Royston First United Methodist Church

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you you say you have faith but do not have works? Cn faith save you?…So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” – James 2:14,17
 
TODAYS SCRIPTURE READING: James 1-3
 
One of the most common questions we wrestle with in our faith journey has to be the about the relationship between faith and good works. Early in our journey of faith, we may find ourselves believing that good works yield faith. The more good we do, the more favor we might find with God. This is wrong and bad theology!

As we mature in our faith, we begin to understand the role of God’s grace in our salvation. Unfortunately, this may lead us to believe that we do not have to do anything as it relates to faith. This is also wrong and is bad theology!

Faith and good works go hand in hand. You cannot have faith without good works. Good works are not essential for salvation — we do not earn faith by our good works. Our good works are the result of our faith. As we mature in faith, the evidence of our spiritual maturity is seen in our good works. At this point, it is impossible to separate our faith from our good works. Faith and good works are united in God’s love.

As we begin to wrap up our Exploration Bible series, I hope that you have grown in your understanding of who God is and how God is working in your life. The Bible is a story of God’s relationship with humanity, and it is a story that is still being written through you today. As we grow in our faith, we will see theresult of faith by how we treat others. What do your actions say about your faith?

This Sunday, we will be looking at Hebrews 10 as we look at some pretty good advice for all of us in this season of Advent. At our 11 AM service, we will be blessed with the beautiful music of our Joyful Ringers — handbells are always agreat way to experience Christmas at Royston! It’s going to be an amazing Sunday, and I look forward to being with you in worship!

Have a great weekend!

Grace and peace,
Matt
 
P.S. I hope you will make your plans to worship with us on December 23 and 24 for one of our Christmas Eve services (see below). We are offering more services this year to try and limit the crowds in each service. If you do not feel comfortable worshipping with us in person, we will also have some online options available for you to celebrate Christmas at home. We will have more information about these options available next week.