Today's Scripture
To The Street – James 2:14-26
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 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? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
18 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. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23 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. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
Rich's Devotion
What the passage says
Vs 14-17 James is asking the question: What kind of Faith is one that is words of belief without the actions of belief? He uses the example of a words only individual seeing an old friend starving and dressed in rags saying “Be clothed in Christ. Be filled with the holy spirit” and not giving him food or clothing, as an empty faith. In vs.18-26 James is making the argument that faith and works have to be linked in order for faith to be fruitful. “Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are works of faith? The full meaning of “believe” in the scripture sentence, Abraham believed God and was set right with god, includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named God’s friend. Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?”-The Message vs 22-25
In the last vs 26 James makes the strongest statement he can to emphasize how critical it is for faith and works to go together. “The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.” – The message vs 26
What does the passage say to me/us?
To the streets is the title for this reading. A more modern day title would be, put your money where your mouth is. I think we need to be clear when we are talking about faith and works that Jesus Christ died for our sins and our belief in him saves us. James is not saying that we are saved by faith plus works. If we were saved by faith plus works then there would be two saviors, Jesus and ourselves. Jesus Christ is our only savior. The gift of Christ by God for our sins is the unconditional grace we have received and our acknowledgement of it is what results in a changed life. This is what James is emphasizing, that we can’t be content with a words only faith after receiving such a gift. That it deserves a faith that results in a lifetime of good works. In this scripture James doesn’t pull any punches. He basically says faith is invisible. The only way others can know you have faith is by a life that demonstrates it.
“To summarize, then, James tests our faith by our answers to the following questions. Am I willing, like Abraham to offer the dearest thing in my life to God? Am I willing like Rahab to turn traitor on the world in order to be loyal to Christ?” -The Believer’s Bible commentary
Prayer
Heavenly Father, We pray for a faith of action. To live our life as Christ has taught us. Loving and helping others, not just in words but with our actions. In Christ name, we pray. Amen
*Contributed by Rich McGimsey
Click to subscribe to our Daily Devotion.
You will receive a devotion in your inbox every morning.