2011-02-09 - By What I Do
Originally Published 2005-02-02
James 2:14-18 (NIV) What good is it, my brothers, if
a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm
and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied
by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith;
I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith
by what I do.
Our daughter recently returned from a month in London. She was there doing
a study abroad course. It was a wonderful experience for her. They visited
not only Christian cathedrals, but also Hindu and Buddhist temples. These
experiences always make a parent a little nervous about the influence they
could have on his child.
I was very proud of my daughter when she said to me, "the other religions
seem to have to work to gain favor from their God. Don't we just have to
believe in Christ?"
It is a great observation on her part and a discerning question. Christianity
is the only religion that does not require us to rely on our own selves,
in order to be saved. Instead, we rely on the power of Christ to save us;
we rely on faith in Christ only. For it is by faith that we are saved, not
our works.
Now you might say, "great David, I have faith and faith alone, then God and
I are on good terms, and I go to Heaven." Some will even take the faith piece
and use it as a license to go on and live life as they please. It makes faith
into a "fire" insurance policy against an eternity apart from God.
But James said it all in verse 17 above. Faith without works is dead. So
we have to understand that we are not doing works to earning favor, in order
to gain acceptance from God. Rather, we do works out of our gratitude for
what Christ did for us on the cross. See the difference? Other religions
believe their works earn gratitude from their God. Christians do works out
of our gratitude to God.
So finally as I thought about this conversation and read the above passage,
I asked myself: Can people around you see your faith through your works?
Or do they only see a dead faith? I challenge you to ask yourselves the same
question.
Father, thank you so much for what you have done for
us. Thank you for being a loving God. Help us to be more grateful for all
you have done for us. Help us express our gratitude in a way that may impact
those around us. In Christ's name. Amen.
Questions or Comments?
David
david@e-devotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
http://www.e-devotionals.org
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