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Danville Enlightener VOL. IX, No. 2
Tale of Two Men“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (Jas 2:20). This is a tale of two men. Joe and Homer were close friends and had a lot in common. About the same age they both were married with children. Joe had a son and a daughter, Homer had two daughters and a son. Hard workers, both, they provided well for their families. Each had come from church-going families. They had grown up attending the church of Christ; Bible classes were part of their lives as long as they could remember. Baptized in their early teens they continued attending faithfully and both married high school sweethearts. Both families were members of the same local church of Christ. Many within the congregation knew it would be just a matter of time before these men would become elders. By all outward appearances Joe and Homer were men of faith. Here the similarities end! Joe probably had a better knowledge of the Bible. Homer did not seem to be able to quote Scripture as well as Joe and certainly his public prayers lacked the eloquence of the ones Joe would lead. But Joe also did something else Homer did not do – he lived the life of a hypocrite. He was attracted to pornography and often viewed videos he had secretly downloaded from the Internet. He would also lie to his wife when she suspected his involvement. At work he was known to use profanity when angered and he loved his risqué stories and occasional dirty joke. Although he taught against it, he would have a beer every now and then. Homer
did
none
of
this.
What
you
observed
in
Homer
at
worship
was
the
way
he
lived
when he was alone. Not only would Homer not tell risqué or dirty stories but those who knew him would never think of sharing one with him. The difference in these men is internal. Without a doubt the difference is manifested in their lives, but the difference is inside of each. That difference can be summed up in one word, faith. Homer is a man of faith and Joe has no faith. In the words of James, his faith is dead! If our faith does not transform our lives then it is no faith at all. “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,” (Jas 1:21-22). Joe knew the Bible but he had no faith. Oh, he may have believed in certain things; he may have even believed that there is a God, he might have believed in the church or in baptism, but it was a dead faith. It did not change his life. Soul saving faith is life changing. I often illustrate it this way. I might believe that the Square on the Hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides, and I do. But guess what? That belief does not make any difference to me or in me. It makes absolutely no impact upon me. On the other hand, if I believe that 5 + 5 = 10, then that belief controls my life, whether at the grocery, gas station, or where ever I give or receive money. Men and women of faith are not to just intellectually accept certain facts about Jesus, the church, etc. Faith is not only belief that He is – it is accepting and trusting all He says, and that will have a controlling influence upon one’s entire life. For example, when Abraham is mentioned in Heb 11 we are told: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, in Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense,” Heb 11:17-19). God had told Abraham that through Isaac he would have many descendants including the Messiah. However, now God was telling Abraham to kill Isaac. Abraham’s faith was so firm that even though he couldn’t understand how God would keep His promise, Abraham just knew that He would. That is faith! Abraham’s faith enabled him to carry out God’s command. I know he was stopped at the last moment, but he was willing to do what God said. God told Abraham, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me,” (Gen 22:12). His actions proved his faith! Take a moment and do a “faith-check.” How has your faith made a difference in your life? Do you just mentally accept certain biblical facts – or have you genuinely engrafted the word of God so as to change your every behavior? How has your faith managed your feelings about others? A believer will harbor no bitterness, hate, prejudice or ill-will? A believer will gladly forgive others. How has your faith managed your temper? Do you claim to be a person of faith and yet cannot control your anger or your tongue? A person of faith will be temperate. How has your faith made an impact upon your domestic life? A woman of faith will lovingly and willingly submit to the authority of her husband. A man of faith will love his wife as the Lord loves the church; |