I'VE GOT FAITH, YES I DO
JAMES 2:17-18
JAMES 2:17-18 NKJV
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
OBSERVATION:
I went to a small high school that made it easier for me to participate in athletics. One of the cheers from our cheerleading squad stuck in my head. We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we've got spirit, how bout you?
As we are contemplating the immense depth of that cheer, a good question comes to mind from our passage today. We've got faith, yes we do, we've got faith, how bout you? In high school, having spirit meant yelling louder. But how can we tell if we have faith?
Some would have you believe that faith is this nebulous quality that cannot be quantified. However, that is simply not true. Jesus declared that some people He encountered had great faith. And some had little faith. Another passage states that Jesus saw their faith.
In our scriptures today, James addresses the question: how can we know we have faith? The simple answer is that faith shows up in our actions. James calls them works, but one Greek scholar called works corresponding actions. What we do reveals our faith.
For example, when someone hears a message at the church, and I ask for a decision, faith responds with an uplifted hand and/or praying the prayer out loud.
We are always looking for some kind of corresponding action. Without action, faith is dead; it has no power. This is exactly the reason I ask for a raised hand and to pray the prayer with me. Many believe, so we want to encourage the next step of faith which is action.
APPLICATION:
A great question to ask ourselves is, how is my faith visible?
Faith is visible when we choose to pray and ask God for His help and then thank Him for the answer before we see it.
Faith is visible as we choose church and make the effort to go. Faith is visible in our giving and in our service to the Lord.
Faith is visible as we make lifestyle changes and use our words for good. Faith is visible when we spend time with the Lord in prayer and in His word.
We've got faith, yes we know, we've got faith, our actions show.