The Barrier of Easy Faith

My Friend Adam - the Mime

When I started going to college I was a bit nervous that I wasn’t going to make too many friends. I didn’t really have that many in high school, and I thought for sure that the friends I made in Basic Training were going to be the only ones I’d ever have.

But, sure enough, I was wrong. Despite my nerves, I connected really well with this guy named Adam. He was a year younger than me, interested in a lot of the same hobbies, and ended up living across the hall from me in the dorm.

He was an incredibly talkative guy, always telling stories. It seemed like no matter what we did, or what we talked about, he had a story that could connect to the conversation. While I was studying microbiology, Adam was into music and theater. He wanted to be this big name actor one day. The guy on the stage or on the screen that had all of the speaking parts, always able to capture the audience with a long monologue.

However, Adam’s memory wasn’t the greatest. Sure, he could remember stories, but he just couldn’t remember lines. Despite this, and his struggles, we remained good friends throughout college. Unfortunately though, after he started his career as a professional mime, I didn’t hear from him anymore...

I don’t know if any of you have ever watched a mime perform, but it’s pretty intriguing. Their whole thing is to tell a story, as best as they can, without sounds or words. It’s an art form that makes you think, makes you concentrate.

I’ve never seen one in person, but I have seen a few on TV and in shows. One of the things that they do that I find intriguing is when they place themselves in an invisible box and they can’t get out. They make it incredibly convincing that there is an actual invisible box around them. It’s almost as if they have put up this invisible barrier that stops them from coming out, stops them from speaking. They are trapped…or at least we’re led to think they are.

But, it’s interesting to me that they often have an act where they place themselves inside a barrier. It’s not something I would certainly enjoy. I’ve never been stuck behind a barrier and actually enjoyed that. Now sure, there are barriers in life that are good and that keep us safe, like ones at race tracks or on the highway, but sometimes there are barriers in life that stop us from doing what we need to do, or should be doing.

The Barrier in James

What we read this morning from the book of James is all about barriers. Sure, it doesn’t say the word “barrier” and there aren’t any mimes in the story, but believe it or not, there is a barrier present. That barrier was easy faith.

Now, our author, James, also known as James the Just, was the Jewish brother of… Jesus! James is writing to Jewish Christians, encouraging them to live out the word instead of simply being hearers. He is challenging them, and reminding them what it means to have faith in God.

At this time there were many who were struggling with what it meant to be a believer. They wanted to know what they had to do, or what they had to believe, in order to gain salvation in Christ.

When you read through many of Paul’s writings, especially Romans, you see that he addresses this there. He says that one is saved by faith alone.

Well, the problem that James sees is that people have taken this teaching by Paul and abused it. Instead of a living faith, they are having an easy faith. Well, what is easy faith?

Easy faith is merely intellectual. It’s the knowing that Christ exists, that Christ saves. Easy faith is when we understand these things, yet our actions say different. Easy faith is a faith that says all the right things, yet does that which counters what we say we believe.

That is the easy faith that James is trying to argue against. A faith that divorces belief from doing, religion from ethics, faith from deeds. As James states in the rest of his letter, “be doers of the word, not just hearers.” Easy faith is that which counters this statement from James.

Now, working through this part of James’ letter we see that he seems to be fairly passionate about this point. He is wishing and longing for believers to do more than just say they are believers, but to show it.

He uses an example of easy faith. “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?”

James makes it known here that one can not just wish a blessing upon someone, recognizing their need, without acting to help. This must have been a huge problem at the time of James.

He continues to argue that faith and works go hand in hand. Making the argument that one cannot show their faith apart from their works, while those who have true faith will show their faith by their works.

James then goes after the intellectual alone believers by saying that “yes, you may believe, and know and understand that God is one, but so too do the demons.” He is making it known here that even the spiritual forces of wickedness, the demons, even Satan, know that God is one. They know that Christ is the son of God and the son of Man. Yet, despite their belief, their understanding, do their works match? No.

He then claims that faith apart from works is barren. It’s empty, meaningless. We know that those who have the spirit of God within them are able to bear fruit that honor and glorify God. But, that’s not happening.

The problem with easy faith is that it becomes a barrier between us and authentic faith. It stops us from doing exactly what God wishes for us to do.

Easy faith is that invisible wall that traps the mime in the box. We can’t get out. The only way for us to escape from this life of easy faith is to understand what our faith calls us to do.

As believers, our faith can only be shown through our actions. True, real, authentic faith brings forth the fruit of the spirit. It gives honor and glory to God, while blessing those around us.

If we claim to be filled with the Spirit of God, to have faith, yet to never do anything as a result, our faith is meaningless.

Imagine that you are on a plane and the person next to you has a heart attack. Frantic, you shout out, “is there a doctor on the flight? Does anyone know CPR?” A man comes to you and says, “Yes, I’m a doctor. What’s the problem?”

You tell him about the man having a heart attack and he just says, “Sorry, I can’t help.”

At this point, you understand that no matter what we say, no matter what we try to convince others to believer, if our actions do not back up our words, they are meaningless. It’s the same with faith. What we believe matters, but when our beliefs are separated from our actions it creates a whole lot of mess.

Faith that is shown through actions was such an important teaching that Jesus says in John 13:35, “all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This wasn’t a call to just walk to someone and say, “I love you,” but to show and demonstrate that love.

Later in John, Jesus says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Imagine if John 3:16 said this, “For God so loved the world that He said he did and then watched it burn, plunge into chaos, and never sought to restore it.”

Or, imagine Jesus claiming to love others around him, and all of creation, but then while he hung on the cross he said, “Alright, I’ve had enough of this. This hurts too much and these people aren’t worth it.” And then comes down.

Saying that you love and care for someone, yet never showing it, means you don’t actually care and love for someone.

It’s the same with our faith. By faith we claim to know and love God, Jesus Christ. Yet, if our faith is never displayed in what we do and say to others, it’s as meaningless as an empty “I love you” with no action.

Real, authentic faith in Jesus Christ is transformative, not just empty words. Going back to John 3:3, Jesus says to Nicodemus that one must be born again. To be born again means to have new life. It means a death to the old and a life in the new. Easy faith acts as a barrier here.

Faith that does nothing to change the basic orientation and habits of one’s life is a barrier to authentic Christian faith.

Let’s recall Matt. 7:16-21. This is what Jesus says,

Matthew 7:16–21 NRSV

16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Brothers and sisters, do you think it is God’s will for us to bless the poor, the broken, the needy....but to never do a thing about it?

James reminds us this morning that our faith must be something that is not private, nor hidden away, nor words alone. Our faith, when authentic, true, real, deep, and meaningful, will show itself in what we do, what we say, how we act towards one another Authentic faith displays itself through what we do.

So, I must ask you this morning, is easy faith a barrier in your life? Are you struggling this morning to show your faith to others by your actions? Does it seem like you have faith, yet you can’t ever seems to display the fruits of the spirit?

There are moments in my life where what I say and what I do counter the faith that I claim to have. There are instances where I react, or speak, or neglect to do something, and I recognize pretty soon after that I’m living into an easy faith, not an authentic one.

Folks, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, but that faith MUST become a part of who we are every day. That faith must show itself in all that we do, otherwise it means nothing.

As someone who struggles many times with easy faith, I recognize that it’s called easy faith for a reason. It’s easy for us to say “i’ll pray for you” but then never do it. It’s easy for us to say, “yes I should be patient and kind” and then turn around and yell at our waitress because our food came out slow.

I am pleading with all of you this morning to not only pray that I may display an authentic faith in Jesus Christ, but that each of us would. That every person in this church displayed an authentic faith in God the Father each and every day of their lives. In every moment and in every instance.

As we come together before the table of our Lord, as we prepare to share in the meal that Christ gave for us, may we each examine our own lives and own faith. Examine it and see if what you have is an authentic and real faith in Jesus Christ, or if its simply an easy faith, that barrier to authentic faith.

No matter the case, may this celebration of Holy Communion be a means of grace by which God changes your heart and may it send you into the world today and forevermore as someone who displays always and everywhere the authentic faith in Jesus Christ that saves us and redeems us.

Amen.