This weekend, NCC campus pastors challenged us with their “One Prayer” for the church: make us doers. In his book, James (the half-brother of Jesus) exhorts his readers to have a faith that works.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:14-18)
Strressing the need for believers to exercise practical faith, James demonstrates that the acid test of true faith is in the “doing” rather than the “hearing.” Many scholars are quick to note that James is not arguing that a person is saved by what he or she does (works); however, he clearly makes a distinction between faith that is a mere intellectual assent and one that is vibrant and proven by works. He stresses that “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (2:17). He lays out this case throughout the entire book.
James spends the majority of his book outlining what faith should look like when lived out in a practical manner. He instructs his readers to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (1:19). He stresses the importance of faith that obeys the word and takes action (1:19-27). This faith also should not discriminate or play favorites (2:1-13).
Faith proves itself by its works (2:14-26). As noted earlier, we are called to live out our faith in a real and practical way. It is not enough to acknowledge Jesus with our mouths. If our lives are not lived in a way that brings glory to Him by our obedience, our faith is lacking.
James is such a challenging book to read because he lays the cards right there on the table. Are we going to remain “hearers” of the word, or are we going to obey God’s commands and become “doers?” We cannot bluff our way through faith — it has to be practical and it has to be real. . That is the faith that counts with God.
Lord, make us doers!
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