So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17 – Imagine walking upon a crime scene and seeing a body lying on the ground. You check to see if the person is breathing, but you see no signs of that happening. You check the person’s pulse, but you feel no heartbeat. You even scream at them to see if they’ll respond, but you receive nothing from them. What would you conclude from all this? That this person was dead. All the signs that you’d look for to see if this person was alive weren’t there, so the obvious conclusion is they are dead. This is the image James is portraying in our passage about our faith. An alive faith in the Lord is what saves us. Yet what are the signs of an “alive” faith? Good works. Doing the works that Jesus has commanded us to do. To show love to another, to forgive, to show mercy, etc. So following along with our previous example, imagine you came across a faith that was displaying no signs of life. All the things you’d look for as evidence that it was alive aren’t there. It isn’t helping people, it isn’t showing love, it isn’t showing mercy. What would conclude then about this faith if all signs of life aren’t there? That this faith is dead. What we then are learning from this passage is that a dead faith can’t do anything for you. Simply having a faith in the realness of God isn’t going to save you, for we see that’s a faith that even the demons possess but it’s doing nothing for them. Until that faith is displayed by good works, then it is dead. While this can be confusing, know good works aren’t the things that save you, but they are the outward signs of the alive faith within you. Every alive faith will have good works. So if good works aren’t seen, then that faith isn’t alive. If then you are a follower of Jesus, make sure in your life that your alive faith is evident to all by your good works. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3199
Question To Ponder: What is a good work that a Christian should display?
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