Faith without works is dead (another picture-less post)

How many times have you heard the scripture "faith without works is dead"?  I know I've heard it hundreds of times. Maybe thousands. I have nodded my head in agreement. I have "amen"-ed. I have pondered it. I have wrestled with it. I have been confused by it. I have come to understand it. I have been confused by it again.

Sunday night, the East Rock family looked into Romans 2 together. Watch out! You who think you've got things all figured out. You religious. You "guides to the blind". God's judgement is for ALL sinners. The religious and the pagan. His salvation is, indeed, also for ALL sinners, if we will but let his kindness lead us to repentance, thus fulfilling its intention.

During this talk of judgement and the law and faith, that familiar verse from James 2 was referenced: Faith without works is dead. And all of a sudden, like a flash of light, it struck me as the most true and obvious fact in the world. I am always putting my faith in something, whether it be God, money, my husband, myself. And that faith is always followed by actions. If I have faith in money, and my husband says he wants to give away $14.00, my heart beats a little faster, and my mind tries to figure out how much that will set us back on our monthly budget, and my mouth says "Why would you do that?"

I had, all during the previous week, been struggling to understand the tension between salvation being only by grace through faith, and the reality that blessing comes when we obey God. It's not like I thought God should bless me even if do everything in obstinate disobedience to Him (or did I?), but I didn't understand how God could save me and sanctify me freely (on my part), yet demand obedience as part of the deal. I had been asking Him to help me understand this, and He answered that night (and in several other ways prior to that night---thought this seemed to be the turning point, sort of like Jacob's turning point after he wrestled with God all night and got a new name). When I have faith in __________, it Necessarily follows that my thoughts and actions will follow that faith. They just can't do anything otherwise. So, when I have faith in God, my whole self will follow Him totally. I believe Lord, help my unbelief!