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Faith and Works: Understanding the Connection

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Our works, that is our actions in everyday life, is a byproduct of our faith. We are moved by faith.

Many of us have tried to show we had faith through our actions – our good works, but felt unsuccessful and discouraged when we grew tired. This was because we were confusing the cause with the effect.

Think of salvation like a sailboat. God’s grace and promises are the wind — already blowing, already available. Our faith is like raising the sail. Once the sail is truly raised, the boat must move — not by paddling or effort, but because the wind carries it.

That movement of the boat is what we call works — the natural result, not the cause, of salvation. So, when someone says they have faith but there’s no movement — no change, no obedience, no fruit — it’s like saying their sail is raised but the boat isn’t moving. That’s impossible if the wind is real and the sail is truly up.

The book of James says, “Faith without works is dead.” He’s not saying our works save us, but rather, true faith always creates movement. 

Tetelestai Recovery

The Great Exchange

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The work of Christ was miraculous and supernatural. His wholeness could not be explained or understood. What was broken became whole and what was missing began to appear. The void was no longer an empty vacuum demanding to be filled. We had living water to relieve the spiritual thirst which once drove us to the bottle. We derived pleasure and relief from the intoxication of the Holy Spirit which far exceeded the effects and duration of our former chemical concoctions.

As we received this shalom of our Savior and trusted that He refused to leave us broken or misplaced, we understood that this was what scripture defines as the gift of salvation.

We are not the broken people we once were. We need not fear that anyone will discover our inadequacies, for we have everything that we need. The proof is not always there, but the truth is. We bring our faith and our doubts to Him, and in return, He offers us shalom.

We enter a new realm of confidence in Christ. To our brokenness and emptiness, a strong clear voice declares from the cross and echoes into our void, “Tetelestai!”

Tetelestai Recovery, Chapter 6 Shalom https://a.co/d/fa0vnYg