Tuesday 20 January 2026

Psalm 119:113-128

Background
In this passage from the first letter of John, the writer claims that those in whom God abides ‘cannot sin’ (v. 9). This seems to be a ludicrous claim, until it is read alongside other passages in the same letter, for example, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (2:1)

The theologian Raymond Brown says that "The author [of 1 John] sees sinlessness as… an obligation incumbent on a Christian." It’s not so much that we cannot or will not sin, but that we should not sin, because God’s love and grace is at work in us. As we are loved by God, so we must grow in love for others. Of course, we still fall short, but the writer is making an important point about discipleship, and how growth in righteousness should be the natural next step following conversion to Christianity.

There was a time when the Protestant Church went too far in its understanding of ‘salvation by faith alone’. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in 1937 that grace must not be ‘cheap’ but ‘costly’. The reason he felt called to speak about the difference between ‘cheap’ and ‘costly grace’ is because the German Lutheran Church at the time was capitulating to the Nazis. The leaders of the Church did not resist Nazism because:

1. The Church believed no authority should be resisted, based on their understanding of Romans 13:1-2.
2. Antisemitism had been a sickness in the Church for a long time.
3. The Protestant belief in ‘salvation by faith alone' had become so exaggerated that it was not considered important to put that faith into action.

However, the word translated in the Bible as ‘faith’ can also often be translated as ‘faithfulness’, which should make us think twice about how we view the balance between faith and good works. In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let’s try to take positives from both the Protestant and Catholic traditions, with their historically different emphases on faith and works. We all have much to learn from other denominations and we will be better Christians if we learn from one another.

To Ponder:

• What is your understanding of ‘salvation by faith’? Can you grow and learn in that understanding?
• How can your church help both lifelong and new Christians so that all may grow in faith and love?

Prayer
God of justice, help us to remember that our faith is also about faithfulness to you. Keep us following in the footsteps of Jesus, who was outspoken, compassionate and always on the side of the poor and oppressed. Amen.

Bible notes author: Ruth Wilde
Ruth Wilde is a lay pastor at Emmanuel URC/Methodist church in Redditch, Worcestershire. She works in that role four days a week and spends one day a week as Tutor for the Inclusion of Disabled People and Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at Luther King Theological College. She was previously National Coordinator of the charity Inclusive Church, for which she edited the book How to Build the Church of the Future (SCM Press).