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The Amish Voice 12
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Dear Friend,
I have been receiving your publication,
The
Amish Voice
, for some time. Your publication
has a lot to say about justification through
faith only. This last one’s title was “The
Fivefold Appeal to be Justified by Faith
Alone.” In reading Hebrews chapter 11,
the old patriarchs or elders through faith
obtained a good report (verse 2). Ironically, it (the good
report) came about through the works they did through that faith. Noah in
verse 7 says, “By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house by the which he
condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith.” How do we know he had faith? I believe it is because of his works
that we know he had faith, and the two together need to be evident.
So it also needs to be in our lives. What would have happened if Moses
would have refused to hold his staff out over the water they had just gone
through? Would his faith in being saved from the Egyptians been sufficient
to same them and also have the enemy destroyed? Hebrews 11:30 says,
“The walls of Jericho fell down by faith after they were compassed about
seven days.” Suppose they had walked around only six times, or not even
once! A Christian’s life will have evidence of both.
Faith is trusting and believing in something without the proof of it being
happened. We all have, with God’s help, “an ark” to build to save us and
our house from the wrath of God to come. And that will take faith and
works to accomplish. No, I will never work my way into heaven by my
fallible attempts. Without trusting and believing in His saving grace, I will
not be able to attain atonement for my sins through works alone, but by the
fruits we will know the tree and with the bad fruit or no fruit I will not be
recognized. —MG
Letter From a Reader
Paul Miller Replies
Hello, MG.
Thank you for your letter. It is good to know
that you read the Amish Voice. We want you to know
that The Amish Voice is sent to freely proclaim the good
news of Jesus. We know that God’s word often falls on hard
paths, rocky soil, and stony soil, but we continue to scatter
the seed of God’s word, rejoicing that it does sometimes land
on good ground and produces fruit.
As the article states to which you referred, “And now for
the rest of the story.” I am glad to know that you love and
believe the Scriptures. It is good that we can examine the
word of God together. This faith and works topic has caused
many arguments throughout the centuries. For the Roman
Catholic Church, it was (and still is) a matter of works and
faith both being needed in order to be saved. They, too,
would say that faith in Jesus is needed for salvation, but that
works and faith go hand-in-hand. The Reformers, though,
went back to the Bible and saw that while works are indeed
evidence of one’s faith and are necessary in the life of a
Christian, works play no role in salvation—that is, one is
born again by faith and not works. I suppose you would
agree with the Reformers who re-discovered the Bible, rather
than the traditions and sacraments of the Roman Catholic
Church.
I do not think that we are too far off in agreement, as we both
seem to want to know and follow the Bible. Perhaps the mis-
understanding comes by way of a specific word or two. May-
be it is the word “salvation.” Maybe it is “born again.” What-
ever it is, I hope that we can continue corresponding and
reach an agreement on the Scriptures. Certainly you know
that Paul often contrasts faith and works. He states often that