that that will have to go. But, as we move on, His demands on our inner purity become more nuanced. He starts whittling away at the very core of our being, our motives, and our secret thoughts. His purpose is to make us good on the inside so that our thoughts mirror perfectly His thoughts.
He also calls us to new and greater goods. That is a positive. These goods quite often go hand in hand with giving up something. For me, it often has to do with my preferences and my conveniences and my comforts. God calls me to love my enemies, to forgive my enemies, to give water to the thirsty, to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and to visit the prisoner. Each of these good things He calls me to do requires a payment of some kind that is deducted from my pride, my rights, and my resources. All of these can put a real crunch on my daily campaigns and the relentless pursuit of my own “space”, comfort, and plans.
The point that I am making is that faith is something like a muscle that needs to be exercised or it will quickly atrophy. One cannot have faith to move a mountain if one does not exercise the faith to obey. The two are inseparable. People who wonder why their prayers remain unanswered oftentimes need only look to the operation and exercise of their faith on a moment by moment basis. Are you defeating the wicked thoughts that bombard your mind each moment? Or, are you allowing those thoughts a dark place to reproduce like a mold in your spirit? Are you learning to let go of this world and to grow in radical generosity because you are becoming more and more rooted in the true soil of a different kingdom? Or, are you becoming more and more attached to things of this world – which will pass away - and declaring with greater frequency the word “mine” over a growing hoard of objects, widgets, and self-centered pursuits?
You see - faith is not a static thing. It grows or it dies. A testimony that is 30 years old is fine and dandy so long as there is 30 years of fresh testimony that follow. But, if you place your “faith in your faith” – in an event of 30, 20, 10, 5, or 1 year ago without any fresh report of God’s activity in your life – then there is nothing with which God can work. There is an obedience today – this very moment – which requires faith and which faith requires. To not move with and toward the inner nudge indicates a lack of faith - something less than the seed.
(Okay – here I must stop simply because of length. But, there is much left to say to complete these thoughts, so – stay tuned and be blessed. –CJ)
1 comment:
Wow - what a concept. James actually meant what he said:) Why do we always try to make everything so complicated? A lot of truths there - kind of good you took a breather to let it sink in. Especially the issue of obedience. Too often we separate faith and obedience - as if faith is somewhere out there and happens all by itsef. Keep it coming....and I love the picture!
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