Seek A Genuine Faith
When it comes to seeking a genuine faith, there is a very real line drawn in the sand in the Christian faith to help us understand if our faith is indeed alive. Like all scripture, it isn't written to condemn us, but to help us see and seek what is: right, true, noble and lovely - and to reveal to us the truth about our relationship with the Creator.
This scripture teaches us to make a distinction:
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James is not talking about whether or not we should feed someone who is hungry, but he is using an analogy to make a distinction that wishing someone well is not the same as doing the thing that can make them well. The wishing of a thing only, is a fruitless and dead thing that serves "no good purpose".
Life is obvious in a flower. When it is alive and growing, it's petals are full and its colors are bright and healthy. When a flower is dead or dying, the colors are dull and it is dried up and withered.
James is showing us the difference between self deception, and faith that produces action. All throughout the teachings of scripture - knowing, hearing from and serving God, creates a faith that isn't just a well-wishing to the message of the gospel or lordship of Christ, but produces righteous action.
James is teaching us the difference between life and death, so that we won't be deceived.
He furthers this idea in the next few verses:
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well.
Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
James (speaking in the Holy Spirit), warns us that just believing is not an evidence of a saving faith. He says: "Even the demons believe - and shudder".
The demons know and believe in God. They do not submit to Him or serve Him. Their faith is not a faith that saves from the coming judgment, nor is it one that brings them into fellowship with a Holy and Loving God. Their faith does not produce good fruit, but deceives and rebels against the rule and reign of God who is in Heaven. The kingdom they serve and the kingdom of God are opposed to one another.
He is teaching us that: just saying that you believe in God is not an evidence that you have actually taken the leap from death to life, and from disobedience to service, from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light.
A person who has seen and heard from God leading to surrender and obedience (this is called repentance in scripture), is one who has a faith that is alive and thriving and will be full of the fruits of the spirit.
The Warning
We live in a generation in America that has never seen so many churchgoers, however the "christian" culture in America doesn't look much different from the world- either statistically, in practice, or in influencing the culture towards the fruits of the Spirit of Christ.
The Church's service to Christ as revealed to us in scripture should be: to proclaim the truth to the world as revealed to us by Jesus and the apostles.
The Church's mission as revealed to us in scripture should be to: spread the message that both testifies to and saves from sin and the judgment coming on the whole world through the person of Jesus (Gal 6:7-8, Eph 2:1-2, 2Peter 3:8-10, Romans 1:18-32), and to live lives worthy of this calling out of love for God and one another. (Eph 4:1-6, Romans 6:22, Matthew 7:12-27, 1Peter 2:9-12, 1Peter 4:1-11, Titus 2:11-14, Rev 3:18-20)
The light of these teachings of scripture show something is terribly wrong with the reality behind much of the culture of "christianity" in America today.
The delineation in the teachings above when weighed in light of the deeds and message of many churches and church cultures in America show that the reality of the "faith" of many is not a thriving faith, but one that is dying or dead. Much of the church in America has a well-wishing of the genuine faith revealed to us in scripture, but that is of "no good" as James mentioned above because it is not accompanied by life changing works that glorify God. (Gal. 5:13-26)
John the Baptist warned the people in Jesus times who considered themselves to be religious what would happen if they failed to "bear fruit in keeping with repentance":
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Conclusion: Finding Genuine Faith
The faith of a Christian is not a what. The faith of a Christian is a Who.
It implies that you have turned from a life of serving self, to serving the King of The Universe.
If you have read, understand and believe what is written above, then you understand that because of the works of lawlessnes, the deception of sin and the works of the devil, the world and everything in it is under the control of the devil and will be judged (Eph 2:1-3). All sin and causes of sin will be cast into outer darkness for eternity (Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 25:31-46, Rev 20:11-15).
God has sent His one and only Son - not to condemn the world (because the world stands condemned already), but to save the world from its sin and the coming judgment. (John 3:17-19)
Jesus has testified to the coming judgment, and the way of salvation - and He has sent apostles and prophets to spread His message (Eph 2:19-21).
If you recognize that you are an enemy of God, born dead in sin and trespasses, and are willing to turn from sin and everything that prevents you from serving Him, and follow Him at all costs , then He already knows. You have heard the voice of The Good Shepherd, and are being called into fellowship with Him (Luke 10:16).
Jesus not only came and spoke to us the message the Father gave to Him, but also lived a perfect life before The Father. He fulfilled all of the law and prophets which were testifying to the world that there is a God, and He commands all men everywhere to turn from self serving and deception and come to Him, obey Him and walk with Him humbly and obediently. (Acts 17:29-31)
For this message the men of the world crucified Jesus, but to purify a people for Himself, all of our sins were cast on Him at the cross. He was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:2-4), but it is for this reason Jesus was born into the world, and for this reason that He was raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for those who believe in this message, because He alone was worthy to do so (Acts 2:32-35).
When the last one who hears and will believe this message comes to repentance, Jesus will return to judge the whole world in righteousness, as both Lord and King, and the old way of the heavens and the earth will pass away and all things will become new (2Peter 3:11-12).
It is this hope, through this faith that we wait for as those who have believed His Message and fulfilled what was written in scripture (John 17:20).
This message is not a popular message but it is the truth from God, and He has confirmed this message by:
- Raising Christ from the dead.
- By many signs and wonders performed by the apostles and prophets, some of which were teaching us above (Peter, James, Paul and John).
- By granting men who believe his Holy Spirit so that they might know the truth.
I am just a man who believed in their message, but I am confirming as well that this is the truth.
If you have heard and believed this message, and continue in it, God will also work in you through His Holy Spirit, and you will understand that it is true, because you have passed from death into life, and you will have fellowship with God, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1John 1:5-10, 1John 2:1-14)
Until the day when the Lord returns for final judgment, serve Him willingly. (Matt. 24:36-41)
