QT 21 Jun 12, Faith is the "good works" which save

John 5:24-29 (NIV) "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

NOTE: On the surface, verses 28 and 29 seem to be out of sync with the rest of the teaching of scripture, but they must be understood in their context. Jesus has just made it clear that belief in him is required for eternal life. Now, the dead would not have had an opportunity to believe in Christ, therefore there belief must be like Abraham's, who "believed God and it was accredited to him righteousness." Therefore, the only way to be righteous ("done good") in God's eyes would be faith in God prior to Jesus, and belief in Jesus after his revealing. Both actions provide righteousness to those who believe. Good works are not sufficient since the bible clearly states that no man is righteous before God on his own account. We can not do enough good works to justify our sinful nature. So, the only good works we can then offer to God is faith, our belief that He has saved us and we can't do anything good to save ourselves.

QT 7 Jun 12, There is a blessing to those who believe without miracles

John 4:43-54 (NIV) After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

NOTE: It seemed to bother Jesus that people would not believe unless they saw some miraculous sign. John seems to emphasize the point not only with Jesus' statement but with the earlier comment about a prophet having no honor in his own country. The entrance of the gospel is authenticated by miracles as also prophesied in scripture. But miracles are a sign, that for the most part, were not to continue. They identify that something new is happening and they authenticate the speaker. This theme occurs in other places in John's gospel where specific messianic miracles are performed, and where Jesus's miracles force others to deal with the question of where his power could come from, if not from God (which also argues against supposed blasphemy as well). After his death, Jesus visits the apostles, and rebukes Thomas for his lack of belief, and adds a blessing to those who later believe without seeing. We are those who don't get to see Jesus' miracles but we still believe. We are blessed for our belief. It is harder to believe when the signs do not always support our belief. God will reward us for our belief, both in this age and in the age to come.