Even the works that religion is so zealous to emphasize is by grace through faith and not of ourselves. We boast in nothing. What we do (or avoid) is not meant to be 'spiritual exercise' to strengthen or secure our position with God. Doing good works will not wipe out the struggle with condemnation. It will not make faith perfect. The is the job of Jesus and it's finished. It will not be the proof that faith is alive. Grace, faith, and works are not synonymous.
Walking by faith is not a "look at me" proposition. With that said, works can become an important part of our lives in Christ. God desires for us to focus on Jesus and the Spirit who lives within. He is our life and certainly wants to flow through us. The fruit of the Spirit is not a to-do list or a program for gradual self-improvement ... and it's not even our fruit. He is the vine who produces the fruit, we are branches humbly allowed to bear it. It's an exciting path. But it does not determine who God has made us to be as children who have been ensured and guaranteed with an eternal inheritance.
A couple of Bible verses misapplied here and a couple of verses there ... and all of a sudden—POOF! The slippery slope begins to rear its ugly head as even well-meaning subscribers to the message of God's unlimited grace begin to pivot when they declare faith needs to be seen outwardly through what one does. Otherwise (they say), the faith may be inauthentic or even dead. The talking point is all too common: "We're not saved by works, but" ... and they will begin to withdraw in the direction of proclaiming the need to prove or show evidence of faith.
Without realizing it, we're back to a mixed message that is not the gospel as it was communicated by Paul: "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."
Jesus cautioned His disciples to avoid the "look at me" approach used by hypocrites who feel it is necessary to be seen with their doing. It is based in law, not faith. After all, faith is the evidence of that which is not seen. We walk by faith, not by sight. Anybody can perform outwardly and do good deeds ... and they don't have to be self-professed believers in Jesus to demonstrate something positive. Our motivation in Christ should be different than the self-righteous approach of boasting that desires to be seen. It's from a place of perfect love that God demonstrated to us through Jesus and it leaves us with nothing to prove outwardly for others to see or judge.
So ... what about this 'fruit stand' that church brands along the side of the road are always trying to advertise? Even as one of their steady customers, religious fruit inspectors may have cited you with having dead faith if 'your' fruit isn't being seen outwardly. That's not a very reassuring place to be—because how in the world will you know you've achieved success and that all is well in the faith department? After all, it's by grace through faith that one is saved.
Jewish people under law could display fruit that looks good outwardly. Wolves in sheep's clothing can do the same. People who don't believe in Jesus can also go full throttle when it comes to doing good works and showing compassion—faith is not required to feed and clothe people. Faith isn't dependent upon fruit that is seen in order to stay alive. But the God kind of faith—apart from the effort of works—is able to trust the Spirit of God from within to allow us to bear His fruit that He produces. It's better than our inconsistent attempts and keeps our boasting in Jesus instead of ourselves.
A common catchphrase that may get thrown around a lot goes something like: "Let's keep our eyes on Jesus." It's certainly good advice to be looking to Jesus ... but just exactly what does it mean? Ask this question to a group of believers or ministers and you're likely to get a variety of different answers. How does one fix their eyes upon Him and what does it involve on our end of things to accomplish it?
Don't fall for the assumptions that it involves daily duties and a commitment to certain works or religious activities. Contrary to law-based mindsets, faith is not perfected by our efforts or by what we do. Let's consider it is Jesus who is the author/originator of faith, and He is also the finisher and perfecter. We look at that which is not seen, walking by faith and not by sight ... not guided by the ups and downs of our performance and personal experience.
To a significant degree, Bible teaching consists of a perspective or opinion ... a point of view. You've probably noticed the seemingly infinite number of those different theories and expressions. Many times, one well-known church or pastor can express the polar opposite of another prominent—if not trendy—minister with a popular following. It becomes an academic or philosophical debate about things that are only spiritually discerned.
The viewpoints can often be traced back to narratives that were handed down from previous ideologies by those who came before us. When the narrative is embraced as the ultimate truth, it becomes the mission to fit the concepts into the boundaries of that narrative. It can also be the result of interpretation without context. Combining the old and new covenants may also be a contributing factor. Church groupies wander all over, looking for someone they can trust to give them answers and interpret the Bible for them.
Not everyone can be right, right? It can leave so many in a state of confusion. In this day of instant social media, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of it when trying to get answers. And for those who have encountered the gospel of grace and been freed from many burdensome and misguided doctrines with the help of God's Spirit ... how can we possibly begin to have a positive impact on so many others who are trapped in a system that touts various forms of legalism and religious bondage? Here's a hint: It doesn't start by trying to convince them to think like you do.
In his letters to Timothy, Paul talked about people with itching ears who would pursue myths and fables as they strayed from sound teaching. Have you ever had someone from the legalistic side of the fence make the accusation it is a reference to those 'hyper-grace radicals?'
So ... who are these people Paul mentions with mosquito bites on their ears? 🙂 Suffice it to say that it wasn't people who embraced unlimited and overflowing grace—but some might be surprised to discover it was quite the opposite.
In spite of whatever ups and downs you've had on this planet ... whatever inconsistencies and broken promises you've lived or experienced from others ... no matter what the struggles ... we have a guarantee. It's Jesus. While the religions of the world (often including Christianity) will tend to focus on 'our' doing, our methods, our efforts and our good deeds to be seen by others—God made an oath with Himself that you and I can't invalidate. Therefore, neither can He—because He is the one true Promise Keeper.
Behavior improvements are beneficial for us and those around us. But you are not identified by performance and what you're "doing for God." Our eternal redemption is not established on improvements but is based on 'being' perfect through an act that a Savior did for us. God will not relate to you on the basis of good or bad performance. On the other side of that coin, true peace and freedom will be more fully experienced when we stop relating to Him on the basis of our performance and begin to embrace our righteous identity that has been gifted to us by grace.
