Gospel: Luke 17.5-10 tells the story of the apostles asking the Lord to increase their faith. Jesus said if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you could do remarkable things. We as servants do not deserve thanks for what we do for we have only done what we ought to have done. 

In recent Reflections in this season of Pentecost, what we call ‘ordinary time’, we have considered several topics that differ from popular Christianity. The first is that Jesus and the New Testament are not talking about spending eternity in some place outside our spacetime world called heaven. The Christian future is in the new heaven and new earth in resurrected bodies with the Lord in the kingdom of God. The way we achieve this future is through faith and trust and worship of the Lord Jesus who is God the Son. We will not be judged on our morals although the worship of Jesus leads His followers to aspire to be like Him in thought, word and deed.

We also have come to believe that Jesus was not punished on the cross for our sins by an angry God but that the sins of the world were condemned in His flesh so that they could be remitted in believers. The scenario of an angry God punishing His beloved Son might justify punishment and violence on our part whereas Jesus taught non-violence and forgiveness.

We have spoken of the law which can be summarized by loving God and loving our neighbor. Jesus fulfilled the law for us so that faith in Him makes believers justified in matters of law in the eyes of God. We are to follow Jesus as our Guide to the law in the place of lists of rules. If we try to follow Him by faith there is no condemnation (Rom 8.1) for Christians. Righteousness and godliness are matters of worshipping the one true God who exists in three Persons including Jesus the Messiah and His Spirit who dwells within believers. This indwelling makes His story our story as we try to emulate Him in love and forgiveness.

Jesus’ death on the cross as a sacrificial offering for the sins of the world means that we live in a new Creation which we have discussed in some detail. We are new creatures, justified, sanctified, made holy, adopted by God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit and no longer under the dominion of the satan, sin and death, but under the loving dominion of the Lord Jesus. The purpose of the law was to increase sin (Rom 5.20; 7.13b) in Israel so that it could be dealt with on the cross by Jesus, the faithful Israelite. This is the center of the part of the story in Scripture dealing with the law. It has served its purpose.

What are we as Christians still living in this sin-filled world supposed to do after we believe? N. T. Wright has written a book called After You Believe which answers that question, and we will be turning our attention to it in the remaining weeks of Pentecost. One might think that since we are justified by faith apart from “works,” why should we think about our behavior at all if we have faith? Several reasons come to mind. If we love God, we want to please Him, and virtue pleases Him and sin displeases Him. A number of Scriptures say we will be judged by Christ on the Day of Judgment based on our conduct (Job 34.11; Ps 62.12; Prov 24.12; Jer 17.10; 32.19; Rom 2.6; 2 Col 5.10; Rev 22.12). This does not conflict with the Scriptures that say we are justified by faith (alone) because faith makes us wish to please God by virtuous living and those who believe will live so as to be judged righteous on the Day of Judgment (Phil 1.6). 

Memory Verse: For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Gal 5. 13, 14).