11/27

James 2:14-17

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

Faith produces action. The early church must have had just as much trouble as we do when they realized that they were saved by faith in Christ. People looked on it as a magic formula. They thought if they understood what Christ did for them and voiced their acceptance of it, they had a guaranteed place in heaven. James is trying to tell them that genuine faith will result in actions. You can't separate faith and actions. The actions don't save us, but they will accompany real faith.

Jesus said the same thing by declaring that you will know a tree by its fruit. If someone has a real faith in Christ, then his actions will be like those of Christ.

James' illustration was of meeting physical needs. You can tell a person to be fed and clothed, but it won't do any good unless you take some kind of action to see that he receives the food and clothes. The analogy tells us that saying you have faith means nothing. The evidence of genuine faith is a transformed life.

If you have believed you were right with God but continued in your old life style, then you must come to the realization that you are fooling yourself. Repentance is a change of direction. To accept Christ as Lord implies that you are no longer the master of your life.

Consider: Is your faith alive? Is there enough evidence in your life to convict you of being a Christian? If not, go to the cross and die with Christ, and be raised to a new life in Him! Ask for the power of the Spirit to transform you daily.