In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)
If our faith is real, it will be evident for all the world to see. Now, I am not saying we will live perfect lives; far from it! But the way we live is on display for all the world to see; therefore our faith must be a practical faith. Notice the “lived-out faith” in the verbs linked to these biblical characters in the “Hall of Fame of Faith” section in the book of Hebrews:
- By faith Abel brought . . .
- By faith Noah built . . .
- By faith Abraham went and offered . . .
- By faith Isaac blessed . . .
- By faith Joseph gave instructions . . .
- By faith Moses chose to be mistreated along with the people of God . . .
- By faith the people passed through the Red Sea . . .
- By faith the prostitute Rahab welcomed . . .
In all these lives and so many more that are chronicled throughout the pages of Scripture, we see how actions speak louder than words. It has been well said that, “What you do speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you say.” To be sure, we are to walk by faith and not by sight, but we can also be sure that the watching world will judge us by what they see us do. If our faith is a true faith, it will be lived out, alive and well, even though it will always be lived out imperfectly.
Faith in Christ is belief in Christ and His atoning death on our behalf, but it does not stop there! Belief must be evidenced by behavior, and what we believe will determine how we behave. We are saved to serve our Lord for His glory and the good of others.
So . . . what verbs are putting on display to express the faith you have in Jesus? Are your actions speaking louder than your words? Far too many believers have reduced their faith to what they don’t do. “I don’t do this and I don’t do that. Some wag has expressed it as, “I don’t drink or smoke or chew, and I don’t go with girls who do.”
The real question that each of us must ask and answer is, What am I doing for the glory of Jesus? True faith is faith that is acted upon and used by God to expand the cause of His Kingdom in this world – on earth as it is in heaven.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!