Title: With True Faith/ James 2:14~18
Content By true faith / James 2:14~18
Key Verse: “My brethren, if a man says he has faith, but has no works, what profit is it? can faith save him?” (verse 14).
Word: The debate about works and faith has been around for a very long time. Obviously we are saved by faith. There can be no objection to this. The text does not deny it. What we are talking about in the text is ‘true faith’ in a strict sense. He was criticized for believing in words alone and without obedience.
Let's meditate on verse 18 of the text. “If someone says, ‘You have faith and I have deeds, show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith through deeds’” (verse 18). Faith without facts and evidence is vain and false. If we do not keep the facts and evidence of our faith, we cannot guarantee the certainty of salvation as in verse 14. That's a serious statement. The facts and evidence of faith in the text are not theories. It means giving money and food, not just words, to the hungry and the naked. It's not just words of comfort. That's right. The facts and evidence of belief must go beyond money matters, go beyond pride, and overcome obstacles. And as in today's Word, you must have real faith.
Do you have any facts and evidence of your faith? In historical dramas, the servants said, “I have sinned to death in front of the king. There is often a scene where he says, “Please kill me.” Whenever I see this, there are times when it overlaps with the scene where we repent to God and it is painful. Guilt is very important to believers, but if you are caught up in it, it is nothing. What can you do as a repentant believer? If you don't think deeply about how to obey the Lord's word and do it, you're no different from those who say just kill him in front of the king. God is never taken lightly. He is not moved by what is not true faith. You're not even happy. You cannot deceive him as if you have faith in him with pseudo-beliefs or false beliefs. True faith acknowledges the Word as the Word. Don't use reality as an excuse. I do not use my incompetence as an excuse. Not even one jot, one jot, one jot of the Word is taken lightly.
Prayer: Help me to keep the facts and evidence of my faith with true faith. May there be no excuse or escape for this. Because we believe that the Word always comes true according to the Word. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Lord's Prayer