Sunday, December 4, 2011

“FAITH IN ACTION”

I've just returned from a visit in the South. I was impressed with all the signs along the roads which say, "the only way to heaven is through Jesus." What do these signs really mean? Do the people who post these signs just want to tell the world of their beliefs? Or are those people telling us why they act as they do? Or perhaps are they telling us how we all should act?

According to John 14:6, Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” What might the “only way” or “except through me” mean? What action might this require? Just how should we act?

Here's one answer to those questions. In John 14:12, Jesus says, “...anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” And in John 14:15, he says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Interpolating the “greatest commandment,” (Matthew 22:34-40) it would appear that the “only way to heaven” is to love God with your whole heart, and your neighbor as yourself.

I'm reminded of the words of James 1:27, wherein he says: “Religion that God our Father accepts as sure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” For me, this passage restates Jesus' calls to action in John 14:12. James continues, in 2:15-26: “...faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead.” In other words, your actions display your beliefs.

Charles Dickens' classic, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, illustrates this point well. Ebenezer Scrooge initially appears as a stingy businessman, who has no love for his fellow citizens, and no place for kindness or charity in his life. As the story unfolds, he becomes aware of who and what he is, and where this might take him. At the story's end, he has changed his beliefs, and (consequently) he has changed his actions. He has been transformed into a generous and joyous man who takes great interest in his employees and neighbors.

Although Dickens' story is not about religious faith per se, it clearly represents the “action” portion of the James text. Dickens underscores the importance of loving your neighbor as yourself. Not surprisingly, both Judaism and Islam (and other religions) also teach their adherents to care for widows and orphans and protect themselves from the evils of this world. They're doing what Jesus called, “doing what I have been doing.” Doesn't this go a long way toward getting them to the Father too? I hope so.

I wonder if those road signs might carry a clearer message if they read, “the only way to heaven is through loving God with your whole heart, and loving your neighbor as yourself.” I wonder.