FAITH HAS ACTION
JAMES 2:17-18
JAMES 2:17-18 NKJ
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
This passage in James starts at verse fourteen and continues through verse twenty-six. And this passage has caused no small amount of confusion.
The confusion centers around the question - faith or works? But this is not an either/or situation that James is talking about.
We know we could never earn our salvation by our good works. We could never be good enough. We have to depend on what Jesus did for us by His sacrifice on the cross. By grace we are saved through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)
But in James chapter two, James is not talking about working for our salvation. What he is saying is that faith without corresponding action is powerless. Real faith is going to show up in our actions.
This is why James says, show me your faith without any action, and I will show you my faith by my actions. In other words, our faith should have something visible and tangible about it.
James mentioned Abraham offering up Isaac on the altar. Abraham was raising the knife when God stopped him. James also mentions the prostitute Rahab, who hid the two spies and helped them escape because she believed God was greater and her city, Jericho, would fall.
So, James is saying faith is more than an intellectual position or a doctrinal creed. Real faith has the corresponding action.
APPLICATION:
There are many different actions to our faith. When we stop worrying and start praising God, that's an act of faith. Taking time to go to church can be an act of faith because we believe God is real and we honor Him with our time. Giving the tithes and offerings is an act of faith. Reading our Bibles, praying, serving, speaking words of life. All of these things are a result of what we believe.
A great question we can all ask ourselves is, what faith can people see in my life? That question is not meant to condemn us but to help us make sure we are acting on what we believe.
If faith without actions is dead, then faith with action is alive and powerful.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I am so grateful that I have faith in You, Your word, and Your Holy Spirit. Show me any area where my actions are not corresponding with my faith. I desire my life to be a living example of faith in You.