Faith or Works: Which is it? (Gal 2:16, 19-21; Lk 7:36—8:3)

            Paul raises an interesting question in his letter to the Galatians.  In that letter, Paul claims outright that, “We who know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal 2:16).  This passage calls attention to an age-old debate about the role of works in relation to faith.  What role do faith and works have in God’s plan of salvation?  The answer depends in part on the role of faith, and also in part on what Paul means by works of the law. 

            With regard to the role of faith, we can understand faith in a passive sense as no more than an intellectual assent to the person of Jesus Christ and his offer of salvation.  Many passages in Scripture appear to support such an understanding.  The most famous is perhaps from John, who claims that, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life”(Jn 3:16).  Today’s gospel provides yet another example when Jesus says to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace" (Lk 7:50).  Passages such as these give no role to good works, and even suggest that, when it comes to salvation, faith in Jesus requires nothing further on our part.

            If we accept the idea that faith requires nothing beyond a passive assent to Christ, there would be no reason for his command to love God with our whole heart and to love others as ourselves. Jesus goes so far as to describe these two commandments as a summary of the entire Mosaic Law, and the greatest of all commandments.  With this, Jesus shows that love is the overarching moral principle and measure of all human action.  He even equates himself with each of us as the proper object of love when he declares that, as long as you do anything for the least of my children, you do it for me (Mt 25:40). 

            The preeminence that Jesus gives to these two commandments demonstrates that love is not passive, and neither is faith.  Faith is more than a passive intellectual assent.  A Christian responds to God’s free gift of grace by having faith in Jesus AND living in the light of Christ by doing works of love (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 1:7; Gal 5:6).  This expected response on our part highlights the active sense of faith that James calls on in his letter to the ancient Israelites.  In that letter, James insists that we are to “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (1:22).

            This helps resolve the question of what Paul means by works of the law.  Paul better explains what he means in his letter to the Romans where he discusses the righteousness of Abraham. Paul knew that Abraham was faithful to the Law of Moses, but Paul describes Abraham as righteous not because of his works according to the Law, but because of his faith in God.  Paul means that Abraham kept the letter of the Law because he lived according to the spirit of the Law.  With this claim, Paul does not dismiss the necessity of following the Law of God.  Rather, he means to show that no one is saved by adherence to the letter of the law, that is, by works of the law, without also living according to the spirit of the law (Rm 4:1-14). 

            This was the fundamental error of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day.  They had deluded themselves into thinking they were righteous because they kept the letter of the Law, when in reality they were not righteous because they did not keep the spirit of the Law.  Their self-deception and hypocritical works of the law motivated Jesus to call for a “righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees” (Mt 5:20-26). Jesus called the people of his day—as much as he calls us today—to follow the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of the world. Faith on these terms is a matter of living a righteous life in a vibrant, dynamic, trusting relationship with God that gives mercy and compassion priority over ritual and custom as a guide for behavior.  Faith on these terms means doing the Word of God.      

             Jesus left us with many examples of how to be doers of the Word.  At the top of the list is perhaps the Sermon on the Mount where we learn the attitude of Jesus. The parable of the sheep and the goats is another example where we learn to recognize Jesus in others, especially in the least of his children.  In each case, the details are left up to us.  Each of us decides how to feed the hungry, how to clothe the naked, how to visit the sick and the imprisoned.  By following the example of Jesus, however, we learn how to promote justice, how to be peacemakers, how to show mercy, how to love.  These are the good works that faith inspires us to do. 

            Jesus doesn’t promise an easy time of it, nor does he promise an easy way to interpret his message.  Jesus shows us the truth and the way, and doesn’t ask us to do anything that he has not already done.  Jesus calls us to follow him by taking up our cross every day in a spirit of self-denial and a life lived for others.  With the Lord as our Shepherd and the Holy Spirit as our Guide, there is no better way to put it—faith in God is a matter of doing good works.