Faith and Works
“Faith, like hope and love, is a person’s internal state; it is essential that it be manifested in his behavior and works. The Lord Himself asks, “How can you say that you love God, but hate your brother?” How can we say that we have hope in the general resurrection, the mercy of God and eternal life, while we ourselves go around despondent and exhausted by temporary sorrows and misfortunes experienced in our vanity-filled lives? How can we say, “I believe, O Lord; but we do not need Your providential activity for our salvation, we do not need repentance, we do not need the Commandments. I believe in You, but just don’t approach me, don’t enter into me in the Eucharistic Mystery!” It was precisely this delusion that the Apostle James had in mind when he wrote his Epistle, whose meaning can be briefly summarized in the powerful phrase “faith without works is dead.” Thus, if faith is alive in us, it must be manifested in our lives; the soul’s striving toward God must be an actual striving, an activity and not just a declaration.” (Priest Nikolai Kim)
“The virtues of faith, hope, and love are matters of the heart and so we might think that they are invisible. But spiritual things can be seen by their effects… To be sure, the gift of faith that is internal and “personal.” But…it is not invisible. Faith manifests itself in the works of love and mercy, hope and peace. It is a light in the heart that shines outward in what we say and do and how we live. Indeed, the Lord confirms His gift of faith in us by the fruit of the Spirit that it bears. Those with spiritual discernment can “see” these good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).” (Fr. Basil)
“…as God’s covenant people became restructured around faithfulness to Christ, the path to Paradise became opened to all. This, in turn, made it possible for the entire world, not only Israel, to become Edenic. St. Paul’s great epistolary treatises on justification by faith in Romans and Galatians makes this point. Paul does not say, “Hey, the way to get to heaven has changed from outward actions (works) to an inner state (faith).” Rather, Paul proclaims that the boundary markers for the covenant are being restructured around Christ, with the consequence that the gates of Eden are now open to all.” (Robin Phillips)
“…a tiny pinch of yeast doubles the size of a batch of dough. According to Laurel’s Kitchen, “as the yeasties multiply, feeding on sugars in the dough, they make carbon dioxide bubbles . . . and will flourish if we but respect their simple needs.” Even Laurel’s humble “yeasties” may serve as an icon of the workings of the Holy Spirit of God, who flourishes in our shrunken hearts and enlarges them to give them life. Yeast, as it turns out, is very sensitive to temperature, preferring a gentle warmth. In like manner the Spirit of God works most powerfully in hearts that hold a gentle warmth toward our Lord Jesus Christ. A right faith in our Lord is the essential precondition for receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. Without faith in Jesus our Lord, not even our good works will make us receptive to the leavening power of the Spirit. Our hearts will remain shriveled and cold.” (Dynamis 12/9/2023)
“Here are three examples of the relationship between faith and works. (1) Mastery over speech: What proceeds out of the mouth flows from the heart, for sooner or later our tongue will reveal the quality of our faith in God. (2) Ministry to the needy: Faithful Christians must be the guardians of the poor, especially of those orphans and widows who have lost their natural guardians. “Do not let the widows be neglected; after the Lord, you must be their guardian” (3) Moral purity in thought and deed: A traditional indicator of a working faith.” (Orthodox Study Bible, James 1:26-27, St. Ignatius of Antioch)
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