REAL FAITH
James 2:14,17 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.
Just what is real faith? Is it belief only? Is faith simply a matter of believing the right things? There is no question it’s necessary to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. As the Apostle Paul asserts, we are justified through faith. But is there more to real, genuine faith?
I believe for Christians, James 2:14-24 is vitally important to understand and grasp. This is the essence of real, genuine faith. Real faith always takes action. Real faith demands actions. It demands good deeds emanate from your inner belief. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is the real test of the genuineness of the faith we claim to have.
None of us wants a dead, useless faith. Yet, in reality this is what many Christians possess. A lifeless, dead, assertion to certain beliefs, devoid of real, tangible actions emanating from their lives.
Remember Hebrews 11? What use would Noah’s so-called faith have been if he didn’t build the ark God told him to? What use would Abraham’s so-called faith have been if he didn’t leave the homeland God told him to and go to another land? What use would Abraham’s so-called faith have been if he didn’t willingly go up and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, as God asked him to? What use would Moses’s parents so-called faith have been if they didn’t defy Pharaoh and hide little Moses from his evil grasp? What use would Moses’s so-called faith have been if when he grew up he hadn’t refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and chose instead to share the oppression of God’s people, the Jewish slaves?
It would have been a dead, useless faith. A faith that saves no one, helps no one.
Recently I was challenged once again by the passage in James. Would I put my faith in action? A dear friend and fellow believer is going through an extremely difficult time. Trial after trial, injustice and affliction have overwhelmed them again and again. God was nudging me, speaking to me to give up something very precious to me, something of great value, in order to help save them in their situation. Though I pray for them every single day, I knew in this instance God was asking for even more. God wanted me to put my real faith in action. So, that’s exactly what I did, trusting God would keep his promise to me and reward my faith, my sacrifice, and give back to me, pressed down, overflowing and shaken together.
Friends, let me urge you today, don’t just talk about your faith, act on your faith. Put your faith into real actions. Lest it be a dead and useless faith, in the same way a limp, useless arm, hanging by your side, is dead and useless.
For those of you who ever attended my Faithwalker conferences, this was always the burning passion and purpose of my heart—That the next Generation would: Know the Real God—Grow Real Faith—Take Real Action! I urge you to embrace this credo as your personal mission in your kids’ lives.
Please listen to this message series, as I know it will be a great blessing to your faith, and give you unique, spiritual insights. It is entitled, James: Grow Real Faith, Take Real Action. Be sure when you click on the link below, to then scroll down and start with Part 1.
https://strongdisciple.com/
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
