Slices
Prepare
Rejoice in this truth: ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8).
Bible passage
Faith and deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their 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 my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 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. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Explore
I wonder how your faith affects the world around you. It can be easy to participate in church activities, commend sermons, engage in Bible studies and enjoy worshipping together – and yet not live out this faith in our daily context. James, although provocatively asking, ‘Can such faith save you?’ (v 14), is practically challenging us to understand what difference it makes to believe in a generous and compassionate God. Surely, the heart of our faith is to live in this light, responding with love and practical care for the poor and oppressed (vs 16,17).
James is not suggesting that faith is dependent on our actions, but rather that the natural response to a living faith is through our actions. For example, Abraham’s longstanding faith in the promises of God preceded his obedience to a bewildering command (v 21). In stark contrast, Rahab, a prostitute, proclaiming God as Lord of heaven and earth (Joshua 2:11), risks her life for others (v 25).
Whoever we are, whatever our background, true faith is expressed through our desire to consecrate our lives fully to a faithful God and to all those he loves. James is calling us to action, to be Jesus’ representatives in our churches, communities and wider world.
Respond
Mother Teresa said: ‘Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.’ How can you put your faith into action today?
Deeper Bible study
‘Love so amazing, so divine, / demands my soul, my life, my all.’1
For many today this passage may be very familiar, because it is a cause célèbre for many Christians who affirm that salvation is by faith alone – in particular, the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith,2 which James appears to contradict in his various statements that faith without works is dead (vs 17,20,26). Such statements might, at first sight, give credence to that idea.
However, that is to miss the fact that this passage is not divorced from the preceding verses (vs 1–13). James has not abandoned the issue of the rich and poor within the community. The question posed and answered is: ‘How is true faith demonstrated?’ Not by pious good wishes (vs 14–17), but by caring for the most vulnerable within the community. It is not enough, as we noted yesterday, to have a faith that mentally assents to principles. After all, Satan and his demons have no doubt of God’s existence and they shudder (v 19) – but that does not lead to salvation. It is by actions that the community demonstrates its faith in God and, to justify this, James uses the examples of Abraham and Rahab to show how their faith in God was demonstrated by their actions (vs 21–25).
It is important to note here that James is not describing how one comes to faith and new life in Christ; rather, he is talking about how that faith and new life grow and mature. Scripturally, we need both: Paul and his teaching that we are saved by faith alone; and James and his teaching that true faith must also be worked out in our relationship with others. To those who would pervert Paul’s teaching, James provides a rebuttal; to those who would pervert James’ teaching, Paul provides a rebuttal.
Give thanks to God for your salvation by faith alone and ask him how you can show that faith in practice.
1 Isaac Watts, 1674–1748, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’ 2 Eg Rom 3:21–24
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Numbers 22,23; Psalm 30
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for the Mission Events team and for the volunteer holiday booking secretaries as they work together to implement a new holiday booking system for the summer. Pray that the implementation process will go smoothly, and that people will quickly adjust to the new system.
