Life According to James DAY TWO
Deeds Show Faith
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:18 NIV
Favoritism Forbidden
James continues to help us understand the life of faith. He believes that our faith should result in transformation. He says this should affect the way we treat people. Whereas the world teaches us to treat the rich and powerful with more esteem, James believes Christians should see everyone the way God sees them, without discrimination. He talks about how many people who are poor in the world’s eyes are rich in faith. If you haven’t yet done it, I would encourage you to go on a short-term mission trip. You will step outside of this rich culture and meet people who live in extreme simplicity and poverty, who have a joy in the Lord that defies your thinking. We are so skewed by this competitive, cut-throat society in which we live, and James reminds us that we are to be “counter-cultural.”
The ultimate test, according to James, is whether we are loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. He calls this the royal law. Jesus said loving others is the 2nd greatest commandment next to loving God. (Matthew 22:37-40) Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 13 that we can have all these amazing spiritual gifts, but if we don’t have love, it’s all worthless. James concurs and says we will be judged one day for how we loved.
Faith and Deeds
Throughout scripture, we understand that our salvation comes through our faith in Jesus Christ. James, however, notices that many people claim they have faith in Christ, but their actions don’t verify it. He challenges the notion that “believing in God” defines our faith, saying that “even the demons believe that.” In James 2:19, he says that genuine belief results in actions that confirm our beliefs. He lists Abraham and the prostitute Rahab, who are both listed in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11, as great examples of people who had extreme faith which resulted in extreme action.
Again, the Christian life, according to James, is a life which bears fruit for God’s kingdom. His teaching supports our Lord Jesus’ lesson in John 15, where He said, “If a man abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV God wants to orchestrate our lives in such a way that we will be His ambassadors to this lost and dying world. He has a plan, and we are part of it.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV