James’ message is relevant now: Actionable Faith

Actionable faith that produces steadfastness should mark all believers. Faith in word, is not a saving faith. Faith that is active is saving faith. I will list a handful of thoughts that come to mind while reading and address what seems to be the most general issue.

Multiple issues with his audience (Do any of these remind you of yourself?):

  1. They have trials and are being discouraged and doubting.
  2. They have dead faith.
  3. They are too proud.
  4. They have more faith in their material riches then Jesus.
  5. They show preference to people who seem to be more put together, over the people whom God decrees to take care of who seem burdensome.

“Genuine trust involves not merely the mind but the whole person. Paul and James agree that authentic trust in Christ results in good works.”[1] This genuine trust seems to counter the dead faith that James is dealing with.

Their faith they have in their own means, is being displayed in the way they are treating the people who come into the church with fancy apparel. They like to see people who look like them. It’s comfortable for them. They do not like seeing the other lowly people coming in. James is addressing how they have received a law of liberty that calls them into action. The action is the product of their faith. The following passage expresses this:

“So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:21-25 NET)[2]

They likely received Paul’s teaching of justification by faith and became comfortable with it and tossed out the actions of faith which prove they are who they are in Christ.

James is encouraging them to ask God for wisdom if anyone of them lacks it. This shows their need for Gods clarity and direction on how to make it through their trials. This could be also connected to how they have not been walking their faith out, but simply just trusting in their own abilities, instead of Gods abilities to work through their lives (the works) that prove they are Christians. God will bless those who have this actionable faith. He gives a grace to help them in their time of need. Their faith will mature in the working out of the actions that god commands them to.

 

To sum it all up, this faith is to produce action. James says “So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.”(James 4:17 NET) This warning should be sufficient in how we respond to what God is wanting to do in and through our lives.

 

[1] Walter A. Elwell and Robert Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament, 336.

[2] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New English Translation.

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