Diving Deeper – Visible Faith

Greetings Dear Reader,

“Indeed faith, if it is not occupied with doing good things, is lifeless and alone.  One may say you have faith but I am occupied in doing good things.  Evidence your faith apart from the good things you do.  I will evidence my faith by the good things I do.”  

No matter how deep my faith is I cannot take it out and show it to you.  I can only evidence my faith by the good things I do.  Those good things must be done out of faith and seasoned with humility.  James, the physical brother of Jesus, wrote the above to explain that we cannot hope for others to see our faith if we do not live it out in caring for others.  Deeper faith requires deeper commitment to the good of those around us.

If I am not good to others then my faith is no real faith.  James goes on to be very clear that faith unaccompanied by good action is dead faith.  Simple belief has its value but if I am to follow Christ more closely I must do something.  I must forgive.  I must give.  I must love.  I must be kind and patient.  I must see others as better than myself.  I must not judge and reject others.  I must make peace.  I must see physical needs in others and be moved to action.  I must not care what a person’s sin is as much as I care that they see how much God loves them. 

I can only evidence my faith by what I do.  I will fail.  I will act wrongly.  I can also choose to not do wrong and make doing what is right my occupation.  How can I hope to show my faith to others if I do not work out that faith in practical connective action with others? 

I also wonder if this does not have the added impact of making my faith more genuine to me.  If I see and feel the impact of working out my faith and the lives of others will the natural byproduct not be a deeper faith.  If I reject the opportunity to do good for someone else I should not be surprised if it weakens my faith.  Faith needs hands and feet to sustain it.  When I act outside of the things Christ has called me to do I should not be surprised when my faith weakens.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."