Faith Works

Faith Works

Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:17

IMAGINE A FARMER who expects his seeds to grow but never actually plants them or creates the right environment for them. Or imagine wanting to get in shape and envisioning how fit you will be but then never actually doing any exercise. Or imagine a builder who buys no materials. What does such inactivity tell us about the beliefs of these people? Either they don’t understand the process or they never really believed in their goals to begin with. There’s a disconnect between stated beliefs and actual experience, and nothing of importance will come of those beliefs.

That’s James’s argument about faith. Many have suggested that he and Paul disagree on the nature of faith, but Paul also understood that real faith produces certain responses (Galatians 5:6; Colossians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:3). If real faith always has outward manifestations, then faith that does not work its way out in experience is not real. If we really believe what we say we believe, there will be some evidence of it in our lives. Works are no substitute for faith, but faith comes out in our words and actions. If it doesn’t, it isn’t faith.

It’s pointless to separate faith for salvation from the rest of the faith life. It’s the same entity; our belief in Jesus that brought us into the Kingdom also applies his promises and purposes to our lives thereafter. If we are praying in faith for God to do something in our lives and basing that prayer on some revelation of his will for us, we can expect that faith to affect our words and behavior in the meantime. In fact, it must. There are times when we should stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13), but faith will have brought us to that position in the first place. Almost always, we have to do something—even if it’s a very small thing—not to earn God’s response but to demonstrate that we actually believe it is coming. Faith that results in works is faith that works results.

Practice in life whatever you pray for, and God will give it to you more abundantly.