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THE COMBINATION OF FAITH AND GOOD WORKS
Today we heard an excerpt from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Titus. The teacher advises the young pastor of the Church about the model of life he should demonstrate to the faithful. He
points out what is good and beneficial for the members of theChurch: to avoid foolish and pointless discussions, disputes about matters of the Law, and to avoid heretics after the first efforts to
correct them. He calls on him to teach Christians to be pioneers in good works.
We will focus on this last point of Paul's advice, highlighting a few elements about the great chapter of our spiritual life: the practice of loving good deeds.
Orthodox spirituality
In ecclesiastical circles, there is often a noted overemphasis on the so-called “spirituality” and a one-sided perception of faith. Many believe that the Orthodox faith has lofty content and focuses
only on the higher levels of human thought and life. According to this view, spiritual life becomes a subjective and individual matter, limited to the personal level and unaware of anything beyond one’s
personal relationship with God. Engaging with the material needs and problems of others is considered either worthless or even an obstacle to acquiring salvation.
However, for our Church, such a perception of Orthodox spirituality is incomplete. The practice of faith has a dual character. Certainly, the believer is called to cultivate the inner person to live
the life of virtue, to pursue sacramental union with God. At the same time, however, the believer is called to step outside himself and apply his faith to every person. Otherwise, the Christian remains
fruitless, like a tree with an impressive outward appearance, yet without any fruit.
The works of love
This understanding of the Church regarding the combination of faith and works of love is wonderfully analyzed by James, the brother of the Lord. He tells us: “What benefit is it, my brothers, if
someone has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save himon its own? If our brethren are insufficiently clothed and lacking in daily food, and the believer says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith, if it does not have works, is in essence dead.” And he continues: “Note that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:14–24)
However, at this point, another temptation also lurks: to think that the works of love and solidarity on their own, are sufficient can guarantee salvation even if faith is weak, superficial, and shallow. Such acts are often carried out even by atheists or those opposed to the Church, who nevertheless, feel a natural inclinationtoward the problems and needs of their fellow men. However, the Orthodox understanding calls every Christian to combine faith with works of love, to implement what they believe toward anyone in any type of earthly need, in the name of Jesus Christ and for the glory
of God. This is the Lord’s own command: to seek Him and to stand beside Him in the person of every indigent brother. This is the guiding logic behind the Church’s multifaceted social and charitable
work.
That’s why we must not fall into the temptation of a lofty, detached view of faith that lacks care for others, nor into the temptation of solidarity without Christ. The proper path is the combination of faith and works of love: one that bears tangible results, and cultivates our souls, and moves us closer toward salvation. Amen.
Archimandrite E. Oik.
A weekly pamphlet of Orthodox faith and life of the "Apostolic Ministry of the Church of Greece"
