Christian writers and denominations variously emphasize different religious ideas. ”Are we justified by faith or by works,” etc…..
In being a person of faith, we don’t get to choose whether the principles of faith are applicable in our lives. Just as we don’t choose whether gravity affects our physical movement or whether we need oxygen to survive, we don’t get to choose whether being faithful is contingent upon growing in “love your neighbor,” whether we should live the ten commandments, if we should develop our prayer lives, etc.
While we don’t get to choose whether truths of faith are applicable in our lives, it’s interesting to ponder how we engage with these ideas. Right now, for example, I’m reading L. Gregory Jones’ book Embodying Forgiveness (an important read!). He states in the book’s early pages that we can only receive God’s grace through learning to forgive (that’s how I read what he said, anyway). Yes, forgiveness is a nonnegotiable, important practice and we receive grace by forgiving others (“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive….”). With that said, I have experienced God’s grace in a situation unrelated to forgiveness (I tell that story here). Just because I’ve experienced God’s loving grace in a situation other than one of forgiveness -seemingly at odds with what I read – doesn’t mean that I don’t accept the need to forgive others in order to be in good relationship with God and with the people around me.
As for the question of whether we are justified by faith or by good works, I accept my denomination’s argument that we are justified by faith. There are people who do good works without being a person of faith – but one cannot be truly faithful without performing good deeds. A faithful life calls us to care for other people (i.e., “faith without works is dead”).
Some faith precepts “get our attention” at different times in our lives (and in different ways). That’s okay. Engaging with the faith principles that reach us at any given time will lead us in “continuous conversion.” “The first work of the Holy Spirit is conversion. Moved by grace, man turns towards God…..(CCC#1989).” As long as we are engaged in growing in faith – with a healthy level of discipline – we are moving forward (I am drawn to the idea of continuous conversion!). What matters most – I think – is that we allow God to direct us in the direction(s) God wants us to go. When dry periods in our faith experience come along – and they do – we must simply continue trying to grow in faith. Even John of the Cross (my second-favorite mystic, after Teresa of Avila with whom he worked) wrote of seemingly dry periods (he said to continuing praying even when prayer seems dry – or dark; he rightly said that we’ll see afterward that God has worked within us during dry/dark periods of prayer, even if we didn’t see it at the time).
Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist and The Books of the Ages (and a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers). If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog, please share it with them (thank you!). You can also support this blog by clicking here when you are going to shop on Amazon (that lands A Parish Catechist a commission on Amazon sales).
