Proof of Faith?
Is faith enough? Many churches teach, that to “just believe” in the Lord, is enough. So a significant number of self professed believers do nothing more. A true believer knows better. If just believing is enough to earn us redemption and salvation how can we possibly explain James 2:14 & 17 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”. When we live with, rely on and surrender to our God, we begin to change and start to become more like our Lord Jesus. We don’t act like Jesus to pretend we are like him, we actually change, morph, transition, grow, sacrifice, give, serve and humble ourselves as he did because we have changed and want or need to please Him. Regardless of the age of the party involved, when a seeker becomes a believer, their heart grows, not physically but spiritually. Picking any other role model is not a good substitution. Jesus came to serve and teach us, he came to sacrifice, not of himself but truly himself for us. He came to show us what love without conditions is like. These are traits that a true hero might replicate, but no one else can forgive us our sins and offer us salvation as well. The difference is monumental.
What is meant by deeds? By filling in this missing verses of James 2:15,16 we are given examples: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” Serving God is about helping those who need God’s help and trusting our Lord God to care for us while we help Him with His work. Showing love means more than expressing love. Showing faith means more than claiming faith. We pray for ourselves and others and that is the correct order of prayer. The first key is to pray for God to forgive our sins (which He will do) and then pray that His Will be done with regard to others, which He might do. The forgiveness is necessary that we might present ourselves and our wants to Him, so prayers might be considered without our stain upon them. First a helpful prayer, then a helping hand and that’s when faith is fully revealed. Faith is the continuous fuel that moves us closer to our God who is moving while serving others. Deeds are our proof of faith which differentiates us from the wishful.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
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