A Lesson from James

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This morning's lesson at church was on the book of James. This is the book that Luther called an Epistle of Straw. Seems to me there's a lot of "meat" thrown in there, too. The balance between Grace and a Faith that produces works has been argued for centuries and when that balance is shifted too far either way, it causes problems. 


Our pastor made several comments this morning that struck me because of having just finished the book, Radical. It is always encouraging to have a message confirmed for me from more than one source. And these points echoed the book exactly. 


We were involved for a few years with some Christian brothers and sisters who had escaped from China after being imprisoned and tortured. Our pastor made this comment today, "If I were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?" 


The he said this, "Satan believes in Jesus, but that doesn't make him a Christian." He believes fully but his belief will not save him. He and all his demons will still be cast into the Lake of Fire. In his book, Radical, David Platt describes a life that is spent for His Glory. Nothing else. He argues that God saved us because He loves us and so that we will spread His Glory. If we make God's Plan simply about us, we have stripped it of its true power. He loved us and made a way for us to be reconciled to Him so that we may spend our lives sharing Him. 


The next thing he said this morning was this: "Our faith is not determined by what we do, but it ought to be demonstrated by what we do." Our faith should cause us to act. Not to earn our salvation, but to spread salvation. Can we truly say we believe if we aren't radically changed. If my life is not completely prioritized around His agenda, what does that say? Or do I think I can believe just enough to "get me to Heaven", but not enough to really interfere with my life here on earth? 


Then he said, "Many people are going to miss heaven by 18 inches: the distance from their head to their heart." If we aren't completely changed by the Gospel, all we have is head knowledge. And that will not glorify Him and it will NOT change the world. So as today is filled with every kind of "heart" imaginable, I just want the kind that is radically, completely changed for His glory. 

I'm linking up to a brand new community called Hear It, Use It over at Michelle's place.