39 "Abraham is our father," they answered.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.
In our verses for today Jesus draws the attention of His hearers - and certainly all of us as well – to a very important criteria of true spiritual heritage: our works will spring forth from our faith as our Father Abraham’s did - proving ourselves to belong to God. John the Baptist had already chastised the Pharisees with a like remark:
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. Luke 3:7-8 (NIV)
Not to take away from the Pharisees pedigree nor state a slanderous slur regarding any of us, but it appears to me that the Baptist believed even a rock could be turned into one that would spiritually qualify as a child of Abraham if left in the mighty Hand of God! While works themselves cannot justify us as they are at best full of imperfections, they are useful to show Whose we are and what our faith is worth to us. It is faith alone that saves but our faith is never alone – it is always to be accompanied by works.
“It is faith alone that justifies, but the faith that justifies is not alone.” John Calvin
Jesus’ half-brother James gives us further insight regarding faith stating the uselessness of it apart from our deeds:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. James 2:14-22 (NIV)
Remember that Abraham believed God – acting on that belief - and it was credited to him as righteousness – his faith in God being the force behind his deeds – the motivation, the impetus - faith finding fulfillment in the action. This is certainly something for us to consider us well – what is the motivating force behind our actions? Pride, selfish ambitions, vain conceits – motivators that glorify the doer and do not bring honor to our Father will always be found wanting. Rather, when our actions flow from our abiding faith in the God of all creation it is a demonstration that we truly believe Him - His promises, His ways, His commands, and His Word. It indicates we trust Him with our lives for our ultimate good. This brings Him much glory. We must also never forget that we are most satisfied when God is most glorified rather than thinking our enduring satisfaction will come from glory that we may receive.
6 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. Gal 3:6-7 (NIV)
"Seek, O believer, that every good thing you have may be an abiding thing. May your character not be a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock! May your faith be no 'baseless fabric of a vision,' but may it be built of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite. May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desire earnest. May your whole life be so firm and strong, that all the blasts of hell and the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you." Charles Spurgeon
“Faith is the root of works. A root that produces nothing is dead.” Thomas Wilson