2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
JAS 2: 14-26 is a very important passage that deals with faith and actions. James begins by asking, “What good is it for someone to say that he has faith if his actions do not prove it? Can that faith save him?” in verse 14. This question doesn’t pull any punches. It fits the profile set up in HE 4 :12, “The word of God is alive and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where the joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of man’s heart.” What James does is to strip away all the false appearances a person who professes faith has and lays the quality of that faith open to inspection. This is never a problem for the person whose mind has been transformed by real renewal by God. However, the person who advertises his own faithfulness by words and doesn’t back those words with action is uncovered; his faulty or non-existent faith is seen.
We have learned Abraham was deemed acceptable by God by his faith in GN 15: 6. The Lord is omniscient, which means that He knows the content of our hearts. He knew that Abraham’s faith was real. We know this from observing his actions. When God tested Abraham’s faith, He chose a real test that would reach the places any loving parent has which are vulnerable to sin. God tested Abraham’s faith by using his beloved child, Isaac. In GN 22: 1-14, God commands Abraham to offer Isaac on the altar. Abraham complies with God’s command, and the Lord demonstrates His mercy by allowing Isaac’s life to be spared at the last minute. Abraham’s faith was real; his willingness to obey the most difficult command for a parent that God can give shows us what it means to demonstrate faith by one’s actions. Few of us are called upon by God to make such a difficult choice, which is a good reason why we have less excuse to disobey God’s commandments than Abraham did. James once again speaks plainly in JAS 2: 17, “So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.”
If one is raised in the Jewish culture as I was, there are three important directives that are considered paramount. 1) Respect getting a good education, so that you can be a productive citizen and appreciate what mankind has learned before you. 2) Make God the center of your life and teach any children you have to do the same. 3) Share what ever material things God allows you to have with those less fortunate than yourself, i.e. be a giver of alms. Without trying to sound like I have any right to judge others, I have observed many Jews and others who don’t live by all these ideals. I am sure there are times when I need to improve in my own practice of them. One doesn’t have to be Jewish to see the value in these beliefs. They certainly apply to all who have faith in God and especially to those blessed and saved by having faith in our Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus Christ). Jewish practices like doing “mitzvahs” (acts of kindness), tzedakah (giving to needy people at Purim and other times of the year), belonging to organizations like Hadassah (a charitable organization which raises money for special causes), and others encourage people to carry out almsgiving-to share their wealth. As believers in Christ, we share the same responsibility to participate in like charitable organizations, support various ministries, and have the attitude of a servant that was modeled for us by Christ Himself.
When we look at what happened as a result of Abraham’s faithfulness and actions, we see how blessed one can be by this. 2 CH 20: 7 tells the story. “You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, You drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend, to be theirs forever.” IS 41: 8-9, “But you, Israel my servant, you are the people that I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, My friend. I brought you from the ends of the earth; I called you from its farthest corners and said to you, ‘You are my servant.’ I did not reject you, but chose you.” JAS 2: 22, “Can you not see? His [Abraham’s] faith and actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. “ James makes a further assertion of importance for us in JAS 2: 24. “You see, then, that it is by his actions that a person is put right with God, and not by his faith alone.” This makes a lot of sense, because good deeds (actions) are a natural outgrowth of a person who has had righteousness imputed to his account by God. James is not saying the good deeds save a person, so he is not contradicting the idea that we are saved by anything other than faith in Christ. What he is saying is that a person saved by faith will naturally do good deeds. The good deeds show the perfection of his faith.
James goes on to give the example of Rehab, a lady who wasn’t Jewish but who lived up to God’s ideal for what His chosen people should be. She was put right with Him through her actions which we can read about in JS 2: 1-21. James really boils his idea here down to its essence in JAS 2: 26. “So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.” We need to spend time reflecting on what that means in concrete terms in our own individual lives. We need to ask ourselves: What is the condition of the connection we make between our faith and our actions in our lives?
PRAYER: O Lord, through James’ writing in this passage, You ask us to examine our own attitudes and how we put those attitudes into action. It is easy to give faith lip service and so difficult at times to live it out by our actions. And yet, Dear Lord, You command us to have quality faith and to do the good deeds that are a natural outgrowth of that faith. We experience You through obeying Your commands. We service ourselves and others in a way pleasing to You when we approach our lives as Your servants. Christ taught us this when He washed the feet of the disciples [JN 13: 1-20]. We thank You for giving us salvation through His death on the cross and the standard for how we should live our lives that He set for us. By breaking the bonds of selfishness and serving others, You bless us beyond human imagination. We offer our humble thanks for that. We worship, adore, honor, glorify, and praise You for loving and caring for us the way You do. In Christ’s name, amen.
I hope you are feeling loved today, because you are. That love comes from your Abba. He offers that love freely and sets the standard for how we should reach out to the others around us, even our enemies. Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace, Peace, and Love Be Yours Always,
Lynn