The idea for this post came from the readings of the June 16th Sunday Mass (so long ago, I know, but still relevant). The theme for these readings is faith and its relation to forgiveness. In light of this, I wish to cover the most controversial reading first. In Paul's letter to the Galatians he says, "We ourselves, who are Jew by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no flesh be justified."*(1) Here it may seem as though Paul is saying we are saved by faith and not good works. I have seen some protestants use this as a way to justify bad habits: "It's okay if we mess up, as long as we believe."
However, in the letter of James it says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."*(2) So how do we reconcile these two seemingly contradictory verses? The first way is by looking to the context of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Throughout Chapter 2 Paul makes clear that he is distinguishing between the New Law and the Old. In early Christianity there was conflict between those of Jew and gentile descent, largely over the practice of circumcision. Christians of Jewish descent would argue that to be saved one must follow all practices outlined in the Old Law. Paul is rebuking this heresy, not denying the connection between faith and works. In Galatians Chapter 5, Paul states, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love."*(3) Here Paul both rebukes the heresy that Christians must follow Jewish custom, and confirms faith living through works.
But here is the really exciting part! Not only can we know this through revelation, but also through
As a student of psychology, I always get super excited when I find faith supported by scientific research. Over this summer I have been taking online classes at my local community college. I thought they would be horrible and boring. However, the book we have been reading for Social Psychology, written by David Myers, has been amazing. Besides being a political leftist, Myers was able to keep his work generally unbiased and let the research do all the talking. In chapter 4 of his book, Myers covers the relationship between behaviors and attitudes. "It's true that we sometimes stand up for what we believe. But it's also true that we come to believe what we stand up for."*(4)
Probably the most convincing study on this subject comes from Dr. Philip Zimbardo's simulated prison experiment.*(5) Randomly selecting college aged men to either play prison guards or prisoners, Zimbardo made a startling discovery: it is not always bad people who do bad things, but good people in a bad place. To ensure that they did not allow any psychopaths ruin the authenticity of the experiment, Zimbardo and his colleagues administered a psychological test to screen perspective participants. Both prisoners and prison guards scored equally on the test, and all participants had an equal chance of ending up with either role, making personality a low predictor of behavior. With a simulated prison built in the basement of Stanford University, prison guards were ordered to treat the prisoners how they would be treated in a real prison. The results of a two week experiment were so horrifying that Zimbardo was forced to call it off after only six days. The prisoners became depressed, many going absolutely insane at the thought that they could not escape. The guards took to actively humiliating the prisoners whenever possible, and even Zimbardo himself became completely immersed in his role as "prison warden".
This experiment shows the power of both circumstances and behavior upon our attitudes. None of the prison guards expected to treat the prisoners so inhumanely. Their attitudes were completely reversed by their actions. To me, this completely verifies the relationship between faith and works. If we allow bad habits to creep in, do we really believe what we say we do? If behaviors have such a powerful influence on our attitudes, behaving sinfully will facilitate sinful beliefs. And expressing a sinful belief strengthens that belief. "People often adapt what they say to please their listeners...Nevertheless, they begin to believe what they are saying - provided they weren't bribed or coerced into doing so. When there is no compelling external explanation for one's words, saying becomes believing."*(6) Maybe you think social pressure is a compelling enough explanation to leave your beliefs unchanged. But consider the following experiment, "Tory Higgins and his colleagues...had university students read a personality description of someone and then summarize it for someone else, who was believed either to like or dislike the person. Students wrote a more positive description when the recipient liked the person. Having said positive things, they also then liked the person more themselves. Asked to recall what they had read, they remembered the description as more positive than it was."*(7)
As Christians in the modern world, social pressure is an extremely powerful motivator. Social media, such as Facebook and Youtube, constantly throw varying beliefs at us along with asking us to proclaim our own. When hiding behind the computer screen it is easier to take a more radical position than we would in person. This depersonalization, however, works both ways. The commitment that normally accompanies public proclamation loses some of its power through seeming anonymity. What we defend on the internet we may attack in person. My own problems with sexuality are evidence enough for me. It is easy for me to defend abstinence and purity on Facebook while turning around to watch porn and masturbate while I think no one is watching. It takes more than belief to conquer sin. You cannot think your way up the hill to die with Christ, you must walk.
But here is the really exciting part! Not only can we know this through revelation, but also through
Probably the most convincing study on this subject comes from Dr. Philip Zimbardo's simulated prison experiment.*(5) Randomly selecting college aged men to either play prison guards or prisoners, Zimbardo made a startling discovery: it is not always bad people who do bad things, but good people in a bad place. To ensure that they did not allow any psychopaths ruin the authenticity of the experiment, Zimbardo and his colleagues administered a psychological test to screen perspective participants. Both prisoners and prison guards scored equally on the test, and all participants had an equal chance of ending up with either role, making personality a low predictor of behavior. With a simulated prison built in the basement of Stanford University, prison guards were ordered to treat the prisoners how they would be treated in a real prison. The results of a two week experiment were so horrifying that Zimbardo was forced to call it off after only six days. The prisoners became depressed, many going absolutely insane at the thought that they could not escape. The guards took to actively humiliating the prisoners whenever possible, and even Zimbardo himself became completely immersed in his role as "prison warden".
This experiment shows the power of both circumstances and behavior upon our attitudes. None of the prison guards expected to treat the prisoners so inhumanely. Their attitudes were completely reversed by their actions. To me, this completely verifies the relationship between faith and works. If we allow bad habits to creep in, do we really believe what we say we do? If behaviors have such a powerful influence on our attitudes, behaving sinfully will facilitate sinful beliefs. And expressing a sinful belief strengthens that belief. "People often adapt what they say to please their listeners...Nevertheless, they begin to believe what they are saying - provided they weren't bribed or coerced into doing so. When there is no compelling external explanation for one's words, saying becomes believing."*(6) Maybe you think social pressure is a compelling enough explanation to leave your beliefs unchanged. But consider the following experiment, "Tory Higgins and his colleagues...had university students read a personality description of someone and then summarize it for someone else, who was believed either to like or dislike the person. Students wrote a more positive description when the recipient liked the person. Having said positive things, they also then liked the person more themselves. Asked to recall what they had read, they remembered the description as more positive than it was."*(7)
As Christians in the modern world, social pressure is an extremely powerful motivator. Social media, such as Facebook and Youtube, constantly throw varying beliefs at us along with asking us to proclaim our own. When hiding behind the computer screen it is easier to take a more radical position than we would in person. This depersonalization, however, works both ways. The commitment that normally accompanies public proclamation loses some of its power through seeming anonymity. What we defend on the internet we may attack in person. My own problems with sexuality are evidence enough for me. It is easy for me to defend abstinence and purity on Facebook while turning around to watch porn and masturbate while I think no one is watching. It takes more than belief to conquer sin. You cannot think your way up the hill to die with Christ, you must walk.
FOOT NOTES:
1) Galatians 2:15-16 RSV. Here I varied a bit from the reading in mass, as the reading did not include verse 15. This inclusion was done for the sake of context.
2) James 2:14-17 RSV
3) Galatians 5:6
4) David Myers, Social Psychology (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013) p.126
5) http://www.prisonexp.org/
6) David Myers, Social Psychology (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013) p.128
7) Ibid, p.128
3) Galatians 5:6
4) David Myers, Social Psychology (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013) p.126
5) http://www.prisonexp.org/
6) David Myers, Social Psychology (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013) p.128
7) Ibid, p.128
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