Bible Reading
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 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. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
James 2:14-19
James 2:14-19
Devotional
Imagine going to a used car lot and the salesman shows you the car he thinks is perfect for you. However, there is one thing you should know about this car. It has everything you would ever want, and an amazing sound system included, but the only drawback is that the engine doesn't work. How would you respond to the salesman? Most likely, you would shake your head and clearly explain that the car is worthless and useless to you if the engine doesn't run. In the same way, if you went to look at a beautiful house for sale only to find out that the roof was missing, you would quickly throw up your hands in frustration and explain to the real estate agent that this house was useless and also a complete waste of your time to come to and tour.
These are obvious examples of missing something vital, but in the same way, we can miss something spiritual that is vital to our lives. James explains it like this: What good is it if someone claims to be a person of faith, yet they have no deeds to back it up? More simply put; what good is it to claim to be Christian, but live like an atheist? He makes a sound, reasonable, and logical point. What good is it for someone to claim they are a Christian, in a relationship with Jesus, if there is nothing in their life that is a positive fruit that proves and backs up what they claim? Simply believing that God exists is not enough. Even Satan and demons believe in God. Simply knowing some verses of the bible is also not enough. Even Satan and demons know what God's word says. We have to do the works that God has called us to while remembering that it is not those works that save us. Salvation is a free gift that we can do nothing to earn. We must always be reminded that good works flow out of Salvation, not into it.
Faith needs to be accompanied by action. The two go hand in hand. They cannot be separated or in each hand you really have nothing. If you have deeds, but no faith, then everything you've done is all for yourself and none of it will show up in eternity. But if you have faith, but not deeds, then you are living as a hollow facade and it is really all just a pretend show. The best thing we can do is to have both faith and deeds working together. We boldly show our faith through our deeds, and our deeds flow out of the authentic and genuine faith we hold in our heart. We don't just tell people we are Christian, we show them through what we do and through who we are becoming. The fact that we are followers of Christ is clearly seen in our lives when we continue taking steps towards him and actively follow Christ. What good is it to be called a follower if you're not actually following? The main point is this: If your faith is not seen in what you do, then what is the point?
These are obvious examples of missing something vital, but in the same way, we can miss something spiritual that is vital to our lives. James explains it like this: What good is it if someone claims to be a person of faith, yet they have no deeds to back it up? More simply put; what good is it to claim to be Christian, but live like an atheist? He makes a sound, reasonable, and logical point. What good is it for someone to claim they are a Christian, in a relationship with Jesus, if there is nothing in their life that is a positive fruit that proves and backs up what they claim? Simply believing that God exists is not enough. Even Satan and demons believe in God. Simply knowing some verses of the bible is also not enough. Even Satan and demons know what God's word says. We have to do the works that God has called us to while remembering that it is not those works that save us. Salvation is a free gift that we can do nothing to earn. We must always be reminded that good works flow out of Salvation, not into it.
Faith needs to be accompanied by action. The two go hand in hand. They cannot be separated or in each hand you really have nothing. If you have deeds, but no faith, then everything you've done is all for yourself and none of it will show up in eternity. But if you have faith, but not deeds, then you are living as a hollow facade and it is really all just a pretend show. The best thing we can do is to have both faith and deeds working together. We boldly show our faith through our deeds, and our deeds flow out of the authentic and genuine faith we hold in our heart. We don't just tell people we are Christian, we show them through what we do and through who we are becoming. The fact that we are followers of Christ is clearly seen in our lives when we continue taking steps towards him and actively follow Christ. What good is it to be called a follower if you're not actually following? The main point is this: If your faith is not seen in what you do, then what is the point?