So what is it? Faith or Works?

Faith or Works?

"Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams."
1 Samuel 15:22

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:8-10

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
John 14:15

 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

James 2:14-16

I've been hanging around church for  pretty long time. I've been part of fellowship where the Scripture is primary; others where the movement of the Holy Spirit is primary; some where works are important; others where faith is important. In this short reflection, I want to communicate simply what I have learned about faith and works.

God created an orderly world. He exerts energy to keep it in order (not that God gets tired). He established the laws of nature. The laws of men reflect God's desire for order. The Ten Commandments are good laws for social interactions. But fallen man can't achieve perfection on his own. 

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2 that we are saved by grace through faith. Grace has its source in God Himself and is expressed through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on Calvary's Cross. He not only demonstrates His love for us as a means of paying for our sins, but also as an example for our obedience.

In the end, should we work to please God? Yes, but not out of fear of condemnation. We obey God, we obey His commandments because we have experienced God's love and we want to love Him by loving people.