a.baker
04-18-2008, 05:30 AM
James 2:14-26 (NIV Version)
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.
After reading this scripture I had some thoughts come to my mind about people who do shout abouts for their deeds. Now an obvious one is selfish ambition. But I am not so sure that is always the case why people do this. Could it be maybe they are feeling guilt ridden and use the deeds to shout about so they can ignore and hope others will ignore their sins, like unsettled or running away from something? Or guilt ridden because Satan is trying to tell them no matter what they are never good enough? Or could it be they are feeling a lack of faith so they do more deeds to say "Hey people I do have strong faith see". As scripture says "You have faith and I have deeds". ( that could go two ways, I have one and you have the other, or, you have talked about faith but my faith is proof because I act).
On the other side we do see so many church goers who talk as they are doing so good at the same time their neighbor sits next to them and starve. Just like the scripture says "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed". Now for a Christian to act in such a manor is just plain cold.
Just some thoughts I pondered upon while reading this. And for the record we should always think of others higher than ourselves , in this I mean with what scripture teaches us. And we should never boast; boasting is for the prideful. Love is for the humble.
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.
After reading this scripture I had some thoughts come to my mind about people who do shout abouts for their deeds. Now an obvious one is selfish ambition. But I am not so sure that is always the case why people do this. Could it be maybe they are feeling guilt ridden and use the deeds to shout about so they can ignore and hope others will ignore their sins, like unsettled or running away from something? Or guilt ridden because Satan is trying to tell them no matter what they are never good enough? Or could it be they are feeling a lack of faith so they do more deeds to say "Hey people I do have strong faith see". As scripture says "You have faith and I have deeds". ( that could go two ways, I have one and you have the other, or, you have talked about faith but my faith is proof because I act).
On the other side we do see so many church goers who talk as they are doing so good at the same time their neighbor sits next to them and starve. Just like the scripture says "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed". Now for a Christian to act in such a manor is just plain cold.
Just some thoughts I pondered upon while reading this. And for the record we should always think of others higher than ourselves , in this I mean with what scripture teaches us. And we should never boast; boasting is for the prideful. Love is for the humble.