Show Me Your Faith

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a 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. 

James 2:14-17

Someone once said, "It ain't bragging if you can back it up." On the other hand, if your actions don't match up with your words, you're deceiving yourself. A fellow teacher used to talk like she was just the most awesome teacher ever. To listen to her you would think that her students were always on task and just learning up a storm. But, whenever I walked by her room the students were swinging from the chandeliers and she was up there in front of the class oblivious to what was actually going on in front of her. During meetings we would look over data and her class always went down. 

The Christians who James wrote to were trying to say that they had faith that saved them but he was showing that their actions did not match up with their words. Let me put it this way: I can tell my wife I love her all day long but if I don't spend any time with her, if I don't help around the house, if I don't ever do things she wants to do, and spend time with someone else, how am I loving her? 

Christianity is not about the pie in the sky, salvation when we die. Christianity is about loving others by faith, today. I think this section of scripture is really about where reality hits our walks with God. James is talking to his readers about poor people of their congregations who they were pretty much blowing off so they could get the best seats to enhance their own status.  The point is that faith in action is meeting the needs of those around us. 

What need is right in front of your face? Frankly, I tend to think that if someone is sort of in my way, maybe that is who I am supposed to serve, by faith, at this moment. This year there has been several occasions where I was trying to get a certain amount of tasks completed by a certain time and someone asked me a question and I ended up helping them with anything from getting a printer to print to dealing with an immoral aggressive supervisor. The cool thing is I got to share my faith with some and pray for one colleague in his room! 

How do you live out your faith, today? 

PROVE YOU BELIEVE

How would you answer the question, "You're a Christian, prove it?"  

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that  a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

James 2:18-26 (NIV) 

Now add to the mix the works verses faith debate.  For a sincere Christian this can be a bit of a conundrum. I think it is hard to divide the inward and outward aspects of faith and this is one reason why many people struggle with the assurance of their faith.

Inwardly I know that God is in my life because the Bible says that no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:3). Any recognition of God within myself is actually proof of the Holy Spirit in my life, because in my dwells no good thing. 

Outwardly is where I often struggle because "what do I do because I am a Christian"? I think if I look at these verses I see two valuable examples of faith. One in Abraham and one in Rahab. Abraham knew God and his obedience was the mark of his faith. Rahab did not know God but her actions, hiding the spies was considered an action of faith.

Abraham trusted God with his son. Rahab trusted God with her future. There are many lessons to be learned from these two hall of faith members. Abraham was asked to sacrifice and Rahab was willing to leave her culture and trust in the God of the Jews. 

Sometimes our faith calls us to sacrifice and sometimes we are called to leave some things behind. We act not to earn salvation but because of our salvation. At some point we should be able to point to things we have done, not as actions that merit our faith, but, actions that demonstrate or "prove" out faith. 

Father, thank you that you have prepared good work for us to do. Praise be to you in us today!