Does right standing lead to right action or does right action lead to right standing? It may seem like “word salad” but does order matter? Are they the same thing, just placed in different order? Or is there a difference?
Another way to think about this is whether right actions flow from right relationship with Christ or do right actions actually put one in right relationship with Christ.
If our focus is on right actions, there may be that tendency to draw up lists that seek to “tip the scales” in our favour by including those things which we think may put us in better standing and excluding those things which might not bode very well for us. Some might label the latter as the “sins of omission.”
Jesus addressed such reasoning in Matthew 23:23-24 (and elsewhere): “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
The Pharisees just couldn’t see it, or maybe they were unwilling to acknowledge it, even when it was pointed out to them. I suppose that if faith issues are relegated to actions only, the tendency may be for us to become the determiner of what is acceptable or not. We may even seek to draw comparisons with those who are doing what we deem acceptable with those who are not. Either way it becomes a losing proposition in our lives.
The apostle Paul hits the nail on the head. “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” That’s just it, isn’t it? If I can earn God’s favour by the things that I do, then the focus must then be on myself. Surely I ought then to be able to step back and admire my accomplishments. Are there no grounds for boasting in my goodness?
The answer is really no. You can’t have it both ways. Salvation is a gift from God. It can’t be earned through the things we do or maybe don’t do. It’s based solely on the merits of Jesus Christ, not on us. This should ease the “tyranny of oughtness,” trying to somehow appease by the activities or actions of our lives.
But the only caveat in all this is that it is a gift that must be received “by faith”. Salvation is freely given to those who will receive it by faith. Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves, no matter how hard we try.
So back to the question: Does right standing lead to right action or does right action lead to right standing? How would you answer that for yourself?
Blessings!
“God’s Quill: Crafting Your Story” https://bit.ly/4irLYDP
Hmmm, rather tricky!! IMHO, accepting God by faith must come first and that makes one WANT to do good actions which express our thanks for what God has done for us. Have a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.:-))