What in this world "works"? Life in Christ "works". Faith "works". Prayer "works".
They "work out"-----in the final analysis "recommend themselves," "justify themselves." They ARE effective, operative, and promising. Ultimately they ARE what's happening on the plan of reality, what's THERE.
And we are...who? We are the summoned, every day, every moment, to have a part, to participate, play a role in what, alone, in the final analysis, has meaning. This is an indescribable honor. It is Christ Jesus, alone, the Risen One our Redeemer, who has bestowed this honor.
What "works"? What "acts"? Where is there real "use"? What does Holy Scripture say about this?
James 5:16
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
The words “effectual fervent” are a single participle in the Greek original: energumenè. What does that mean?
Let's look at the three other passages from the Bible containing this word, then come back to this.
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2 Corinthians 1:6
And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual (energumenè) in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.
Is effectual = works actively in you.
Consolation (encouragement) and salvation (safety, assurance, not "redemption") realize themselves in you, as acting, productive realities, through the endurance of sufferings. In other words, it "works," because in this is found direct connection with what the living God is producing and advancing. This is to unite with the actual, concrete cause of God Himself in the world.
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Galatians 5:6
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh (energumenè) by love.
better, faith working by love.
There is no greater manifestation of faith than love. The supreme manifestation of the faith of Christ Himself was His death on the cross, for this death was the consummation of divine love to us. Faith, in every sense, works, works out, acts, substantiates itself, realizes itself: THROUGH LOVE. There is no surer verification of faith than love. If there's no love there, there's hardly faith there. Acting faith is only loving faith.
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1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh (energumenè) also in you that believe.
In the Greek idiom (their way of formulating a thought), the way this sounds, as Paul wrote it, is something like this (even though it will be very bad English)....
....that, having received the word by hearing from us, God's, you received not the word of people, but as in fact it really is, the word of God that is acting also in you who believe.
The Word of God is an "acting" word.
In other words, Paul is jubilant that the living, active word of God Himself was able to sound and act through simple sounds uttered by his poor human lips. It is a miracle, a miracle that unimaginably transcends the limitations of those human lips. This is the ultimate reality. And Paul's exultation is only intensified by the fact that this miraculously acting word is now manifesting in the Thessalonians' lives (independent of Paul!), as evidence of the burgeoning Kingdom of the risen Christ.
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Now let's go back and look at James 5:16....
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
The words “effectual fervent” are this same word, energumenè, in Greek. This prayer is acting, is concretely producing, creating something.
And in what is the "key," the "secret," the "access" to this "acting" prayer? Romans 8:26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for usthrough wordless groans."
Life in Christ, faith and prayer "work" because God is WORKING. Behind everything that happens, only one thing is happening: the story of God's work. And our indescribable honor is to be called into friendship with God, like Abraham, and become vessels of His work, acting as catalysts of His advancing kingdom. There is no greater glory for man than to glorify God in this way
And so, pray, pray by faith, pray by love, pray in trust in the Holy Spirit, and your prayer will be active--it will "work"--and the kingdom of Christ will concretely spread by means of you, in your life and the lives of others.
