Who Done It?- A Murder Mystery
I saw a local showing of the play "Dial M for Murder" today. Perhaps it was subconscious preparation for this blog post. "Why?" you ask (and probably a bit nervously, too.) Well, I have introduced you to faith and works and shown you the relationship between the two. Now, in a surprising plot twist, we learn-- faith is dead! And, as in any good murder mystery, it all comes down to two important questions: Who done it and why?
I'll give you a hint. It wasn't Mrs. White in the pool house with a lawn gnome, although she always was the most suspicious looking character if you ask me. No, this killing is a lot more complex than a lawn gnome would entail. The true issue isn't what the motive was, but that there isn't any motive at all.
Just as a police inspector or paramedic might feel the pulse of a murder victim to see if they are still alive, "works" are the test of the health of our faith. When we hear the verse "Faith without works is dead," we have a tendency to believe that faith is dead because of a lack of works. I don't believe this is what the verse means.
A person without a pulse is dead. Faith without works is dead. See the parallel?
The reverse is also true. You need a healthy living body to sustain a pulse. You also need healthy faith to sustain good works. As much as we like to think we act with our heads, in truth, we act largely with our hearts. We may say we believe in God, even that we have faith in his promises, but if our entire heart is not invested in our belief, than we will not be able to keep from being corrupted by the world and it's lies about how we should act and what we should do. Our faith may still be there, but it is only a corpse.
Perhaps this is what Jesus was thinking of when He said, "If you love me, keep my commands" (John 14:15). If we love God, and I mean honestly love him, not just say it, than keeping his commands should not be a burden to us, but an honor and a source of joy. Any faith that is already weak will be strangled by the obligation and duty of "keeping commands."
As a society, we tend to focus a lot on works. College applications, resumes, and social media are all concerned with what you've done, not what you believe. A picture with that poor kid or an essay about the struggle you faced in starting that not-for-profit may look nice, but if your faith is dead, your good deeds will simply not be sustainable.
There will come a day when you no longer have the strength to face another morning in the office, another hungry child in the street, or another "do good" task met with no thanks. The question is, when you reach breaking point, will you find your faith ready to carry forward, or will you learn the hard way that it is long dead and has simply been weighing you down?
I'll give you a hint. It wasn't Mrs. White in the pool house with a lawn gnome, although she always was the most suspicious looking character if you ask me. No, this killing is a lot more complex than a lawn gnome would entail. The true issue isn't what the motive was, but that there isn't any motive at all.
Just as a police inspector or paramedic might feel the pulse of a murder victim to see if they are still alive, "works" are the test of the health of our faith. When we hear the verse "Faith without works is dead," we have a tendency to believe that faith is dead because of a lack of works. I don't believe this is what the verse means.
A person without a pulse is dead. Faith without works is dead. See the parallel?
The reverse is also true. You need a healthy living body to sustain a pulse. You also need healthy faith to sustain good works. As much as we like to think we act with our heads, in truth, we act largely with our hearts. We may say we believe in God, even that we have faith in his promises, but if our entire heart is not invested in our belief, than we will not be able to keep from being corrupted by the world and it's lies about how we should act and what we should do. Our faith may still be there, but it is only a corpse.
Perhaps this is what Jesus was thinking of when He said, "If you love me, keep my commands" (John 14:15). If we love God, and I mean honestly love him, not just say it, than keeping his commands should not be a burden to us, but an honor and a source of joy. Any faith that is already weak will be strangled by the obligation and duty of "keeping commands."
As a society, we tend to focus a lot on works. College applications, resumes, and social media are all concerned with what you've done, not what you believe. A picture with that poor kid or an essay about the struggle you faced in starting that not-for-profit may look nice, but if your faith is dead, your good deeds will simply not be sustainable.
There will come a day when you no longer have the strength to face another morning in the office, another hungry child in the street, or another "do good" task met with no thanks. The question is, when you reach breaking point, will you find your faith ready to carry forward, or will you learn the hard way that it is long dead and has simply been weighing you down?
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