– Scripture:
Faith Without Work Means Nothing
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The whole meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that weave of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works? The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape that seamless unity of believing and doing what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works, and you get the same thing: a corpse.
James 2:24-25 MSG
– Reflection:
In the Old Testament the people coming out of Egypt, sacrificed animals to take on their sins and relieve them from their wrong doing. So people that has had the means to have a large number of sacrificial animals could sin more; at least that was their thoughts anyway. It is supposed to be that once you come into serving and living life with Jesus that you are covered; because we are born into sin. You can’t just go out and commit adultery, steal, and kill; and just be ok. Being in comunity with Christ you won’t want to do these things. You become a true servant once you and Christ are one. Your faith and your works are more important to you than the worldly impulses that drive other into staying in sin.
Where do we go from here?
If there are people around you that are living sinfully, and you aren’y able to rise above it; then you need to run far and fast. It’s like a doctor patient relationship, if the doctor doesn’t complete medical school but is still helping patients; he is not helping himself or the patient. Create safe space around yourself where you can help YOU first then come back with your WORKS. That way you have truly become a person for the kingdom.
Our Prayer for Today
Father, thank you for giving us the ability to be in your presence daily. You have saved us from the world for reasons that we cannot even understand. Your community is better than anything the world can ever create. Thank you Jesus. Amen.