Let Your Faith Show

Faith is individual and personal. I cannot believe for you and you cannot believe for me. Nor can we look into each other’s heart to see faith. Saving faith is an inner confidence in Jesus as our Savior. Yet it is possible to give evidence of our faith. James urges us:

LET YOUR FAITH SHOW

Faith That Does Not Show is a Sham

We show faith by practicing mercy (James 2:15-16).

Offering to help in physical need.

Doing whatever we can for anyone in need.

Consistently declining mercy to others makes a pretense of our faith.

We may say we have faith, but we do not have it.

In a church that stresses salvation through faith rather than by works, it is easy to slip into the notion that, since good works do not save us, we do not need to be concerned about doing them.

Then our “faith” may be nothing more than intellectual assent to certain doctrines; that is not saving faith.

Saving faith is proven by what it does to carry out God’s law of love toward one’s neighbor. Works of love are fruits of faith. The “faith” some claim to have but which does not work in love for the well-being of others is worthless. Of what value are well-wishes when the person expressing them does nothing to alleviate the suffering he sees? Such loveless “faith” cannot save, for it shows an absence of the true saving faith.

Faith That is Real Will Always Show

Faith alone saves, but faith is never alone.

Faith always produces good works (Luther: “Oh, it is a living, active, energetic, mighty thing, this faith”).

Even weak faith is accompanied by some good deeds.

Faith will show itself in infinitely varied ways.

A mother caring for her children, a preacher proclaiming the Gospel, a father disciplining his child, an employee doing his job well.

We have only to let faith express itself in the faithful carrying out of our duty where we are.

Prophetically, the Old Testament reading reminds us that by his perfect obedience to the will of God Christ Jesus redeemed us. By his perfect active obedience he fulfilled the law of God for us so that we may be clothed with the robe of his righteousness. By his perfect passive obedience throughout his passion he delivered us from the guilt of our sins and saved us from the curse of the law.

Faith is a matter of the heart. Yet we demonstrate our faith by doing good. Let your faith show.