PROVE IT!
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. James 2:26
Have you ever heard anyone say that; Actions speak louder than word?" When I was in grammar school, there was always some kids on the playground who would brag about how fast they could run or how high a tree they could climb. Their bragging would be most of the time met with, Oh yeah? Prove it! In short this is what James 2:14-26 is saying, Prove it.
There is quite a difference in saying you believe and actually believing. Lip service is useless without actions backing it. There is the business of living out your faith in Jesus. And according to James 2:26, True faith will always be accompanied by actions. Our works are the life of faith just as the spirit is the life of the body. James is not suggesting that we are saved by our works. Salvation will always be by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) however good works are the fruit and evidence that Jesus is truly in our lives.
Abraham is a prime example that James gives in (verse 23). When Abraham was obedient to God and offered Isaac as a sacrifice, his action fulfilled what God had said about him and God credited Abraham's faith as righteousness. This proves that it was Abraham's obedience that saved him, but it proved his salvation was real. His faith and actions were working together in which the two are truly inseparable.
How can faith be proven without works? Even Almighty God, who cannot be seen, proves His very existence by His works. How much more then should we as children of God, do the same? Salvation is eternal, it is an unseen work that shifts us from the physical to the spiritual realm, moving us from death to life. On the outside we look the same, yet in reality something has drastically changed in us, and if you try to explain that to someone, you are likely to be met with Prove it! And while it is not our job to prove God is real; it is our job to prove He is real in us.
Dear Lord, All of the good works in the world could not save us, and this I am sure of. You alone deserve the credit for that; and I can only boast in Your works alone. Thank You for Your grace and mercy in my life. Help me today to prove this unseen faith and joy in me, by how I live my life to you and before others. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. James 2:26
Have you ever heard anyone say that; Actions speak louder than word?" When I was in grammar school, there was always some kids on the playground who would brag about how fast they could run or how high a tree they could climb. Their bragging would be most of the time met with, Oh yeah? Prove it! In short this is what James 2:14-26 is saying, Prove it.
There is quite a difference in saying you believe and actually believing. Lip service is useless without actions backing it. There is the business of living out your faith in Jesus. And according to James 2:26, True faith will always be accompanied by actions. Our works are the life of faith just as the spirit is the life of the body. James is not suggesting that we are saved by our works. Salvation will always be by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) however good works are the fruit and evidence that Jesus is truly in our lives.
Abraham is a prime example that James gives in (verse 23). When Abraham was obedient to God and offered Isaac as a sacrifice, his action fulfilled what God had said about him and God credited Abraham's faith as righteousness. This proves that it was Abraham's obedience that saved him, but it proved his salvation was real. His faith and actions were working together in which the two are truly inseparable.
How can faith be proven without works? Even Almighty God, who cannot be seen, proves His very existence by His works. How much more then should we as children of God, do the same? Salvation is eternal, it is an unseen work that shifts us from the physical to the spiritual realm, moving us from death to life. On the outside we look the same, yet in reality something has drastically changed in us, and if you try to explain that to someone, you are likely to be met with Prove it! And while it is not our job to prove God is real; it is our job to prove He is real in us.
Dear Lord, All of the good works in the world could not save us, and this I am sure of. You alone deserve the credit for that; and I can only boast in Your works alone. Thank You for Your grace and mercy in my life. Help me today to prove this unseen faith and joy in me, by how I live my life to you and before others. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
