Faith Requires Action

James 2:14–26 NLT

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? 21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Faith by itself is not enough!

Talk is cheap...

Too often Christians box themselves into a position of being so heavenly minded we are no earthly good...

Faith in God often leads to abdicating personal responsibility...

Faith in self often leads to abdicating a healthy reliance upon God… (Lucifer in heaven became Satan on earth because of SELF)

Isaiah 14:12–14 NKJV

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

James is explaining:

Faith in God is sufficient for Salvation

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Action (good deeds) is a natural result of faith in God

James 2:18 NLT

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

James 2:20 NLT

20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Actions (good deeds) makes our faith complete

James 2:21–22 NLT

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

What does it mean to make our faith complete?

James 2:23–24 NLT

23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

Peoples can see we are right with God by what we do...

-Martinsburg, WV

Housing

-Owner occupied - 45.9%

WV - 72.5%, USA - 63.6%

-Renter occupied - 54.1%

WV - 27.5%, USA - 36.4%

Education

-78.2% completed 8th grade

-76.4% completed high school

-17.1% completed a bachelor’s degree

-1.3% completed a doctorate degree

Employment

-Per capita income 14% lower than WV average, 31% lower than USA average

-Median household income 13% lover than WV average, 33% lower than USA average

-Unemployment rate is 8% - 73% higher than USA average

Poverty Rate 29%

-91% higher than USA average

Violent Crime

- 27% higher than WV

-18% higher than USA

Property Crime

-142% higher than WV

-102% higher than USA

Jail

WV ranked #9 in USA for highest state incarceration rate

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