faith+vs.+works+(Christianity)

Ok, so the verse about faith expressing itself through love is from Galatians (not John, as I thought/mentioned in class. silly Givens). Galatians is the letter Paul wrote to the church in Galatia. "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6

My handy dandy friend dictionary.com gives this theological definition of **grace**: "the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God."

Christian beliefs are centered on a message of God's grace. The Bible is full of stuff that basically says we're way too screwed up to earn our way into heaven, and that we can only get there by accepting God's gift of grace (His "freely given unmerited favor and love" as defined above). Isaiah even says that, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6

Paul wrote this to the Ephesians: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2: 8-10 Oh ho! The works bit returns! But Paul is saying that these works are coming //through// Jesus-->

Mr. Housiaux mentioned in class this 1 Corinthians passage about love: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3

So Paul is pretty much like, what up, if you don't act out of love you're not doing anybody any good (including yourself).

Galtung makes a sort of parallel statement in the snippet of "Violence and Its Alternatives" that we read: "The means must be good in themselves, not in terms of distant goals, way down the road," (51-52).

Lastly, here's a bit from the book of James that speaks directly to this issue and reminds Christians that, though they are not saved by their deeds, if their faith and love are truly alive, good works will flow from them.

** Faith and Deeds ** 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[ [|d] ]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[ [|e] ] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:14-26