Today, I would like to share with you a scripture that I have contemplated for many years in an effort to understand. It is found in James 2:26 – "faith without works is dead". In a previous scripture (18), James challenges – "shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works". My question has always been, if God works through our faith in Him, then what else do we need to do except believe? Bear with me as I attempt to answer this very question. Feel free to share your own thoughts on the subject that you believe might shed a brighter light.
Abraham: The Father of Faith
Let’s look at Abraham’s story where God told him to offer up his son Isaac for a sacrifice. Long before that occurrence, God made him a promise of an heir. Genesis 15:4 – “but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 15:5 - “look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him so shall thy seed be.” Later in Genesis 21:12, God tells Abraham that His promise of innumerable seeds will be fulfilled through Isaac.
Because Abraham believed God’s promise, he faithfully obeyed God; trusting that the Creator would not renege on the promise of his future. Because Abraham was obedient in his faith, God was faithful in His promise and provided a ram entangled in a bush (Genesis 22:13) for Abraham’s sacrifice instead of Isaac.
Abraham, the father of faith teaches us that true faith manifests itself in works of faith. This, meaning that if we truly BELIEVE GOD or have faith in Him, we can do or work what He asks of us in confidence that He knows what He’s doing. And not only so, but that it is to our good and to God’s glory.
Faith Inspires Action
So, what does this mean in today’s walk of faith? As we all know, animal sacrifices are no longer required because God gave us the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, His only begotten son, JESUS CHRIST. Therefore, faith without works may appear differently in today’s times. It resembles more like the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. Verse 27 reads: When she had heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind Him, and touched His garment, 28- for she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole. Verse 29 confirms, she was healed of that plague.
Like the woman, we have all heard of Jesus. But what are her works that caused her to be healed? The answer is simple; "she came in the press". When she heard of Jesus passing through, instead of standing by idle in the crowd, watching Jesus go by; she put her faith to work by pressing or working her way to Jesus. She believed that if she couldn’t get to Him directly, she would still be healed by touching something that was touching Him. In doing so, the works of her faith healed her. The woman’s story teaches us that faith must inspire an action and we must act on our faith. Faith displays itself in works.
Overcoming Dead Faith
The book of The Epistle of James is very clear in its position on faith. Faith without works cannot be called faith. “Faith without works is dead” and a dead faith is worse than no faith at all. Faith must work; it must produce; it must be visible. Faith endures trials. Trials come and go, but strong faith will face them head-on and develop endurance. Faith understands temptations. It will not allow us to consent to our lust and slide into sin. Faith obeys the Word. It produces doers. Faith is believers walking in what we believe in.
Faith is more than mere words. It is demonstrated by obedience; and it visibly responds to the promises of God. Faith acts wisely. It gives the ability to choose wisdom that is heavenly and shun wisdom that is earthly. It provides us with the ability to resist the Devil and humbly draw near to God. Faith waits patiently for the coming of the Lord through whatever we are going through knowing that He can and will fix it. Understanding these concepts and incorporating them into your faith will help to overcome dead faith. This is the type of faith that is pleasing to God. Join me next week when I will be discussing: Activating God-Pleasing Faith.
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Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrew 11:1
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