Faith and Deeds

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ 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? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ^[1]

This particular passage is probably the most recognizable from the book of James. Most Christians, whether they are familiar with their Bibles or not, would be acquainted with these verses, especially “faith without works is dead (KJV).” This is also part of the book of James that addressed controversy in the church over works righteousness. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Some believers took Paul’s words to mean that it was not necessary to their salvation that they actually do something for someone else. To James this is completely nonsensical.

If we ascribe to the law of love, how can we allow our faith to be sedentary? One of the problems I see with the church today is that far too many believers want the benefits of a relationship with Jesus but do not want to exert the effort it takes to cultivate it. We are called to put our faith into practice. The danger at the other extreme, of course, is that some will believe that all they have to do is good deeds to inherit eternal life. It does not work either way. It is one’s faith that they have received from God by His grace that motivates them to perform good deeds, but good deeds cannot and does not lead to faith. It may sound callous and insensitive, but hell will be populated by people who did marvelous deeds while living but who had no faith.

If we combine these verses with the preceding verses that speak to the Royal Law of Love, then we should be able to see that our focus on our own goals and objectives without looking to the interests of others is incompatible with our walk of faith. Today let us open our eyes to see those around us who are hurting or in need. What can we do to give them hope, bring them peace, or feed and clothe them because our faith apart from works or deeds is lifeless and dead.

Dear Lord, forgive us of settling for a lifeless faith. Help us to be more like You in all we say and do. Keep us from using our busy lives as excuses for looking through and around those who are in need. Give us the capacity to point people to where they can find help if we cannot provide it ourselves. Enable us to be caring and compassionate even as You have been and continue to be with us. Help us to show forth Your love and concern for the least of these among us, or just to a hurting brother or sister. Today, when we ask someone how they are, let us be earnest enough to care enough to take time to truly listen and pray for that person. Thank You for hearing our prayer. Amen.