Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear ones.

Another overcast warm summer morning. Becki and I just returned from our walk/jog. Along the way we had to duck into the woods on the hill…for reasons I won’t explain. In the scramble, we riled up a yellow jacket nest. So urgency was compounded with some misery as we were both stung. But, thankfully, only once each. Fun.

Breakfast is on again. I better go.

Blessings on your spin on today.

Love, Dad/Ray.

PS: Today is Alex’s 19th birthday. “Happy New York Birthday to Alex….”

I believe it is possible to add some clarification and expanded meaning to these words from Paul by exchanging the word “law” for “religion,” and the word “faith” for “reality”. It becomes even more meaningful to define “religion” as WHAT MAN DOES TO REACH GOD and “faith” (or “salvation” or “relationship”) as WHAT GOD DOES TO REACH MAN. Defining these terms in this way helps to explain why I have a general disrespect for religion—why I frequently tell people, “You need “religion” about like you need another hole in your head!” (Perhaps I could modify this statement to conform to a quote I heard recently—“You need “religion” about like a fish needs a bicycle!”) However, I want to be quick to add, “But you do NEED relationship (faith, real connection) with your Maker!” It is easy to recognize the popular pretense of people who like to create the illusion that these concepts are one and the same—that their religious boasting is a description of REAL BIBLICAL FAITH. But they’re just not necessarily the same—too often not even close.

Verse 22 states: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” In the margin of my Bible I made a comment some time ago connected to the word “believe”—I wrote, “This is the hinge.” Indeed it is that—the hinge on which the whole matter of destiny turns. This FAITH is ESSENTIAL. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). It is not something that man can generate by an effort of his will. BIBLICAL FAITH is actually something only God can IMPART as the condition of BELIEF is met. We do the essential BELIEVING and God does the essential IMPARTING.

Paul clarifies it very well in Ephesians 2:8-10. Let’s read it again carefully. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”