Dead Faith

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

March 15, 2023

Dead Faith

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

James 2:18

Read: James 2:14-26

By faith, God creates His children anew: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17) The purpose of our new life in Christ is to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God. How? The Prophet Micah sums this up nicely: “. . . the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Notice the imperatives: to do . . . to love . . . and to walk. . .

James made this same point by noting that if you have accepted what God is doing in Christ to give you new life, there will be evidence of your faith. Your faith does not earn your new life in Christ, but your good works are evidence that you do have faith in what God wants to do in you.

This church being mentored by James, when challenged about their ideas, pointed to their actions. They believed that their behavior said what they believed; it was an enactment of their Gospel message. A Bishop of the church said it this way:

“Beloved brethren…[we] are philosophers not in words, but in deeds;
we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth;
we know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them;
we do not speak great things but we live them.”

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, A.D. 256

My Takeaway: Why does James make such a big deal out of this? Because “nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.” (Ludwig Wittgenstein) 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.