April 23, 2026
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
It has often been said that it is easy to become a Christian and far more difficult to live like one. This is especially true in the comfort of our North American Christianity. There is minimal social cost to having faith. In fact, many people proclaim to be a Christian all the while telling nobody about it. This is not the Christianity defined in the Scriptures. On the contrary, the faith we've been gifted calls us to action every single day. This is what James is pointing toward in the passage above.
It seems to us that James is seriously concerned with the outward behaviour of the Christian. He is not all too worried about which Bible verses we can recite or even how much knowledge we can quickly regurgitate. He wants to know if the faith that has been planted deep within has truly bore any visible fruit in our life. This is why verse 14 states it is of no benefit to claim faith in Christ and yet have no deeds to support it. This is not telling us that we must now work for our salvation. We know that Paul writes that it is by grace, through faith that we have been saved and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). We could never earn our salvation through works, but we can prove that we have been saved by committing ourselves to righteous living. Simply stated, if anyone possesses Christ, it will automatically follow that they start to act like Him. Christ on the inside and Christ on the outside.
The activity and productivity of the Christian life is meant to be vibrant. It should not be hard to discern if a person is a follower of Christ. In fact, someone should be able to follow us all day and conclude from our thoughts, our motives, our actions and our words that we seek to honour the Lord. Paul writes that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Galatians 6:10 states we cannot grow weary in doing what is good. Are we not created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10)? Are we not to be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14)? Will not each one of us give an account for the works we have done (2 Corinthians 5:10)? It is clear at every corner of Holy scripture that the Lord desires for those who are born-again to live in the newness of life. Ultimately, if there be no genuine motivation toward good deeds and righteousness, then James declares that such a person possesses a faith that is dead.
This is a convicting reality but it must be stated because it is the truth. It is not enough to merely attend a church service once a week and call ourselves a Christian. Just as walking into a place of business doesn't automatically make you an employee of that company. To be given that status we must show up and participate in the tasks and responsibilities associated with that title. This is the same of our Christianity. We don't get to have the title and neglect the responsibility. We are called every single day to accomplish the good works of Jesus who gave us faith in the first place. Let us not waste another day. I encourage you to truly think on what the Lord may be asking of you.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, save me from my stale and unproductive faith. I have avoided your calling long enough and have ignored my godly responsibilities. Today is the day that I commit myself to following after you with all of my life. Show me what I need to sacrifice. Lead me into the good works of Jesus. Amen.