"Works that Produce Perfection", originally dated 6-5-1994
"Whenever you speak of faith and works and how they relate to our salvation, confusion arises because it's difficult sometimes to determine, or gain a sense of balance, between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Let's first agree together that salvation is by grace, and grace alone (Ephesians 2:8,9).
Psalm 91: 15 says, 'He shall call upon me, and I will answer...'. Isaiah 58:9 says, 'The shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, "Here I am..."'. These scriptures, along with others (Luke 11:9; John 15:7; I Chronicles 16:11; Matthew 7:7; James 5:13;), point us to a good understanding of the expression, 'Without Him we cannot; without us He will not.'
There are those who start in faith, and finish saying, 'Lord, I'll take it from here.' They begin committed to launching a successful campaign to work the works of God, then they become thwarted by the pointlessness, boredom, neglect, disenchantment, etc. You fill in your favorite point of defeat or failure. It seems obvious that God has set himself to show forth His glory and release His purposes through us, the church. It's for just that reason we study concerning our faithful Father's commitment to works, as well as faith. They go hand in hand.
Listed below are practical areas of concern:
1. Our prayer life and how it relates to works (James 4:1-4, 5:13-18): It produces direction and destiny
2. Our sin and temptation and how they relate to works (James 1:12-15): It produces holiness and victory
3. Our wisdom and how it relates to works (James 3:13-18): It produces feet on the ground, not foot in the mouth
4. Our riches and how they relate to works (James 5:18): It produces a release of kingdom finances
5. Ourselves and how we relate to works (James 1 & 2:22): It produces completion of our faith
6. Our relationships and how they relate to works (James 2): It produces health and blessings in committed relationships
7. Our tongue and how it relates to works (James 3): It produces sweet water and a flow of life
James 2:22 - 'Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect (to complete or fulfill)?' There are many references to the perfection and completion of our faith, and the following are only a few, by no means an exhaustive list. The completion of our faith comes: (1) Through patience - James 1:4; (2) Through works - James 2:22; (3) Through the Word - II Timothy 3:17, 18; (4) Through prayer - I Thessalonians 3:16; (5) Through Love - I John 4:15-18."
Ron Mehl