The great thing we begin to see as we read the Bible is that we can not and we must not work to have the kind of faith in Christ that produces good works, God-honoring works, what the Bible calls "good fruit."
That's God's job! Totally!
All we do is make ourselves available to God and He fosters faith and He creates the good fruit. We say, "Here I am, Lord," and He does everything else!
"Everything else" includes freedom from sin, death, and the devil. It also includes the changed way of life that God begins to work in the life of any person who remains available to the God Who in Jesus Christ became human, died for our sin, and rose for us.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—
not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."
Think about that: God has already made the good works He wants us to do; we will find them along the way as we follow Jesus Christ!
As, with open wills, minds, and hearts, we expose ourselves to God's Word and to the Sacraments, God will give us growing faith, transform our wills, and work good fruits within us. All we do is supply our availability. The grace of Christ will do the heavy lifting.
Honestly, this is the hardest part of Christian faith for me: I am not in control. God is!
Faith is a matter of giving up control and letting God do His thing in us through Christ.
"Let go and let God," is more than a catchy motto then. It really is what it means to be a Christian.
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