My brothers, what good is it for someone to say that he has faith if his actions do not prove it? Can that faith save him? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, "God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!" – if you don’t give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.

But someone will say, "One person has faith, another has actions." My answer is, ‘Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions." Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe – and tremble with fear. You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless? How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. Can’t you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God’s friend: You see, then, that it is by his actions that a person is put right with God, and not by his faith alone.

It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them escape by a different road.

So then as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

James 2:14-26

Christians see Christianity as faith and action. They make time to talk with God through prayer, they study Scripture and are active in their church. They take their ministry to others and spread the word. Some anonymous Christians are doing more than all the well-known Christians in the world.

A living faith is a working faith.

Our Daily Bread – February 6, 2003