The world is in turmoil; there are so many things that are uncertain and out of our control.
However, in the midst of all the turmoil and all the trials we face, the Word of God is indisputable; it is set; it is intensive; it is firm; it is effective; it is good; it is estimable; it is pure; it is sensible; it is real; it is reliable; it is sure; it is concrete; it is true; it is uniform, and valid; it is genuine; it is durable and entire; it is compact and potent; it is worthy and it is stable; it is sturdy, steady, and strong.
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2
We have to put our faith into practice.
Sadly, some believers confess their faith in God and His Word, but contradict their confession with their actions. For example, a person may profess to trust in God for their finances, but at the same time they will worry about where and how the financial provision is going to come. A person may declare that God’s promises are true and that He is faithful, but then repudiate all that God has done and is doing in their life.
In this passage, James tells us that there must be corresponding actions to our faith. We not only have to be hearers and speakers of the Word, but also doers of the Word. He uses Abraham and Rahab as examples of people who did things that corresponded to their faith, showing us that the actions of a ‘doer’ of the Word coincides with their confession of faith.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27
As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of uncertainty and turmoil in the world; therefore, our faith must be rooted and grounded firmly in Christ and the Word of God. Some believers might be great ‘talkers’ of the Word without fully believing in the Word. If we make big profession of faith, but are not deeply rooted in God, we will be blown over when the storms come (and the Bible tells us that storms will come). Additionally, we might end up hurting others along the way as we are blown away by the winds and storms of life.
Therefore, don’t be all show and no roots; instead be deeply grounded in the Word of God so that when the storms come, you can stand firm in Him.
Our actions must be in perfect fellowship with our confession of faith; but this a process and will take time. God is working in our lives and developing us in our faith so that we have corresponding actions; so let the Word of God be the determining foundation of your life.
God meets us in our weakness and in times when we struggle with our faith; He strengthens us and helps us grow. We can do all things through Him; we cannot be conquered; we cannot be defeated; there is no force or situation in all the world to conquer Him who dwells in us.
Not only are we born of God and partakers of God’s nature and life, but we have the Almighty God dwelling in us; we have the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us. We have access to God’s wisdom and strength, so we have to learn to allow Him to govern our intellect and use us in accordance with His will. Then we can declare in the presence of any enemy – fear, failure, and other trials we face – that God is the ability of our lives. God Himself makes us greater that our enemies; whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11).
If our actions do not correspond to our faith, we end up resorting to our limited human sense rather than completely trusting in God. This is bound to result in disappointment, confusion, and failures in our lives. However, Peter encourages us in this:
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 peter 5:7
Regardless of any circumstance, let us learn to cast every problem into His care. Often, our worst enemy is ourselves; when we tend to solely lean on our sense and understanding, we limit our ability in Christ. But God has given us His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit our actions can correspond to our faith.
Common sense may tell us “I can’t do this” or “I don’t have the ability” or “I don’t have the right level of education”; however, the language of strong faith says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Therefore, let us be believers who will not be put to shame; let us be believers who put our faith into action, doing His will as He works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.