Which comes first: Faith or Good Works?

           My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. (James 5:19-20, New Living Translation)

Moving right along, today, we come to the Epistle of James.

Which James wrote this letter? There were two men named James who were apostles of Jesus. One of them was the son of Zebedee and the brother of the apostle John, and the other was the son of someone named Alphaeus and was called James the Lesser or the Younger. A third James was associated with the original twelve disciples; he was the father of the apostle Judas (not Judas Iscariot, the traitor, but the other Judas). Wouldn’t it be helpful if they all had last names back then?

Most commonly, though, it is believed that Jesus’ half-brother James wrote this book. As usual, Biblical scholars have their reasons for this.

The thing is, James opens his letter with, “From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To all of God’s people who are scattered everywhere in the world. (New Century Version 1:1)”

My first thought would be that if he is the brother of Jesus, maybe raised with Him in the same household, knowing more about Him than anyone else, wouldn’t James be like – it’s me, the Lord’s brother? But as a true follower of Jesus Christ, I don’t think he would bring attention to himself. He was a humble servant of God.

James also tells us in that first line to whom he is writing. When I looked that up online, the experts disagree on even that, but I think, clearly, James was writing to all of us. And his book clearly shows that through his words.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:2-6, New International Version)

I’m going to jump quickly to a different book of the Bible, Ephesians, to show you a pretty well-known verse.

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. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

There’s a big debate among different Christian groups about this. Some say that all you need is faith, and that no amount of good works you do will get you to heaven. Others say you have to do good for others as well as have faith. 

I was taught that we do good works – helping others, donating to charities, putting others before ourselves – not to get saved, but because we are already saved. With Jesus in our hearts, we try to love as He did.

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? (James 2:14, NLT)

James writes about this A LOT. His book is easy reading and makes sense to me. But I have written enough about him. Here’s one last thought. If you have a list of easy-to-remember Bible verses you want to memorize, this is a good one. It is on my memory list.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19, New International Version)

Nuremberg, part 2 – Germany Trip Blog Post #12

Uff-da, as my sister Pat would say. Here we are, the last official blog post from my trip to Germany in May (I might share one more silly post next week). We saw so much, heard so much history, and took so many pictures. And forgot a lot of what our tour guides said. As much as I hate relying on the internet, I have looked stuff up on every one of these twelve posts. Anyway.

There we were in the wind and rain on May 12 to be reminded of what one man’s plan was for Germany, and perhaps the world.

Ever since I was in high school, when I heard the name of the city of Nuremberg, I pictured the films of the Nazi rallies held there. I’m sure you’ve seen the same movie, where the Nazi soldiers are parading, goose-stepping, passed Adolf Hitler. Then Hitler gives a speech, shouting the words, saying that Germany is a great country and that her people deserve to live long, prosperous lives, and that he is here to make that happen. Or something like that. And the thousands of people attending thrust their right hands into the air and shout “Heil, Hitler!”

I always thought the road where those rallies were held was just that – a wide road next to an empty field where a stadium had been built and maybe some bleachers had been set up somewhere around Nuremberg. I never knew that those grounds were part of Hitler’s greater plan.

This plan encompassed over two-thousand acres and was going to include: a deployment area, the "Old Congress Hall", the “New Congress Hall”, a Zeppelin Field, a March Field, the German stadium, the "stadium of the Hitler Youth", the "Great Road” (never-used parade road), and the “House of Culture”.

Taken from the Nurembgerg website:

The structures at the Nazi Party Rally Grounds were intended both to impress and to intimidate, to impose discipline and to build a sense of community. Architecture was placed in the service of propaganda and shows of strength. As the self-appointed "Builder-in-Chief," Hitler was often concerned with even small details of his great construction projects. From 1934 onward, he tended to prefer Albert Speer as the architect to carry out his fantasies of domination. Hitler engaged Speer not only to build the Nazi Party Rally Grounds – by 1950 he was also supposed to rebuild Berlin as the "World Capital Germania." Only a few components of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds were ever actually finished. Others never got beyond the foundations or half-completed shells. Work essentially ceased when the Second World War began. But planning still continued until shortly before the war's end.

(Click this link for a map of what the grounds would look like.) 

I took what pictures I could, but the weather outside was horrible and the rest of the pictures were taken from inside our bus.  

We also stopped at the Hall of Justice, where the war crimes trial was held. You need to watch the 2025 movie, “Nuremberg”.

I hope this post gave you something to think about. 

Nuremberg, part 1 – Germany Trip Blog Post #11

Tuesday, May 12 was our last day in Germany. Early the next morning we would board our coach bus for the two-hour drive to Frankfurt and the eight-hour flight home. Our time in Germany had flown by faster than that airplane we’d be on. But we had that one last day, and unfortunately, each day had become more of a blur. But I’ll try my best as this last city we visited packed a lot of punch.

We arrived in Nuremberg around ten o’clock and were greeted with wet, windy weather and a temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m gonna save those first two hours in the city until Friday and today share what we saw in the Old Town in the afternoon when the weather was a little bit better.

The walk to and around the Old Town was once again filled with ancient churches, fascinating architecture, and statues. 

St Lorenz church. Work on this Gothic church began in 1250 and was completed between 1370 and 1380. I’m disappointed that we didn’t go inside – pictures on the internet are beautiful, but then all the churches were – but we just ran out of time.

Frauenkirche. Called the Church of Our Lady in English, this Gothic Catholic Church was finished around 1362. 

From Wikipedia: Following an outbreak of the Black Death in 1349, a Christian program against the Jewish inhabitants of Nuremberg took place, and they were expelled from the city. Emperor Charles IV ordered the synagogue of Nuremberg to be destroyed to make way for the development of the grand market at which also a church was to be built on the rubble. This became the Frauenkirch.

It’s a shame that 90% of the building was destroyed in World War II, but also rather fitting considering its origins. The church was rebuilt by 1953 and extensively restored between 1989 and 1991. 

Sebalduskirche. St. Sebald Church is named after the hermit Sebaldus, who was thought to have lived near Nuremberg in the 8th century. It is the oldest Lutheran church in the city. Use of the altar is first documented on July 20, 1255.

 

Schöner Brunnen or Beautiful Fountain is a replica of a 14th-century fountain, built to resemble a Gothic spire.

Narrenschiffbrunnen or Fool’s Ship Fountain has never held water. It was created between 1984 and 1987, from drawings made by Albrecht Dürer based on the moral satire by Sebastian Brant, "The Ship of Fools", in 1497.

 

And what German medieval city would be complete without its castle overlooking the town below.

Our Father and His Ultimate Son

First, Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there.

We have all had fathers here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from the Father of our spirits so we will have life. (Hebrews 12:9, New Century Version)

But I’m not gonna write about Dads today. I’ve been looking at the books of the New Testament and today we’re going to study the Book of Hebrews.

The first question I always seem to ask is who wrote this book? This is one of the few books of the Bible where no one has that answer. Bible scholars used to think it was the Apostle Paul, but now many question that. It simply wasn’t written like the other letters Paul authored. The thing is it wasn’t written like anyone else’s either, so here we sit, not knowing, and reminding ourselves that it’s not that important.

Second question would be who was it written for. The other letters in the New Testament are addressed to someone – to the church in Corinth, to churches in Galatia, to Timothy, and to fellow believers. The author of Hebrews jumps right in.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets many times and in many different ways. But now in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son. God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2, NCV)

Lastly, what is the point of Hebrews? Why was it written and what are we to learn from it? Its purpose is to reinforce to the reader that Jesus is the ultimate authority, superior to the angels, the prophets and anyone who came before or will come after Him.

This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. (Hebrews 1:4, New Living Translation)

Also, we need to remember that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us by dying on the cross and He came to earth as the ultimate human, feeling all of our human weaknesses yet never sinning. 

Since these children are people with physical bodies, Jesus himself became like them. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. (Hebrews 2:14, NCV)

Lastly, that we always keep the faith.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1, New International Version)

Bamberg, part 2- Germany Trip Blog Post #10

You maybe thought that yesterday I wrote enough about the German village of Bamberg. But I was just getting started. The historic Old Town had so many great buildings.

It is probably best known for its Altes Rathaus or Old City Hall.

The first town hall was built in 1386 but burned in a fire. When the townspeople wanted to build a new one the governing bishop refused to let them use any land within the town. The citizens were not to be stopped. They constructed an island in the middle of the River Regnitz and built the town hall there, in 1461.

 

The building is covered with beautiful paintings and other artistic details.

At one spot, there is a cherub with its leg sticking out towards the river.

For lunch we met as a group at Schlenkerla, die historische Rauchbierbrauerei, for a sample of Rauchbier – famous smoked beer that Bamberg is known for. I only had a sip of my friend’s beer. It was okay. But I did like the vegetable-filled pastry I ordered, which was like a pot pie but the pastry was light and flaky.

Wandering around after lunch, we stumbled on more statues. This one is called Kreuzigungsgrupp, depicting the crucifixion and is on one of the bridges to the townhall. 

I thought Neptune’s Fountain was kind of cute.

Maximilian Fountain

But I could most relate to this guy. Supposedly it is a partial bust of a Roman centurion that was inspired by Pompeii and designed by Igor Mitoraj in 1987. It looks more like how I feel much of the time – my brain’s only half there.

Bamberg, part 1- Germany Trip Blog Post #9

I know I sound like a broken record, but Monday, May 11, was another day to visit a delightful town in Germany.

It was a one-hour drive from our hotel in Würzburg to the village of Bamberg.

 First, we strolled passed Klein-Venedig or Little Venice along the river. As at many other towns we visited, the medieval fishermen's houses were colorful and somewhat whimsical. 

Our tour guide, Elsa, led us through the winding, uphill streets of the town up to the Bamberg Cathedral. The original church was founded in 1002, but it later burned down. The current Romanesque cathedral was built in the13th century.

 

It was yet another huge and fascinating building.

Inside too.

Here’s what I found to be the most fascinating part. Less than an hour drive from my house is Saint Kunegunda Catholic Church and I always wondered what that saint’s story could possibly be. Elsa told our tour group her interesting story, but I won’t share it all here (as if I remember it all).

She was born in the year 975 and even though she wanted to be a nun, she married King Henry in 999. Supposedly their vows were never consummated and it was a marriage of companionship only. Both Cunigunde and her husband Henry II were later canonized. Their remains are entombed in the Bamberg Cathedral.

Called the New Residence, this was the home of former princes and bishops of Bamberg. Not sure why Bamberg doesn’t have a place called a castle or a palace, but that’s what I’d call this large, ornate building. (I'm also not sure why this is the only picture I have of it.)

The Rose Garden behind the New Residence.

 

I think that’s enough for today. On to the rest of the village tomorrow.