Theme: James: Faith in Action
Brethren,
Our journey in the Epistle of James brings us, this Sunday, to a pertinent question: Of what use is my claim to salvation by faith in Christ, yet all I ever do in response to legitimate needs of fellow believers is, ‘I will be praying for you…’?
This question is part of the challenge from James 2:14-26 that we show a visible connection between our faith and our works. See attached outline for your further reference.
Key Learnings:
1. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ apart from any effort of our own. Saving faith is God’s means to justify the believer and spur him on to love others and live in a way that does good works.
2. Our actions must match what we believe. Works or actions are the fruit of a faith that saves, not the basis for our salvation. If my faith does not move me to do good works, it is of no use to anyone and contrary to God’s purposes. Faith that does nothing is worth nothing. What we believe must show in what we do (what we do is the evidence of what we believe). Any “faith” that doesn’t lead to works is dead; in other words, it is no faith at all.
3. As Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others before us have shown, obedience to the word of God based on who we believe God is and has promised, is the connection between faith and works.
‘Faith that is all talk and no action is dead’ (James 2:26).
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