For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:14-26)
James describes three kinds of faith. As Christians, we need the correct one.
- Dead Faith - not faith at all, a false faith. This kind of faith substitutes words for deeds. It is intellectual but does not result in a changed life.
- Devilish Faith - Devilish faith is intellectual and emotional (they tremble in fear). This person may be enlightened in their mind and stirred in their heart and still be lost forever.
- Dynamic Faith - involves the whole person. It involves the intellect, the emotions and the will. The will acts on the truth and moves us to action. The true measure of faith is our walk (sometimes also called fruit in the Bible). This is the correct faith for a mature Christian.
