Fellow Christians I believe faith is the boat and works are the oars with which we steer?

Question

I need both the boat and the oars to steer me home.
How do you see things?

Answer 1

good comparison......

i have never thought of it like that. i think that i am going to use that comparison with my 6th graders :-)

Answer 2

I can't agree with you that works figure into salvation at all.. I will say that being just a human being I can't know your heart or your commitment to God. I need evidence of that faith and commitment to see who's you are. That is shown to me by what I see you do, and how you I see you living your life.. God on the other hand sees your heart, knowing you better than you can know yourself. He needs no outside evidence to know if you are indeed trusting in Him or if you are only a head knowledge kind of person. Faith is everything we need to become a child of God. No work, no action we can take can put us in the position of being God's child. No Faith isn't the boat, God's grace would be the boat and faith would be the oars, only thing about the oars is Jesus does all the rowing... Jim

Answer 3

Similiarly, yet...
The boat is what carries us to salvation.
The oars are means to be used to take advantage of the boat (salvation).
The act of rowing is how we use the boat and oars in our daily lives.

The boat would be Jesus, our faith the oars. The act of rowing the boat with the oars would be our works. Although no matter what works we do, we cannot earn salvation, it is a gift by grace that we will NEVER deserve, NEVER earn.

Answer 4

I like that. And the grace is the owner, setting us in the boat?

I guess I look at it as a father and child, walking along to some unseen destination. The child is helping his father in whatever task He is involved in. It doesn't make for a clean picture, but it is how I view things.

God bless, and glad to see you're at your keyboard.

Answer 5

Sure, Debra, whatever you say, I hope you are all better now!

I think actually that Jesus is the boat and that our faith in Him will get us wherever we want to go. Works come naturally if you are really close to Jesus and just look to Him to guide you. You will have an abundance of joy, love and peace. May the fire of His love spread to you and yours.

Answer 6

VERY Good analogy. I too believe that I need both faith and works to return home. As the quote goes, Faith without works is dead. To me that pretty much says you need both.

Glad to see you're back.

Answer 7

I believe it works both ways, faith is the boat and works are the oars, for in faith we work with God to free our members from the bondage of sin. But also works are the fruit produced by faith, for it is faith in, or trust in God and his ability to guide you in the proper direction that enables you to produce good works. A few quotes that can add to this aspect of the Christian life below:

"The man who desires to come to the Lord and to be found worthy of eternal life should force himself to every good work and to fulfilling all the commandments of the Lord because of sin that is present with him. One must force himself to prayer when he has not spiritual prayer; and thus God, beholding him thus striving and compelling himself by force, in spite of an unwilling heart, gives him the true prayer of the Spirit." (St Macarius the Great)

"Leaving earthly matters aside, let us turn toward spiritual gifts. How long are we going to remain in childish games and thereby not acquire any mature manner of thinking. If it is strange to witness an adult sitting on a pile of ashes and drawing childish images in the soot, then it is more so to see people, called toward the enjoyment of eternal blessings, scrabble in the dust of earthly cares. The reason for this divergence lies in that we imagine that there is nothing more important than the perceptible — not realizing the insignificance of existing benefits and the superiority of future blessings — and blinded by the dazzle of the present, adhere to it with all our might." (Nilus of Sinai)

"When a man walks in the fear of God he knows no fear, even if he
were to be surrounded by wicked men. He has the fear of God within
him and wears the invincible armor of faith. This makes him strong
and able to take on anything, even things which seem difficult or
impossible to most people. Such a man is like a giant surrounded
by monkeys, or a roaring lion among dogs and foxes. He goes
forward trusting in the Lord and the constancy of his will to
strike and paralyze his foes. He wields the blazing club of the
Word in wisdom. " (St. Symeon the New Theologian, The Practical and Theological
Chapters)

"O strange and inconceivable thing! We did not really die, we were
not really buried, we were not really crucified and raised again,
but our imitation was but a figure, while our salvation is in
reality. Christ was actually crucified, and actually buried, and
truly rose again; and all these things have been vouchsafed to us,
that we, by imitation communicating in His sufferings, might gain
salvation in reality. O surpassing loving-kindness! Christ
received the nails in His undefiled hands and feet, and endured
anguish; while to me without suffering or toil, by the fellowship
of His pain He vouchsafed salvation. " (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Christian Sacraments.)

Answer 8

Hmm I've always been bad at metaphors and similes. I do rather like yours a lot.

I think that faith is a tree and works are the fruit it produces.

Answer 9

I like that image. Faith without works is dead. Faith ,hope and love and the greatest of these is love.Not he who says "Lord,Lord" but he who DOES the will of my Father in Heaven...

Answer 10

What a wonderful question! I'm not Christian (I'm Jewish) and this is exactly what I was taught by my religion. I believe this wholeheartedly.

Answer 11

Excellent illustration...sooo glad to see you back Debra...