From Death to Giving Life - What do we do with Works?

• A Parable

  • Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing

  • My main point: Stop Sinning.

• Our Relationship with Sin

  • The “seeker sensitive” approach

  • Danger = embracing the inevitability of sin in your life isn’t admitting to the possibility of making mistakes but is proclaiming a union with Death.

    • Romans 6:1-2, 12-14

      • Paul says: Stop Sinning.

      • This is not a call to perfectionism, but a call to union with Christ (1

Peter 1:16).

- This is a call to become truly human.

• Becoming Truly Human

  • Sin is NOT a pre-requisite to be human.

    • If it was:

      • Jesus was never fully human because He did not sin.

      • Adam and Eve weren’t human until Genesis 3, essentially making Death humanity’s true creator.

    • To be human is not “to sin.” In fact, “to sin” is to be less than human.

  • So, what does it mean to be truly human?

    • The answer is not found in sin; the answer is found in Christ (Hebrews 4:15)

    • Jesus was without sin, which doesn’t make him less than human, but truly more human than you or I have ever experienced.

• What do we do with Works?

  • Ephesians 2:8-9

    • We are not saved by works:

      • I agree. We are saved by the one work done in Jesus Christ.

      • BUT this doesn’t mean works don’t matter.

    • The problem is: we don’t know what works are.

      • Typically, we define works as saying “thank you” to God.

      • But this falls woefully short.

  • Ephesians 2:10

    • Grace = a movement of God toward us (that only God can do).

    • Faith = our movement toward God (that only we can do)

    • The Result:

      • Union (Ephesians 2:10)

      • Works = the natural outworking of our union with God.

• Conclusion

  • The call of transformation is not a call to perfectionism, but a call to union.

  • We don’t begin this journey holy and perfect, but broken and sinful—but because of his sacrifice, we follow Christ on the road He paved with patience and grace.

Discussion Questions for Video 7:

• What are some thoughts about the connection between Ephesians 2:8-10 and James 2:26?

• Do you believe it is possible to have true faith without works? What roles do both faith and works play in this?

• What does it look like to have works, but not faith? What are the implications of that?

• How do we lovingly communicate the truth about good works?

• How unified with sin do we think we are? Does society paint a picture of “fallen-ness” as being normal?

• How do we teach people to stop sinning, when the idea that “We’re all sinners here” is so prevalent?

• What are some practical steps to take daily in order to stop sinning (or, at the very least, to stop repeating the same sins over and over)?

• How do we make it obvious that we do not sin as much as we used to without sounding arrogant or running the risk of making people feel unwelcome?

• We are saved only by grace. Do you feel like you can mix up grace for works?

• How can we teach someone to stop sinning without telling them to strive for perfection, but instead unity with God?

• What is the difference between legalism and calls to holiness?

• If we are truly a new creation, why is it so hard to stop sinning (e.g., Romans 7)?

• Why do people think that sin is necessary to be human?

• When people look at you, do they see more of Death or God?

• With Shane’s statement (talking about the church): “We are the body of Christ and our actions should not differ much from His,” reflect on the works of the church today. Then reflect on your own works. What surfaces?

• What might our churches look like if we chose to believe and embrace that sin makes us?