Justification by Faith

but Where are the Works?

When anyone suggests or even implies that salvation can be achieved through human works, and usually works of the humanitarian variety, many come running to defend the truth that faith in Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to eternal life. That is a Biblical battle that always must be fought with conviction as well as humility. But what is curious and disturbing to me is the way in which many use some preamble that usually goes along lines like this:

“Now I agree the church should feed the hungry, care for the orphans, and meet the needs of the widows.”

After that we launch into our “justification by faith” treatise which is infinitely easier to prove than it is to obey the humanitarian commandments of the New Testament. In fact, we agree that we should take care of the orphans and widows and then we do not. Get it? We offer a disclaimer so that no one can accuse us of not believing the New Testament as it concerns ministering to the earthly needs of people, and then we do not do it. And please do not cite some pitiful ministry that centers around some food bank and claim we are passionately seeking to meet the needs of people around the world. But let someone focus on those needs and our doctrinal energies seem boundless.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

We have a duty, and yes a commandment from Christ, to seek out the poor and minister to them in earthly things as well as the gospel. But western believers live in comparable opulence while much of the world goes without the basic necessities of life. And yet we are such staunch defenders of certain doctrines while we stand naked and indicted concerning the obvious calling of our Lord to help people.
Works without faith are useless, but faith without works is dead. And by works we cannot feel comfortable with avoiding smoking, drinking, adultery, stealing, or all the usual sin suspects. What about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, and being consumed with helping the downtrodden and the impoverished around us? And curious enough, are not those the things that Jesus found lacking in the goats as He separated them?
The next time you see someone defend the doctrine of justification by faith while he also acknowledges our responsibility to minister to the poor, remind him of how disgraceful are our efforts to obey what we claim we believe. We seem to believe on Jesus and fall short of believing what Jesus said.