A Word from James on Active Faith

I had no intention of starting my blog, Woman In The Word, today. But as I finished my morning scripture read from the Book of James, I was so overcome with the importance of the Word, I had to share it. That sense of urgent desire to share God's Word, the wisdom He is imparting to me, and the ways He is changing my heart is exactly what's taken hold of me over the past few months and led me to make the changes professionally you're starting to see unfold.

After over a decade of struggling to know God, trust Him, and feel His love, everything has changed for me over the last five months. I can't wait to share more of my personal story back to God through this blog, but for today, I want to keep this post short and full of wisdom, just like the Book of James.

I'm currently completing the devotional Anchored In His Word: 90 Days to Draw Near to God by Spiral Bible. Today's scripture was James 2:17 --> "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." For reference, I am using the NKJV translation of the Bible.

But the idea of faith without works being dead is far bigger than that one line. Here is a longer excerpt from James for our reflection today.

"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does." James 1:21-25

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to the them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, it it does not have works, is dead. 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. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!...You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. ... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:14-19 + 24 + 26.

There is so much to unpact here. I may need to write several posts on the Book of James. But remaining focused on the concept of active faith, we are given two examples of what inactive faith looks like. Today, we might call this the lukewarm Christian.

The first example is the man observing his reflection in the mirror. When he walks away from the mirror, he immediately forgets what kind of man he is. His sense of self comes from outward appearance, not inward transformation. This kind of passive observance is similar to doing Christian things like reading your Bible and attending church, but not letting it transform you. The teachings of the Lord don't stick. The moment you leave the church or shut your Bible, you're leaving their wisdom and the Holy Spirit behind like the man who walks away from the mirror and forgets who he is.

In James 1:21-25, we are called to:

• set aside our worldly ways

• receive God's Word with humility

• allow God's Word to be implanted in us so we do not forget His ways when we close our Bible

• be doers of the Word: live and love according to His ways and wisdom

The second example of inactive faith, provided in James 2:14-19 depicts someone asking for help and being turned away with prayer alone. Prayer is powerful. But as Christians, we are not called to be passive observers of those in need. We are called to be vessels of the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? Well, that's an entirely different post. But, in short, we are prayer in action.

Imagine that person has been praying for help. They've been praying for clothes to cover their nakedness, praying for shoes because they're walking on the hot asphalt, praying for a warm meal because they haven't eaten in weeks. And they cross your path. You are now in position to be their answered prayer, just like Jesus is the answer to all of our prayers.

Intending to help and actually helping are two different things. Just like believing that God exists and following Jesus (surrendering to His Spirit, allowing Him to transform your heart, and follow His ways) is another. And when you truly do that, when you surrender to the Holy Spirit and commit yourself to following His ways, you can't help but do good works. You are transformed. There will be this innate desire in you to help, to spread the Word of God, to love as Jesus loves, and so much more. Why? Because He is in you. He has implanted Himself in you through the Word of God and your surrender. He doesn't stay at home while you go to work like your Bible on the shelf. He is with you with every step you take and through you, He is alive in the world today.

In James 2:14-19, we are called to:

• believe that there is one God

• show our faith by our works

If you're like me, you probably grew up hearing faith alone will get you into Heaven. But the Lord tells us, faith without works is dead like the body without the Spirit is dead. So what is faith without works? It's not faith at all. It is belief and even the demons believe that God exists and Jesus died on the cross. Furthermore, being a Christian is not about getting into Heaven. That is merely the promise, the gift given to us by the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But being a Christian here on earth means bringing Heaven to earth.

Now, I invite you to pause and reflect. Let these words sink in before finishing this post. And know, my reflections are mine alone. I'm only sharing my take on the scripture. My words are not truth. The Word of God is the truth I seek to share and I believe God guides us through His Word, enlightening each of us according to His will, according to His timing. So, take my reflections as mine and His Word as truth.

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As I was reflecting on this scripture today, my own parable came to me. If you don't know me personally, then you may not realize I've been on a weight loss journey for over three years now. No pills, injections, or surgeries. Just slow and steady progress of changing my habits. During this time, I've lost almost 140 pounds and I'm still going. I can't tell you how many times people have said to me, "You inspire me. I'm going to start doing XYZ." And then it never happens. This is not to judge only to provide a relatable, modern-day example. Inspiration without action is stagnation.

We can know how to improve our health or reach our physical fitness goals. We can know the healthy foods to eat. We can know that certain foods and certain volumes of food aren't good for us. We can know that physical activity is good for us. We can have all the information we need to better our life and health, but if we don't act on the information we have, we remain stagnant. Or worse, our bodies continue to deteriorate the same way that sin destroys our hearts.

Knowing God exists is not enough if we don't know Him, know Jesus. To truly know means to be intimately acquainted with. We know Him and He knows us. That relationship is an exchange that leads to transformation and that transformation of spirit leads to active faith. How do we get to know Him? Through His Word, the Bible.

So, to close, let's spend a little more time in His Word to drive this idea of active faith home.

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In Matthew 7, Jesus speaks of those who will inherit the kingdom of God. In verse 16, He says, "You will know them by their fruits." Continuing in Matthew 7:19, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Jesus is driving home the importance of active faith, of living out the Word of God, of bearing good fruit not just believing that God/ Jesus exists.

Jesus continues to speak on the importance of relationship with Him and the necessary transformation through the Holy Spirit in Matthew 7:21-22 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

Matthew 7 reveals:

It is important to bear good fruit / do good works. While many people think good works refers to our profession, the good works the scripture speaks of is not about our profession. Nor does it imply going through the motions of being a Christian. The fruit Jesus speaks of is The Fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities are the result of the Holy Spirit's work in said person's life. So, bearing good fruit is what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. And it is not by our strength but His.

Matthew 7 continues to reveal that belief in the Lord is not enough to enter Heaven. Those who do the will of the Father enter the kingdom. Do is a verb, meaning we are called to act, to do, to have active faith. We know the will of God on a basic level. He desires relationship with us. We build relationship with the Lord by reading His Word and praying to Him. Like any other relationship, we get to know Him. We listen to Him and we speak to Him. Unlike any other relationship, this one requires faith in the unknown, the unseen, faith in Him. Trust in Him. And while that can be difficult to come by--for me as well--a relationship with the Lord brings a kind of peace, joy, understanding, love, and freedom that no other relationship can.

A final note on one important word from Matthew 7, lawlessness. We all know what laws are. We follow them daily. Maybe not always the speed limit, but you get what I mean. We actively follow. We do. Or we don't. It's a choice. It's an action. And I'll close there.

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I hope that this blog will help you find your way to a closer relationship with God. As I write these posts, I'm on the same journey of discovery. I'm on a faith-strengthening, relationship-growing, eye-opening, heart-changing, Spirit-led journey through God's Word. I hope you'll join me.

Until next time,

Emily A. Myers

P.S. Save the image below for a reminder to have active faith.