Acting in Faith
by Pastor Bill Pevlor

     The old saying “actions speak louder than words” may be cliché but it’s also very true. This axiom defines the problem Christians have had in reaching non-Christians with the message of Christ. In the second chapter of the book of James, verse 14, James deals with the Christians who talk a good talk but walk a terrible walk. He said, “What good is it, my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” In verse 18 James said “I will show you my faith by what I do.” James was simply saying his outward actions were an expression of his inward faith in Christ. In the same way, your out­ward actions are the perfect measure of your faith. Not merely what you profess to have…but what really is there. If there is little or no outward demonstration of your faith, there is, clearly, little or no real faith in God.

     When the subject of being doers of God’s Word is taught it is often a message of how we must do more for our fellow man and increase our deeds of generosity; in essence, to show love and kindness to others is a tangible demonstration of our belief in God. The “doers of the Word” lesson is also often used to get people to conform to a set of behavioral beliefs. The logic is simple…if you truly believe in God you will act the right way. (i.e. quit smoking, be in church every Sunday, stop cursing, dress a certain way…etc. etc.)

     Both of these approaches have some merit. However, I don’t believe that was the main point James was trying to get across. Those who only apply James 1:22 to acts of human kindness and simple behavior modification are missing the message of “faith” James was preaching. In the very passage that James is talking about the need to have out­ward actions to verify your faith, he uses Abraham as an example of what he is talking about. (James 2:20–24) He points out how Abraham of­fered 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.” This is not an example of helping the poor or going to church on a regular basis. He is talking about an extraordinary risk of faith. In believing God, Abraham put everything on the line. In most cases, collecting canned goods for the underprivileged is not a great effort of “faith.”

       Living a moral and pious life is not a great display of your faith in Christ. Think about that precept. Every serious non-Christian religion has its code of righteous living, and, in many cases, they do it better than us. Does that mean they have more faith in Christ?

     What was it about the New Testa­ment believers that made them promi­nent figures of the day? How did they get the attention of non-believers and demonstrate the reality of God? Did they attract converts because they were remarkable Bible scholars? Was it because they lived moral lives? Was it because they gave to the poor? They did all these things, but that is not what set them apart from the crowd. The distinguishing mark on their lives, that turned the world upside down, were the signs and wonders they accomplished by faith in the name of Jesus.

     I believe Jesus, Himself, would have gone relatively unnoticed if all He did was live a moral life and spout scriptures. It was the miracles that made Him a prominent figure. His identity as the Son of God was linked to the signs and wonders that domi­nated His ministry. Jesus said “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”(John 10:37–38) In

John 14:11 He went on to say “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” There were undeniable “actions” that accompanied the words of Jesus.

     Jesus set the example for all believ­ers. Just as Jesus’ identity was linked to the miracles of His ministry, I believe, our own identities, as Chris­tians, should be linked to the supernat­ural evidence of faith in our lives. Jesus said to believe on the evidence of the miracles in His life and then, with his very next breath (John 14:12), He said “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Are you merely a hearer of this word…or a doer? Do you believe Jesus? Are you backing up your faith with actions? What good is it my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?

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