Of the many weird things that I do on a daily or weekly basis, one of the strangest is perhaps the reading of obituaries. I read them when I have access to the Oklahoman and I regularly check the website of the funeral home of my home town which is Seminole, OK. Someone once asked Yogi Berra why he went to so many funerals and his reply was something like "so that when I die they will come to mine!" As I was growing up in the country north of Seminole at a place called Little (consisted of a grocery store with gasoline pumps and a feed store and a church and not much else), funerals were of great importance and noone explained why. As I have gotten on in years, I realize that funerals are for the living and not the dead and to show respect for the life of the deceased and to provide comfort for those still alive.
By reading the obituaries, I avail myself of opportunies to minister to the living if the deceased was someone of my acquaintance. Perhaps time and circumstance have kept us apart over the years but bonds of friendship are long-lasting. Last month I attended a funeral in Chickasha of the 31-year-old son of a man that I had went to high school with. I probably had not seen James in over 50 years and would not have recognized him on the street. However, in the receiving line beside the coffin containing the body of his son, he responded with a hug when I told him who I was. I expressed my sorrow for his loss and he thanked me for coming. We may never meet again on this side but I beleive that the Holy Spirit was in charge of that event.
Anyway, on to the reason for the strange title of this blog. The first time I recall hearing this phrase in person was June, 2011 at the funeral of my neice's husband, Travis Boles. I beleive the preacher said that "He was of the Baptist faith." I watch for a similar phrase in the obits that I read and will usually find it in one out of ten or so. He was of the Pentecostal faith. She was of the Methodist faith. What does that mean? Are there different kinds of faith? In the case of Travis, and probably most of the others, it means something like "He didn't go to church but if he did it would have been a Baptist church". Travis's daughter's pastor was present when Travis confessed Christ as Savior two days before he died and he baptised Travis so his salvation is in the hands of God just as everyone's is. But during the last few years, when I witnessed to Travis about Christ, he had no interest and I am not aware of any church involvement during his marriage to Glenda.
I realize that we are never to say something untoward about people at their funeral so perhaps this phrase soothes the loved ones but is it misleading? The following is one of the finer articles that I have read lately about faith. I hope it ministers to you as it did to me.
An excerpt from "An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans"
Luther's German Bible of 1522 - By Martin Luther: 1483-1546
Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith from Dr. Martin Luther's Vermischte
Deutsche Schriften
Johann K. Irmischer, ed. Vol. 63 (Erlangen: Heyder and Zimmer, 1854),
pp.124-125. [EA 63:124-125] August 1994
Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. "Faith is not enough," they say, "You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved." They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, "I believe." That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this "faith," either.
Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.
Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and
bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.
Since Luther did not look upon the book of James favorably because of the "Faith without works is dead" theme, I think he expresses it beautifully here. We will work the works of God if we have been given the gift of faith and we can't stop doing it. It will become part of our nature as a follower of Christ. May it never be said of me that "He was of the XXXXXX faith". May it always be said of me that He received the gift of Faith from God and it was manifested by his love for God and his fellow man. What flavor is your faith?
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