[W]e know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.
I am a do-er, more than a be-er. Or at least that’s how I’ve identified myself. I’ve been more Martha, than Mary. So this important concept of Paul’s has always rubbed me the wrong way.
What do you mean, we are justified by faith and not by works? If we all just sat around and had faith, the poor would go hungry, and the prisoner captive. But reading this admonition from Paul to the people of Galatia I’m possibly gaining another perspective.
The Galatians were Christians, but they’d gotten swept up in the notion that they had to abide by the Hebrew Laws, including the rule of circumcision. There’s even a part where Cephas separates himself from others, for ‘fear of circumcision faction’. Um, yes.
I think Paul is saying that the people are freed from the legalistic rules of old, that faith in Christ has preempted all of that.
But here’s the place where I think that’s a little coy on Paul’s part. To have faith in Christ, to believe and do what he said is anything but easy. It sounds easy, but it isn’t just sitting around believing in something. We are called to Love God. And Love our Neighbor. And Love is not a sentiment. It’s an active verb. To Love God requires worshipping, thanking, contemplating, praying. To Love our Neighbor requires feeding, caring, clothing, empathizing. The list could go on.
To be justified by faith in Christ means we are choosing Jesus’ prerequisites to govern our lives. To be justified by faith means we are called to Love God and Love our neighbor. To be justified by faith means we are called to do Love’s bidding. To worship, thank, pray, feed, empathize, care, clothe. To be justified by faith rather than works doesn’t absolve us from action. It clarifies what and for whom those actions are.
This morning, I’m thinking about how many works I’m committed to do, as a person who’s justified by faith.
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