In April 1988, the evening news reported on a photographer who was a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the group as they fell and opened their parachutes.

On the film shown on the telecast, as the final skydiver opened his chute, the picture went berserk.

The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without his parachute. It wasn't until he reached for the absent ripcord that he realized he was freefalling without a parachute.

Until that point, the jump probably seemed exciting and fun. But tragically, he had acted with thoughtless haste and deadly foolishness. Nothing could save him, for his faith was in a parachute never buckled on. [show less]

Whether or not you have faith, you’ve probably heard about Christians. Maybe you’ve had a relative who was a Christian, or heard a street preacher who claimed to be religious. But believe it or not, being a Christian is not primarily about having certain views and opinions about certain issues.

According to the holy bible, Christian faith is about life and death. That is, eternal life and eternal death. Embarking on a journey of faith means ‘crossing over’ from death to life (John 5:24).

It means renewal. A transformation from what you were to what you will be. This renewal is called “salvation”. And it’s serious business. Hundreds of years ago, the apostle Paul admonished the members of the church in the ancient city of Philippi to ‘work out [their] salvation with fear and trembling’. Graphic terminology, don’t you think?

Just Another Philosophy?
Think of what you know about world religions. Non-Christian religions invariably present renewal and salvation as very sober business. Most religions demand intense work and sacrifice—often a lifelong process of concentrated prayer and meditation.
Orthodox Buddhism speaks of the eightfold path—a way of life consisting of eight steps of self-discipline to eliminate all earthly desires. Great self-control and multiple lifetimes are required to reach perfection.
The strict Jew observes a long list of prescribed practices in all domains of life in order to attain acceptance from God.
Islam points to five pillars. Any follower of Allah and the prophet must carefully observe five daily prayer times, the giving of alms and at least one pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca, among other duties if they wish to arrive in paradise.
Indeed most non-christian religions offer a system of deliverance through human works. So you’re asking yourself – isn’t Christianity the same way? Is it any different? Shouldn’t it be?

Before we answer, maybe we should ask another question. What is the core teaching of the Christian faith? The apostle Paul said that ‘Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe …’ (Romans 3:22-24).

According to this, renewal comes by believing – or in other words, having faith. So why ever do so many Christians seem to be frantically working to “get saved” by what they can bring to the table?

A Little History
Ever heard of Simeon Stylites? He was the man who spent 36 years on the top of a 20-metre pillar, preaching to the passers-by, before his death in 459 AD. Extreme example? Yes, but it doesn’t take long to find lots of people who spent their entire life in acts of mortification, often in total isolation, if you’re willing to read a little history. There have always been Christians who believed a rigid regime of spiritual discipline would earn them brownie points with God.

Even Roman Catholicism traditionally stressed good works as a necessary condition to salvation. Ironically, many protestants who say they believe in salvation though grace, often also focus on a strict observance of rites and rituals. In other words just about every belief system, including Christianity, has at some point suggested that eternal destiny depends on the merits of their actions alone.

But history tells us that one of the greatest revolutions during the rise of Protestantism centred on the principle of salvation by faith alone . Theologians such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli maintained that spiritual renewal and saving can only be achieved by faith, like the apostle Paul taught (see NOTES below).

Faith vs. Action
If what you do truly cannot determine your destiny, why do Christians disagree so hotly about faith vs. works? Why do they often agree with their lips that they are saved by faith alone, but practice something else?

Answer: Because other texts in the Bible seem to discuss the opposite side of the coin.

You see, the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians affirming that everyone who makes it to heaven will get there because of their faith, and not by good deeds. Then immediately afterward he adds: ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works’ (2:10).

The apostle James states it even more plainly: ‘What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?’ (2:10) A few lines later, James asserts that if someone claims to have ‘saving’ faith, they will exhibit that faith ‘by what I do’ (2:18).

Contradiction? Maybe. But maybe not. . . Besides, what is it worth if everything sits on the surface and you never have to wrestle your head around it? Is this a time where you can call the Bible to defend totally opposing viewpoints? Not really.

If you dig deeper, the contradiction is only apparent. James doesn’t claim that he is actually saved by what he does himself, in his own power. He only emphasizes that genuine faith manifests itself openly in what you do. Faith gives direction to what you do and leads you to make conscious choices.

‘Works’ aren’t the condition of salvation, they are the fruits of having been saved. Finish the concept we were reading in Ephesians 2. It says we cannot claim any personal credit for the ‘good works’ that we are ‘created to do’.

Ultimately, it is not what we do through our own volition and perseverance. ‘God prepared’ these actions for us (Eph. 2:10). Another text underlines this even better: ‘It is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose’ (Philppians 2:13).

Something Unique
Unlike most world religions, this makes Christianity stand out. Renewal and salvation depend on what God does for us and not on what we attempt in return. Of course, God hopes we’ll show our gratitude by our loyalty and adherence to the guidelines He has provided for a happy and satisfactory life. But if we depended on what we ourselves can do, we’d never meet the minimum requirements. Good works won’t ever cancel out fundamental sinfulness.

So in the end, Christianity’s basis can be summed up in one of the best known texts from the Bible: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).

Faith Alone: Enough?
Yet, something needs to be added. Are you sure you have the right understanding of what ‘believe’ and ‘faith’ mean.

Some define ‘faith’ primarily in intellectual terms. They say, having faith means believe in the existence of God. Of course, Christian faith does accept the existence of a Creator-God. The ancient holy bible states that any who come to God ‘must believe that he exists’ (Hebrews 11:6).

But is that itself enough? Even the devil, Lucifer, the source of evil – even he believes that God exists (James 2:19). But has that faith made Lucifer into a good and kind creature? Obviously not!

Faith, then, has got to be more than intellectual assent. Faith that brings salvation is trusting faith. ‘Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe’ (Proverbs 29:25).

Faith That Burns
Faith isn’t based on scientific evidence, or on what I can verify with my senses. The kind of faith that really makes a difference is something else.

Do you have faith that fire is hot? Of course you do, because at some point you got burned a little bit and you realized that fire = hot = blister = hurt! But if you’d never seen a fire in your life, and you read about fire in the dictionary, you might still have faith that fire is hot. Why? Because you accepted it intellectually based on your faith in the dictionary.

That’s the way lots of people have faith in God. They’ve heard about him somewhere, so they nod their heads and say, “Sure, I believe in God.” And it never changes one thing about how they live or who they are.

That’s the dictionary version of understanding fire.

Until you’ve been a little burned, and you’ve grasped completely that fire = hot, your faith in the dictionary is all in your head. After you get a blister, well, then your faith is real. Why?

Because that kind of faith changes how you live.

After you get burned, then next time you don’t stick your hand into the flame, right? Why not? Because your belief in the fire has changed your action and your lifestyle.

Same with Christian faith. Until it changes who you are and how you make choices, its hollow and empty.

Authentic faith is ‘being sure’— deep down — of ‘what we hope for’ and being ‘certain of what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1). This kind of faith develops out of a relationship, a surrender, a commitment, an inner attachment to God. [show less]

What does salvation mean to you personally?

Do you feel forced or free to do good things? How do you feel about the balance between accepting salvation as a free gift and obeying God out of love?

Do you ever find yourself working to be a better person or to do good things? Are your motives to gain merit with something – karma, God, etc?

What kind of things do you have faith in? How do they relate to your friendship with God? [show less]

Will you accept God’s free gift of salvation as your own? What will you do this week to show God that you appreciate Him?

Dear God,
Thank you for all that you have done to deal with sin. Thank you that you have taken the initiative in dealing with it. Thank you for the freedom that you offer me from the consequences of sin – help me to accept that freedom. AMEN.

Does the Apostle Paul leave any doubt about the role of faith in salvation? He wrote to the Ephesian believers: "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves: it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no man should boast” (2:8-9). And from this follows that, ‘since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1).

Read Matthew 25:31-46. [show less]

re:tell:Unknown. http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/faith.htm. 10, April 2006.