INSEPARABLE MATTERS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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 my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Was not our father 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 considered righteous by what they do 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.

James 2:17-26

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In life, there are just some things that are better together than they are apart.

Peanut butter and jelly, for example.

Or maybe macaroni and cheese, cereal and milk, a burger with fries, strawberries and cream, or bacon and eggs.

We also could consider other twosomes like watching a movie while eating freshly popped popcorn, using soap with water to wash your hands clean, getting tacos on Tuesday, or having a pen to write on a piece of paper.

And then there are famous entertainment duos.

It just wouldn’t seem the same if you had Tom without Jerry, Abbott without Costello, Snoopy without Woodstock, Romeo minus Juliet, Holmes without Watson, Batman without Robin, Bert without Ernie, or Scooby Doo without Shaggy.

You get the point. In living this thing called life, we encounter many things that are seemingly inseparable when we consider them. One would just not be the same without the other.

In regard to our spiritual lives as Christians, we see in our scripture passage for today, drawn from the closing verses of James, chapter 2, that there are two things that are seemingly inseparable: faith and deeds. Look again at these words here:

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 my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Was not our father 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 considered righteous by what they do 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.  Vv. 17-26

We know that James, a converted Jew, is writing to his brother and sister Hebrew Christians in this letter and it’s obvious that there’s a disconnect in regard to their faith and good works, aka deeds.

In yesterday’s message, we saw a clear message from God’s word, a demand that Christians not just acknowledge a problem when they see it such as someone who’s in need. Rather, the Jesus follower is to follow in the footsteps of Christ and take action, to do something and aid the person who needs help.

In today’s verses, we find a continuation of this urging as James uses Old Testament references to drive home his point to His Jewish Christian readers.

Abraham didn’t just show his faith and trust in God without displaying it. Rather, he went all the way to actually sacrificing his one and only son on an altar before God intervened and provided a ram instead. Through the inter-workings of faith and action, God praised Abraham and credited what he had done as righteousness before labeling him a friend.

And then there was Rahab, a prostitute who lived in Jericho. When two Israelite spies were spotted in the city, it was Rahab who took them in and hid them before providing a false witness that they had fled so that the Jericho forces would pursue, opening up the opportunity for the spies to escape unharmed. In return for her faithful deed, God considered what she had done as righteous and He spared her and her family when Jericho’s walls collapsed and His people conquered and claimed the city.

God’s point was clear and concise.

One couldn’t have faith absent of associated good deeds. It was true in the first century A.D. and it has remained true through the ages up to present times.

A living faith produces good works and every day the Lord provides rich opportunities for Christian believers to put that faith into action.

How did you do it today...and how will you do it tomorrow, the next day, and every day the Lord blesses you with while here on earth?

That’s a question we all need to answer before a Lord who has high expectations for us to carry out His will and way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.