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Faith and Obedience

Few things are worse in the morning than orange juice and toothpaste. Do you know what I’m talking about? I’ve learned the hard way that if I drink orange juice with breakfast, I’d better wash it down with some water or wait a while before I brush my teeth. Otherwise, I’m in for a rough start to the day. Orange juice and toothpaste just do not – under any circumstances – go together.

Many of us approach faith and obedience like orange juice and toothpaste. They do not go together under any circumstances. In no way should they mix. We are saved by faith, regardless of what we do. But is that really what the Bible means when we say we’re saved by faith alone?

Paul doesn’t seem to think so. In Romans 6:1-2, he already anticipates that kind of thinking. If’ I’m saved by faith, it’s not important what I do. Paul writes: “‘What shall we say then?’ Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Does being saved by faith alone mean I can do anything I want? By no means!

We are saved by faith alone. But saving faith is never alone. What does that mean?

1. We are saved by faith alone – Nothing we do earns us favor in God’s sight. Our good works don’t tip the scale even a little bit. We are declared righteous in God’s sight only based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ and that righteousness becomes ours through faith, our resting on him for our salvation.

2. Saving faith is never alone – Just because good works don’t earn us anything in God’s sight doesn’t mean Christians aren’t expected to do them. Good works are evidence of a transformed life. If God’s love has truly changed us, then we will desire to do things that please him. We won’t keep his law perfectly even after we’re saved – but the difference is that we’ll actually want to! Saving faith produces a desire for obedience and the fruit of good works.

On one hand, it’s important that we don’t put the cart before the horse. Obedience is the result of saving faith, never the cause of it. On the other, it’s important that we don’t define faith in such a way that it makes no difference how we live. If salvation through faith alone becomes an excuse for licentious living, you can bet we haven’t understood salvation or faith!

As believers grow in their understanding and trust in God, we’ll also grow in our obedience too. Think of it like a child learning to walk. At first, there’s a lot of stumbling and falling but, with time, there’s less and less of that. Even adults still trip and fall (we just hope no one’s looking!), but we’ve certainly made progress since childhood. Even the most mature Christian will fail to obey God perfectly. Everyone stumbles. However, part of growing in maturity is growing in obedience. Mature faith doesn’t mean perfection; it means progress.

As you think about your own life, can you see progress? Can you think of areas in your life where you were once tempted or disobedient, but now see the fruit of good works? Part of our life together as the church is to spur one another on to good works (Heb. 10:24). So, brothers and sisters, let’s press on!

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