We are living in a
time of faith-filled words only. Jesus walked His talk and expected His people
to do the same on a daily basis. As Jesus' disciples, doing good works is the
result of our faith in God.
The apostle James
provided an important principle to live by: What good is it, my brothers, if
someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
(2:14, ESV). James expounded further in practical terms: If a brother or sister
is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go
in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the
body, what good is that? (2:15-16, ESV). He, then, concluded the matter, “So
also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:17, ESV). David C.
Grabbe explained it this way:
In God's mind, true faith or living faith is virtually
synonymous with obedience and works. Faith and obedience are interchangeable,
even though they are not specifically the same thing. This is just like
the Bible's usage of mind, heart, and spirit—they are not
specifically the same thing, yet they are so interconnected that they
really cannot be separated.
There are two things we need to avoid. First, we must avoid having
rhetorical faith where speaking faith-filled words but lacking any
manifestation of good works, thereby produces nothing. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
described, “Faith must be embodied in acts: "faith, without acts of faith,
is but a dream." "The two cannot be separated, for they are given in
one by God to man, and from him go back in one to God.” What’s the biblical
application? John (the Baptist) replied, "Whoever has two tunics should
share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same"
(Luke 3:11, NIV).
The other kind to avoid is a dead faith. Having a dead faith is
characterized as being a spiritual person having only faith but without
manifestation of good works. Steven J. Cole explained, “Genuine saving faith
manifests itself in good deeds. If a person claims to have faith but has no
resulting works, his claim is suspect.” Jesus Himself provided the means to
keep our faith alive and manifesting good works: “Let your light shine before
men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, NIV).
Maintaining the
impact of showing how real faith works must be felt within and outside the
sphere of our influence. It begins by having real faith producing good works
seen and felt by the unbelieving community. It is the kind of faith with a
distinct purpose of glorifying God as they witness its application. Next, real
faith operating through good works is attained when Bible-believing Christians
becoming doers of God’s Word and in their actions testifies of God’s changing
power in one’s life (James 1:22a). William Booth shared this excellent insight:
Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like
the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and
then works again -- until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one
and which is the other.
Finally, real faith through good works is affirmed
when the needs in the community of believers are met especially during tough
times as a reminder of God’s presence working through His people (Titus
3:14). Martin Luther explained, “The
true, living faith, which the Holy Spirit instills into the heart, simply
cannot be idle.”
In summary, here
are three things we need to remember:
1.
Real faith leads us to do good
works, therefore, never miss an opportunity to do so.
2.
Real faith with good works is a
testimony to God’s Word of meeting people’s needs, therefore, let our faith
equals our generosity in doing good works.
3.
Real faith only impacts
people’s lives when our good works become an application of what we preach
about God’s provision, therefore, let’s practice what we preach.
Let’s talk again!
