James 2
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23 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.
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Faith without deeds is dead! Indeed!
Are you living out your faith?
Is your faith so alive that the world cannot help but sit up and take notice… and perhaps even be inspired to get some of this ‘Christian’ faith themselves?
Is your faith so contagious that people around you have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?
Unlike the doctrinal provocations that James had to face in the early century of Church history, our contemporary theology regarding the explicit and unambiguous nature of the living Christian faith presents no issues whatsoever to the modern-day disciple.
Well, that my prayer and hope – at the very least.
It is my prayer and hope that through the years, we have learnt that:
We are fully cognizant that our faith comes alive because of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
The Lord reveals in Ezekiel 36:27,
‘"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
It is precisely and solely because of the Holy Spirit in us that we are able to express the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that is rooted in the very essence of our infinitely faithful and eternally loving God of all Creation. (Ref: Galatians 5:22-23)
The fruit of the Spirit is by definition, clear evidence that we are living out our faith in Christ.
No fruit, no faith.
No deeds, no faith.
Simple, and clear.
But why?
Why are we still struggling with our Christian faith?
If we have no questions that our Christian faith cannot simply be imbued within ourselves, but be impressive to the world… … why are we struggling with making our faith come alive?
Well, here’s a hint… …
It has got to do with our tragic delight in being caught up with the things of this world, rather than being caught up with our God.
It has got to do with allowing the world to cause a deeper and wider impression in our lives, than our God - who literally moved the universe to create us, and the atmosphere that sustains us.
It has got to do with our preference of subverted fulfillment through the worldly, rather than divine fulfillment in our encounters with God through postures of surrender and worship.
Be cautioned, and be vigilant.
We become that which attracts us.
We worship that which we prioritize.
Who or what attracts you?
Who or what are your priorities?
Do you prize your relationship and encounters with God above all else?
Through his encounters with God, Abraham’s faith and actions worked together.
And when that happened, Abraham’s life became coherent and congruent.
desires.
On God’s word, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, and divine promise fulfilled - Isaac.
And because ‘his faith and his actions were working together’, ‘his faith was made complete by what he did.’ (James 2:22)
Like Abraham, our faith can be made complete when our actions are coherent and congruent with our faith. Like Abraham, our faith comes alive, and remains living when we actively seek to encounter God.
The Christian should never live presumptuously - expecting that everything should go according to our personal designs or plans; nor live dreary and monotonous lives - underwhelmed and bored by everything life is offering.
For the Christian, every moment, every transition, every challenge and every decision - are divine opportunities to encounter God.
Stop fighting that losing battle. Stop struggling with sin and addiction. Stop shaming yourself. Stop believing that God has no purpose for you. Stop thinking that life is hopeless, mundane and meaningless.
Encounter God this moment, and see how in our inadequacies, brokenness, sinfulness and weakness, His strength is made perfect in us.
Seek to encounter God in your engagements with the world around you, and see how much purpose He has for you.
Like you and I, Abraham was a broken and sinful man.
But because Abraham believed God, it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend (James 2:24).
Through his life of brokenness and sinfulness, Abraham continued to encounter God, and his faith was thus made complete.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given the present and eternal privilege of encountering God every moment of our lives.
What are you waiting for?
Pray.
Worship.
Seek.
Listen.
Read.
Still your heart.
Encounter God.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thank you for Your revelation that You are our God who:
Lord, grant us the unction to keep our faith fully alive for the world to see through us that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Saviour of the World.
May we actively strive to encounter You every moment and all the days of our lives – in every transition, every challenge, and every decision.
May we fully understand that every of lives’ trials are divine opportunities for us to know more deeply of how much You love us.
Through every difficulty, may we live as ‘more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’ May we be convinced that ‘neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:37-39)
Even in our inadequacies, brokenness, sinfulness and weakness, we resolve to encounter You, O God, for we know that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness.
May we recognize every moment in our lives as divine moments where we are fully aware that Your Holy Spirit dwells in us; informing and inspiring us unto Your likeness more and more.
May our faith be made complete in Christ.
May our lives be coherent and congruent with our faith in You.
We thank you for Your presence in our lives, and for Your love ever present, and ever lasting.
We pray all these in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23 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.
24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Faith without deeds is dead! Indeed!
Are you living out your faith?
Is your faith so alive that the world cannot help but sit up and take notice… and perhaps even be inspired to get some of this ‘Christian’ faith themselves?
Is your faith so contagious that people around you have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?
Unlike the doctrinal provocations that James had to face in the early century of Church history, our contemporary theology regarding the explicit and unambiguous nature of the living Christian faith presents no issues whatsoever to the modern-day disciple.
Well, that my prayer and hope – at the very least.
It is my prayer and hope that through the years, we have learnt that:
- Real Faith is evident & honors God;
- Real Faith is saving faith – and through this faith, we are justified before God (Romans 5:1);
- There is no disconnect to faith and deeds – it is true even for the demons, for even they believe (faith), and shudder (deed) at the thought of the true God (James 2:19);
We are fully cognizant that our faith comes alive because of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
The Lord reveals in Ezekiel 36:27,
‘"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
It is precisely and solely because of the Holy Spirit in us that we are able to express the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that is rooted in the very essence of our infinitely faithful and eternally loving God of all Creation. (Ref: Galatians 5:22-23)
The fruit of the Spirit is by definition, clear evidence that we are living out our faith in Christ.
No fruit, no faith.
No deeds, no faith.
Simple, and clear.
But why?
Why are we still struggling with our Christian faith?
If we have no questions that our Christian faith cannot simply be imbued within ourselves, but be impressive to the world… … why are we struggling with making our faith come alive?
Well, here’s a hint… …
It has got to do with our tragic delight in being caught up with the things of this world, rather than being caught up with our God.
It has got to do with allowing the world to cause a deeper and wider impression in our lives, than our God - who literally moved the universe to create us, and the atmosphere that sustains us.
It has got to do with our preference of subverted fulfillment through the worldly, rather than divine fulfillment in our encounters with God through postures of surrender and worship.
Be cautioned, and be vigilant.
We become that which attracts us.
We worship that which we prioritize.
Who or what attracts you?
Who or what are your priorities?
Do you prize your relationship and encounters with God above all else?
Through his encounters with God, Abraham’s faith and actions worked together.
And when that happened, Abraham’s life became coherent and congruent.
- Coherent – because his faith became evidently to the world that it was
- Congruent – because his faith in God was matched by his absolute
desires.
On God’s word, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, and divine promise fulfilled - Isaac.
And because ‘his faith and his actions were working together’, ‘his faith was made complete by what he did.’ (James 2:22)
Like Abraham, our faith can be made complete when our actions are coherent and congruent with our faith. Like Abraham, our faith comes alive, and remains living when we actively seek to encounter God.
The Christian should never live presumptuously - expecting that everything should go according to our personal designs or plans; nor live dreary and monotonous lives - underwhelmed and bored by everything life is offering.
For the Christian, every moment, every transition, every challenge and every decision - are divine opportunities to encounter God.
Stop fighting that losing battle. Stop struggling with sin and addiction. Stop shaming yourself. Stop believing that God has no purpose for you. Stop thinking that life is hopeless, mundane and meaningless.
Encounter God this moment, and see how in our inadequacies, brokenness, sinfulness and weakness, His strength is made perfect in us.
Seek to encounter God in your engagements with the world around you, and see how much purpose He has for you.
Like you and I, Abraham was a broken and sinful man.
But because Abraham believed God, it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend (James 2:24).
Through his life of brokenness and sinfulness, Abraham continued to encounter God, and his faith was thus made complete.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given the present and eternal privilege of encountering God every moment of our lives.
What are you waiting for?
Pray.
Worship.
Seek.
Listen.
Read.
Still your heart.
Encounter God.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thank you for Your revelation that You are our God who:
- Provides for us our daily bread;
- Forgives our sin – just as we strive to be like you, forgiving and
- Does not lead us into temptations; and
- Delivers us from the evil one.
Lord, grant us the unction to keep our faith fully alive for the world to see through us that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Saviour of the World.
May we actively strive to encounter You every moment and all the days of our lives – in every transition, every challenge, and every decision.
May we fully understand that every of lives’ trials are divine opportunities for us to know more deeply of how much You love us.
Through every difficulty, may we live as ‘more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’ May we be convinced that ‘neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:37-39)
Even in our inadequacies, brokenness, sinfulness and weakness, we resolve to encounter You, O God, for we know that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness.
May we recognize every moment in our lives as divine moments where we are fully aware that Your Holy Spirit dwells in us; informing and inspiring us unto Your likeness more and more.
May our faith be made complete in Christ.
May our lives be coherent and congruent with our faith in You.
We thank you for Your presence in our lives, and for Your love ever present, and ever lasting.
We pray all these in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.