Thomas Watson writes:

The bare knowledge of God’s will is inefficacious, it doth not better the heart. Knowledge alone is like a winter sun, which hath no heat or influence; it doth not warm the affections, or purify the conscience. Judas was a great luminary, he knew God’s will, but he was a traitor.

I know I write about this a lot. But I suppose it’s a topic you can’t quite say enough about.

As much as I love God’s word, and I love to study it and encourage other people to study it, getting God’s word—on it’s own—it’s not enough. We have to believe it, and do it.

Watson’s analogy is well received. Knowledge alone is like winter’s sun, which makes things bright, but no necessarily warm.

After a long weekend of shooting weddings, I came to the end of the day, exhausted, and realized that I hadn’t written a post yet, nor did I have too much inspiration to do so. So, I cracked open my copy of A Puritan Golden Treasury. A collection of brief quotations from famous puritan authors on all sorts of topics.

I read through a few of them before I stumbled on one that I really very much liked. Thomas Watson writes this:

“That which the saints scarce take notice of in themselves, God in a special manner observes. "I was hungered and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink. Then shall the righteous say, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered and fed thee?” (Matt 25:35). They as it were overlooked and disclaimed their own works of charity, but Christ takes notice of them.”

I thought this was an interesting perspective.

Christians are well accustomed to debasing themselves. After all, we are sinners, and indeed there isn’t a drop of blood in our veins deserving of God’s love, although he gives it anyway.

But, I think this often bleeds beyond its limits and we forget that God’s Holy Spirit dwells in us. A fact that implies that we will do good things. And, although we may fail to see that good God is working in us, we can be sure that Jesus is taking very particular note of it.

I find that to be encouraging.

I’ve been thinking over this verse for a couple of days now. I’m not sure why, I’ve probably read it a hundred times. I guess it’s just resting on me with some fresh reflection. James 1:12:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Although it’s phrased funny, the verse is in perfect sync with the rest of James’ message, and the whole bible for that matter.

James stresses that faith and works are not mutually exclusive elements, of which a Christian may hold one or the other. Rather, they are two ends of the same thing, which every true Christian will exhibit, if in fact they are true.

What’s so weird about this verse is that it would seem to reverse that message. Saying ‘remain steadfast so that you’ll receive the crown of life’. But James continues, explaining that the ‘crown of life’ is something that has been promised to those who love God.

How could the ‘crown of life’ be a reward for fulfilled duty and promised to those with earnest love for God? Simple, I suppose: Steadfastness is not the condition. Love is the condition for which the promise is given, while steadfastness is the symptom of that love.

Since I became a Christian, one verse has always stuck out to me as strange and even somewhat comical. The verse in mind is Proverbs 26:13:

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
  There is a lion in the streets!”

Like much of Proverbs, this is just one in a long line of punchy, biblical one-liners of wisdom. So the context doesn’t do much to explain this verses meaning. So, when you read all on its own, it sounds, well, a little nuts.

But, recently I’ve come to find this has quite a lot of meaning to me.

I often make excuses not to do the difficult things I want to do, or should do, or need to do. Instead, inaction is vindicated by pointing out all the dangers along the path ahead of me. Of course, the actions are not truly vindicated—I’m left as a ‘sluggard’ for my inaction.

I think it’s interesting that this verse doesn’t make any commands. It only points out that making excuses makes us something we don’t want to be. And what’s worse, really?

James 2:14-19:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

If there’s a set of verses most serious Christians are familiar with, it’s this one. James warning that our faith is not genuine when it doesn’t exhibit faith should be a shrill ring in people’s ear.

The question is often brought up (usually as a means to avoid the scripture) what constitutes "works".

James actually answers that pretty clear in the next couple verses.

James 2:21:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

If you remember the story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac, you’ll remember that God commanded Abraham to do that. It was test, and God sent an angel to stop him just before it happened. James’ example of works isn’t one of showing hospitality, or generosity, or mercy. It’s actually simpler. It’s simply of someone obeying God. That was his work.

So, what are "works?" Whatever God has commanded. If you boil it down far enough, we find that James is saying that a Person’s "faith" is not faith at all, unless their lives actually look like Christian lives.