There Is No Faith Without Work

When someone tells you of a trouble they are facing, you may typically respond with, “I am praying for you.” Yet, do you mean it? Do you go away from them and say a prayer? Do you write it down in a prayer journal while asking God to help them or heal them?

When I have had conversations with different congregants who are facing troubles, I often say that not only am I praying for them, but that the church is praying for them. Sometimes, the response is, “Thank you, I can feel them.” Or I have heard, “Keep them coming, they are working.” It is good to know with confidence that God’s people are doing what they say they will do.

A problem that many non-religious people have is with the saying, “Thoughts and Prayers.” It can sound so empty, and disingenuous. Maybe it is because they don’t see the faithful praying. Maybe, they are right to feel this way because for some situations, our prayers may be empty.

Pray and Read James 2:14-26

James 2:14–26 NRSV

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 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? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

What good does it do for someone to hear you say that you believe in God if they do not believe? It is just the same as saying that you will pray for someone, then casually forgot to do so. I love the analogy James gives us in this passage. Imagine there is someone who we know and trust, is going through a hard time providing for there family. Would we say, “O I am so sorry, I will pray for you”, and offer no way to help them? This happen with Christians more times then we would like to admit. Our prayers are just the beginning of what we need to do. Sometimes we actually need to do something when we know what needs to be done. This is how God answers our prayers, often times, it is through us!

What about when you are driving around and you see a homeless person out in the heat that we have had this summer, and you have a whole case of water in your car. What could you do for that person that would show your faith?

Basically, James asks us this. Yes, we should believe in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet, do we show our belief. Even demons can say they know God is real. What separates you from evil?

Better yet, how far are you willing to go to show your faith? Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son simply because God had asked him to. In building faith, we must work through our faith. We must put what we believe through the test, by testing our faith. This is how we do this: God must be evident in our lives. Abraham proved he was faithful to God in going up the mountain and laying his son on the alter. Of course, God did not want Abraham to actually kill his son. In one sense this shows how loyal and committed he was to God.

The same Greek word for faith also means to have trust in someone or something. Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to tell a loved one or someone that you were in a relationship with that you have lost faith in them? You may say things like,”I can’t trust you to do the right thing or make the right choices.” Maybe you have said, “I cannot rely on you”, or “I am tired of having to question your loyalty.” “I have lost all confidence in this relationship.” Statements like these are typically spoken out of experience. With the exception of a narcissistic person, these statements are said after multiple times of the other person breaking promises or doing something that is harmful to themselves, the person feeling betrayed, or to the relationship in general. In other words, they may say they love and care, but their actions show otherwise.

So what do your actions show regarding your faith? Do your actions show that you love God with all your heart, mind and soul? If there is no actions, there is no fruit. A true follower of Christ bares fruit. Fruit is what is shown on a tree after it was blossomed and grown. It is the result of a well planted and maintained tree. Our fruit demonstrates how well we have grown in our faith and how dedicated we are to the call of God on our lives. If a tree bears no fruit, it is likely to be dead or dying. Faith without works, as James says, is dead faith.

The best way to reach people for Christ is to show them who Christ is. You are the hands and feet of Christ. Christ healed, comforted, taught, and fed the hungry. When we do the same, we are showing others who Christ is and what we believe. What do your good deeds say about your faith? The more good deeds, the mightier the faith. How many good works do you have to show for your faith?

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.