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Monday June 6, 2016

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. – James 1:17 NIV

 

It is not what a person believes that validates their faith; what a person does with what they believe is what validates their faith. What good is it to believe that God always blesses obedience, if we are not willing to obey Him? I can just imagine one or two of you reading this, talking back at me saying: “do not judge my faith! We can all believe the same thing yet act differently; you apply your faith as you see fit, and I will apply my faith the way I see fit.”

 

James 2:18-19 NIV

 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.

 

James creates a fictitious character that argues that two people can have the same faith in God yet they do not have to act on it in the same manner. Therefore, do not judge a person’s faith based on their deeds because that would be unfair. After all, we can believe in God, but so do the demons. However, they do not act on that faith the same way. In other words, do not judge my faith by what I say or do.

 

James 2:20-24 NIV

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.

 

Abraham was to the audience that James was writing these words to, one of the greatest heroes of their faith. He asks them: “why is Abraham our hero? Is it because of what he believed or because he obeyed God and applied what he believed? Had Abraham only believed and not obeyed, he would have never become our hero.” The Hebrews did not celebrate Abraham because he had faith; they celebrated him because he applied his faith.

 

It does not matter how much we believe or how strongly we believe something. When it is all said and done, our deeds are what cause our faith to come alive. If our faith is not accompanied by actions, in all practical terms, it is useless. It is not sufficient for us to believe, we must live our lives, each day, in ways that reflect what we believe.