What
is the difference between you and the demons of darkness? You might be puzzled at my question, but
stick with me. Do you believe in
God? If your answer is “yes,” then you
and the demons have something common.
However, if your faith in God leads you to a changed life in both words
and actions, then you prove to be drastically different than the darkness you
were saved from! You will resemble the light God has called you to be in this present world. Let’s dig into the Word
together.
As you
read today's passage, look for these words or phrases: faith, works,
believe, and useless.
Passage
for the day: James 2:18-20 (NASB)
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have
works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my
works.”
19 You believe that God is one. You do well;
the demons also believe, and shudder.
But
are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is
useless?
Questions for thought: Take
a few moments to answer these questions before you go on to the next section.
Do you
think that it is important to show your faith by your daily actions?
What
are 2 ways that you can show your faith by your works?
What
is the significance of James saying “You believe that God is one”? (Read Deut.
6:4, Mark 12:29, and 1 Cor. 8:4-6)
What does James’ mean by the phrase, “demons also
believe and shudder”? Does that make
them Christians? Why or why not? Why doesn’t that faith save them? (Hint:
see verse 20)
Meditate on this:
Once
again, James lets us know that faith cannot be disconnected from what you
do. Instead of just saying that you have
faith (which many in this world will tell you that!), James points out that we
must have an active faith that is working and growing. The works alone do not save a person, but if
your faith is genuine, then it will show up in what you do on a daily basis. We need to move beyond just being merely
“hearers of the Word” to those who are “doers of the Word!”
In
verse 19, James tells that faith without works is merely believing that God
exists. But this kind of “faith” has
nothing to show for itself – no personal trust in God and no pursuit or love
for God. In fact, this kind of “faith”
is nothing more than a religious mask of hypocrisy. Sure, they believed that God is the only God
and that He exists, but such a faith benefits no one (v. 14) and is useless. Why? Even
the demons possess this kind of faith and believe that God exists. They know of the reality of God, but they are
still wicked. Many will tell you that
they believe that there is a God, or that a “higher power” exists. But that is as far as it goes. There is no genuine trust and desire for God
– only the mask of religion.
The
problem is that there is no such thing as inactive faith. For James mere faith
was an empty boast that masked great evil. Faith is trust in God alone, but it
must be whole-hearted and produce works based on the mercy of God. How is your faith? Is it living and active? Is it growing and working for God and
others? Let’s seek to live out our faith
and be doers of the Word today!
Praying for that you would Love Christ
PASSIONATELY, Know Christ DEEPLY, and Enjoy Christ FULLY!!!
Pastor Stephen
No comments:
Post a Comment