Such Faith
-
James 2:14-26
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 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. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
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? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Read Scripture:
Spend at least four days this next week, reading and practicing the O.I.A. method with James 3:1-12.
If you missed getting a Scripture journal for the book of James and bookmark, you can download them here.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Complete the O.I.A. framework for this passage from James.
Questions:
1) What key words did you find in this week’s study?
2) Make accurate observations of the passage by answering ‘who, what, where, when, why, and how’.
3) What do these observations show you about God? What do these observations show you about yourself? Journal your thoughts and share them with someone else or your group.
4) How you are going to apply this passage to your daily life? Journal your thoughts and share them with someone else or your group.
Prayer:
God,
Help me to have a faith that lives itself out in deeds. When I’m tempted to do nothing, spur me to act. Your love lived out through my life to others.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
