Faith Without Works is Like a Screen Door on a Submarine

I am deeply saddened by the death of a dear friend to brain cancer on Wednesday morning. Yet another victim to a disease that I tend to believe is, basically, man-made. But it’s not that he was a victim that saddens me. It’s the loss of his presence on this earth. Here was a man who cared deeply, loved deeply, lived deeply. He was a giver from the heart, he was honest. He certainly had his faults, like all of us. But how his soul lived was evident in his actions, speech and life at large. I want my soul to live on the outside like that.

I am also saddened and annoyed by one of his co-workers who had the audacity to tell me that my friend was now in hell. My friend was part of the wrong church, this co-worker claimed. A church, he said, that the Bible clearly states does all the wrong things and preaches all the wrong stuff.  He claimed to know exactly what my friend believed and that the fact that my friend was afraid to die (though I doubt he was anywhere near my friend in the very last days of his life to have heard my friend say so), was proof that he was not sure of where he was going which, in this co-worker’s reasoning, meant he was definitely not going to heaven. And, of course, this co-worker has no fear of dying because he is absolutely certain he knows where he will go after he dies.

It wasn’t so much his lack of compassion or kindness, yes heartlessness, that threw me. I was in shock and taken off guard that he could be so outspoken and adamant, speaking as a chosen authority.  We were heading home from an event, standing by our cars when this ‘conversation’ occurred. It had been 13 hours since I left the house in the morning. I was more than ready to get home. So rather than get into a match, I said, half-jokingly, “Well, isn’t it a good thing God has placed a judge on earth because He surely cannot judge all alone. Thanks so much.”

What I wanted to say was, “First of all, God judges the heart. And since we’re not connected enough to know our own hearts, how can we possibly judge another’s? Second, I recall a story in the Bible about the last judgment scene. And there is the Lord, with some on His left and some on His right. And to those on one side (ummm…the right side, I think….) He says,  ‘you saw me hungry fed me, and widowed & orphaned and took care of me, and in prison & visited me, and homeless & clothed me, yes you may enter the Kingdom of heaven. They say, Lord when did we see you as such and do those things, and He said as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me. And to those on the left He says, you saw me as hungry, widowed, orphaned, etc and did not do those things for the same reason – as you did not do it to the least of these you did not do it to me, so get away from here.’….Oh, nuts, I have to get my Bible out to get the exact verbage & since it’s 3:39 a.m.  & the  alarm will sound in 70 minutes, I will not even look online for the correct words; but my paraphrase is not too far off.  I have never seen the words, if you are in the right church & you believe, you will get into heaven regardless of any attitudes, of any work done or not done, of any bad stuff you’ve done, and regardless of what’s in you heart."

Some people build their entire salvation theology on the verse that says, “By faith you were saved through Grace.”  And that’s that. Faith. I’ve got faith, they say. That’s all I need &, by golly, I’m goin’ to heaven.  Like this co-worker, is what I’m thinkin’. But those people never quote, “Faith without works is dead.” Hmmm…Doesn’t that sound like if there is a way for your faith to die, you might not make it through those heavenly gates? Sounds a bit circular, you know?

My point is, none of us really knows. I don’t give a hoot what your church preaches or what latest theologian on the Bible says, or which few verses you pull out. We are ALL created in His image and He desires for us ALL to spend eternity with Him, and He is ALL mercy & forgiveness while He is also the FINAL (and only) judge.

I’ve struggled not to judge this co-worker of my friend. Lest I be like him. And, of course, lest I be judged.  But it’s tough.

By the way, the title of this blog is from a song I just love because it paints a great picture. And  which, as my family will verify, I typically know one or two line of only and certainly not the artist!

August 20, 2010

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