Together in Christ: 'Faith by Itself Isn't Enough' — James 2:14-17

Monday, August 26, 2024

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What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" — but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

— James 2:14-17 NLT

Key Thought

Modern evangelicalism has a crisis on its hands. Millions of people professing to follow Jesus live in ways that deny the Lord Jesus each day and reject what He defined as holy living — righteous character and behavior, gracious compassion, and faithful justice. Much of this problem goes back to the modern definition of faith propagated by many who preach and teach. Faith, for these peddlers of "cheap grace," [1] is limited to what we think in our heads. Faith doesn't involve any standard of behavior, obedience to Jesus, or living to bless others in acts of kindness and care. These distorters of grace ignore the truth that grace saves us FROM our sins [2] AND equips and empowers us FOR good works that God created us in Christ to do. [3] Jesus made clear that while we are saved by grace, He will hold us to His standards of spirituality based on our obedience to what He taught us. That is what determines if our faith is genuine. [4]

We shouldn't be surprised when James, the brother of Jesus, [5] reminds us that faith must produce good deeds or it is dead, useless, and not genuine! Throughout his short epistle, he repeatedly wrote about identifying genuine, authentic, Christ-like spirituality. I encourage you to find some quiet time in the next few days and dedicate an hour to reading Jesus' Sermon on the Mount [6] and the Epistle  [7] of James. Notice how they parallel each other in many ways, emphasize authentic spirituality, and define faith as believing in our hearts and living those convictions in our daily lives.

Jesus summed it up this way:

"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'"  [8]

James succinctly stated it this way in our verses today and subsequent verses:

So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
. . .
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless?  [9]
[1] "Cheap grace" is a concept championed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer as he warned about simply believing in our heads without a call to repentance and following Jesus in sacrificial obedience. He emphasized many of the Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus referenced in these notes.
[2] Ephesians 2:1-9.
[3] Ephesians 2:10.
[4] Matthew 7:13-27, 25:31-40.
[5] As mentioned in previous devotionals, our devotional series agrees with the traditional conservative understanding that James is the "brother" (Galatians 1:19; John 7:1-3) of Jesus and became a key leader in the early Jerusalem church (Acts 12:16-17, 15:13-21, 21:18). To be strictly correct, James was Jesus' half-brother since Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38) and his siblings weren't.
[6] Matthew 5:1-48, 6:1-34, 7:1-29.
[7] I am using the term "epistle" technically. Peter and Paul wrote letters to specific churches or people. A "general epistle" was a more formal teaching letter for a general audience. James is usually regarded in the latter category.
[8] Matthew 7:21-23.
[9] James 2:17, 19-20.

Today's Prayer

Precious God and almighty Father, thank You for saving me by Your grace in response to my faith in Jesus. I realize that my faith is more than just believing facts about Jesus and that it involves me living for Jesus in obedience to His words and following His example. I confess, dear Father, I don't do this fully, but I do trust in Your forgiveness, and I choose to partner with the Holy Spirit in being transformed to be more like Jesus every day. I recognize that this takes a true and lasting commitment from me. However, I believe all of this ultimately comes back to Your gifts to me — the ability to believe, the grace to be forgiven, the Spirit-enabled power to be transformed, and the loving way You work in all things for my ultimate good. Thank You, dear Father; I recognize You as God. In the authority of Jesus' name, I offer this prayer of thanks. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Matthew 7:12-29
  • John 13:12-17

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Illustration

Illustration of James 2:14-17 NLT — What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" — but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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