Are you acting out your faith in good deeds?
Are you acting out your faith in good deeds? James calls us to do just that. In chapter 2 verse 18 he says this:
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
Act out your faith in good deeds and people will notice. Let it be clear that we are not talking about salvation here. James is saying that if you want people to see your faith, notice a difference, and be influenced by you then you need to show your faith through good deeds. Paul was steady in the message that our salvation is by grace alone, a gift from God that Christ sealed at the cross.
So is prayer an act of faith, a good deed? We should be continuously praying. Our call to action straight from the Word is to pray without ceasing. Now does that mean we don’t do anything else? I don’t think so. But I do think we can get to the point where we are constantly communicating with Christ. We can talk with Him, make petitions to Him, and thank Him. I also think that prayer needs to be followed by an action. This is true faith. James says this in Chapter 2 verses 15-16:
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
James, I think, is clear here. We need to act. What good does it do this person that needs help if we come up and offer a prayer for them when we can help them ourselves. Maybe we really can’t help the person. Maybe you can’t afford to buy clothes or food for someone. Prayer alone won’t help them (of course it being totally possible that God intervenes and helps the person). Prayer needs to be followed with action. Maybe you can’t help a person you see that needs help but you probably know someone or some organization that can.
Pray, help a brother or sister, and pray more. Now that’s faith in action.
Jason Nuss
President
PeoplePray.com