Colossians 1:29
For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.
One of the classic puzzlements that have vexed Christians over the ages is the relationship between faith and works. Today’s verse shows how the New Testament in general and Paul in particular tend to resolve the “problem” in a way that shows there is practically no problem to resolve. For Paul, asking whether the Christian life is about faith or works is like asking which blade on the scissors does the cutting, or whether a zebra is white with black stripes or black with white stripes, or like asking whether water is “really” oxygen combined with hydrogen or “really” hydrogen combined with oxygen. It is a nonsense question. For Paul, what matters is our living with Christ. If we are in union with him, the powerful energy of his Spirit will certainly flow through us in love for others and worship of the Father. For the reality is not a question of whether “faith” or “works” saves us. The reality is that we are saved by God the Father through Jesus Christ his Son in the power of the Holy Spirit by faith expressing itself in works of love. Removing anything from that statement is like removing a vital organ from a living thing. Grab hold of everything God is offering and don’t settle for a stripped-down faith.
