Faith, Works, and Delicious Breads

After 26+ hours of travel through Ohio, Illinois, and Germany, I arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia early Wednesday morning. I had the best intentions of immediately synching with this time zone - eight hours ahead of the time zone I left. I threw that idea right out the window as soon as I saw the bed in my apartment. It is much more comfortable than an airplane seat and my apartment is much cozier than the café table where I waited several hours for my connecting flight. Thus began the struggle of my body thinking it is fine to be tired all day and then wide awake all night. Eventually, and with the help of coffee accompanied by delicious Georgian pastries, I’ll adjust. 

Kada - the only thing I took a picture of before I devoured it and that was only because I was trying to be polite in the meeting.

Between naps and trying to remember how to function as a human, I’ve joined a few things happening at Open Door and visited a few of the shops on my street. I went to children’s quizzing practice on Wednesday where we are studying in Acts - one of my favorite books. I’m sure I did things Thursday but at the moment all I remember is a meeting where I was given kada - a delightfully delicious Georgian pastry. And an amazing Georgian dinner including Mingrelian khachapuri and khinkali. 

Khinkali - not my picture, I ate it too fast to get a picture.

Mingrelian Khachapuri - again, not the exact one I ate. Mine was in my tummy long before I thought to take a picture of it.

Friday I fought off jetlag enough to join a coffee and crafts group at Open Door in the morning. I had a great time connecting with the other ladies and working on a crochet project, which is always a solid reminder that I don’t really know how to count. One of the ladies had just finished knitting a skirt for herself and now I want to revisit the idea of learning to knit. Something I haven’t tried in about a decade. Friday night I joined the international student Bible study at Open Door. About 27 people were there from 8 different nations. We had a good time studying and discussing Galatians 2. 

One of the main themes of Galatians is salvation by grace through faith. In Galatians 2:16 Paul says, “...yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.” (NRSV) Paul is reminding the believers in Galatia that their salvation is not, and cannot be, earned by works or observation of laws. It is only through faith in Christ that we are saved. He was reminding them also of the events shared in Acts 15 regarding the debate of requiring believers from a Gentile background to follow all the laws of the Jews as well as the Gospel of Christ. Paul was giving a reminder that it is not circumcision, cleanliness, or any other physical rite or ritual that brings salvation. It is only faith in Jesus Christ that brings salvation. 

One of the students in our Friday night study brought up a great question after this. She asked about James 2:26, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” She wanted to know how to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory verses. Is it faith or is it works? It is an excellent question and one that I know many believers struggle with, myself included. 

I grew up attending church regularly. I knew what to do and how to act. Because of my naturally quiet temperament, I very rarely misbehaved or caused trouble. On the outside, I did all the right things and followed all the rules. But that didn’t mean I was saved or had a right relationship with Jesus. Later, I did repent and begin to build a relationship with Jesus. At that time, I was saved. I was living in and experiencing salvation. Is that the end? 

Sunday morning service at Open Door we learned from Luke 13 where Jesus tells the parable of the man and the fig tree. There was a man who planted a fig tree. It didn’t bear fruit. He wanted to cut it down. His gardener asked for just one more year to fertilize and tend the tree and if it didn’t bear fruit the next year, the man could cut it down. That’s the end of the parable and we don’t get to know if that tree ended up bearing fruit. 

As I have been thinking about these three ideas from Galatians, James, and Luke, I’ve begun to see some connections. Paul reminded the Galatians that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. He was correcting a community of believers who had swung too far toward trying to earn salvation by observance of laws and practices. James was reminding a community of believers that while we are saved by grace through faith, if that faith is then barren like this fig tree it is not fruitful or fulfilling the purpose for which it was designed. 

The difference between trying to earn salvation through works (Galatians) and faith working itself out (James) is the motivation behind the action. Trying to earn salvation through works leaves a barren fig tree that cannot fulfil the purpose for which it was designed and planted. But when the Gardener works the soil, provides the nourishment, tends to the tree, and that tree receives that nourishment and reacts by growing deep roots that tree then bears fruit. It is a natural outcome of growing deep into good soil. Bearing fruit doesn’t nourish the tree. But the tree bears fruit because it is nourished. 

Good works or observance of God’s way of living life doesn’t save us. But because we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, we live differently than we did before. As we are tended and grow deep roots in the Holy Spirit, He begins to flow through us and bear sweet fruit. It is not a striving to earn, but a natural outflow of the inward reality. The fruit we bear through the Work of Christ in us is that fruit (or evidence) or the Holy Spirit in us. As Paul says later in Galatians, it is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NRSV). Those are the “figs” the Planter and Gardener want to see the tree bear. Compared to the stress and striving of trying to earn a seat at the table, bearing fruit out of abundance of inward life is so liberating.

In my own life in Christ I have been through seasons of both striving and thriving. It is a common trap we fall into - feeling the pressure to do things. These studies this week were an invitation for me to be reminded that the actions I take should be an outflow of the Holy Spirit’s work in me. It is a dynamic partnership of the Lord tending my roots and me actively choosing to grow deeply in Him. Then stepping into whatever area of fruitfulness He is guiding me toward. There is activity and action on my part, but it is not based in striving to earn salvation. It is activity that comes from the overflow of life He has already given. 

Firsts this week: got a Georgian sim/phone number, set up housekeeping in my first apartment outside the US, ate some delicious Georgian food and also had Lebanese food (both are real winners and I will be having them again).

Prayer Points:

• Getting on a decent sleep schedule,

• Wisdom and discernment to say yes to the right opportunities,

• Building relationships and making connections that open relationship with locals,

• Learning how to navigate the bus system (It's not that hard, I've just never done city transit before).