Living vs Dead Faith

Image result for faith without works is dead

Faith and Deeds - James 2

14 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.
This is the famous passage everyone likes to debate.  Is James saying that if you don't have good deeds that accompany faith, you don't have saving faith?  What about the doctrine we are saved by grace not by works lest anyone should boast?  Ephesians 2:8-9  The problem is if good works save us, then why did Jesus have to die?  If we can be saved by good works, then Jesus died for nothign.  Of course we know that bible teaches that we are saved by faith and not by works, so what do we make of this passage in James?  
I think it is helpful to look at the next verse after Ephesians 2:8-9.  Ephesians 2:10 ironically says, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." So how does this verse add to the discussion?  What is shows is that at the root of being a Christian is doing good works.  Why? Because a Christian is a Christ-follower.  A Christian does the things Jesus did and taught us to do.  Jesus did good works all the time.  If the Spirit of Christ is living within us, it is the Spirit that spurs us on to do the good deeds Christ made us for.  
But of course we can reject the Holy Spirit, or what the bible calls "quenching the Spirit".  The Holy Spirit can lead us to do a good work, and we can say "no thank you I am too busy right now!"  So what role does faith have in this? Faith always produces good works.  When we are walking in and exercising true faith it will always involve doing goods works.  As Ephesians 2:10 says, "We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works!"  
So rather than spend so much time worrying about the relationship between faith and good works, let's spend more time putting our faith in action. While we can't take credit for the good works we do, we can certainly enjoy doing them.  Tell me when is the last time you did a good work and didn't feel good about it.  That's the thing, when we do good works it strengthens our faith because we see God at work and it feels great!  Having the gift of faith that produces good works is a dynamic duo.  It's what we were made for.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more