This is the second post on Faith Works. Click here to read the previous post.
I remember singing in Sunday School the song “They’ll Know We are Christians.” The chorus went like this:
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
The point is clear. Your actions identify who you are.
The life you live shows the object of your faith
In Friday’s post, we shared how faith is universal. Works are also universal. We all do works. Some of our works are evil. Some of our works are good. The words from our lips and the works of our hands will reveal the object of our faith. I can say I believe a certain thing but the way I live my life will reveal what I truly believe.
I might say I believe happiness cannot be bought. But then I work, cheat, and steal to accumulate as much cash as I possibly can. My actions reveal I didn’t believe what I said.
Faith is more than intellectual agreement
A verse that has always troubled me is James 2:19.
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! James 2:19 (ESV)
The demons believe in God. They don’t deny the existence of God. They just don’t like him. They are the enemy of God. If you have an enemy, you don’t deny their existence. You confront them.
I was looking at the Apostles Creed. As I was thinking about this verse in James, and I recognized there is not much within the Creed – on an intellectual level – a demon would deny.
Faith is not "knowing about God." On the day of judgment, God will not ask us for our confirmation certificate. He will not ask us how many Bible verses we can recite. He will not ask us about our church attendance record.
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the parable about separating the sheep from the goats. On that great last day, all the nations will be gathered before him. The sheep will go on to his right to everlasting reward. The goats will go on to his left to everlasting destruction. What is it that separates the sheep from the goats? Their works!
The sheep gave the hungry something to eat and the thirsty something to drink. They welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked. They visited the sick and the prisoner. The goats did none of these things.
What I have always found most interesting about this text was that the sheep did not even recognize what they were doing. Why didn’t they recognize what they were doing? The answer was that they were simply living out their faith. It was what came naturally because the faith they held dear.
Faith is trust in God
You can agree on an intellectual level a certain chair will support your weight. It’s one thing to agree the chair will support your weight; it is another thing to sit on it. A person can intellectually agree that Jesus can change their life; it is another thing to trust Jesus to change your life.
I know I like to be in control. I like to call the shots. I like to be in the driver’s seat. It’s difficult to turn my life over to Jesus. I want to determine how I spend my money. I want to determine how I spend my time. I want to be the one to decide what I can do and what I can’t.
That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy Spirit enables me to put my trust in Jesus and follow him wherever he might lead me. As I follow Jesus, my actions will reveal who is truly the Lord of my life.
Questions for Reflection
- What do your actions show as the object of your faith?
- What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus?
- How does faith move from head to heart?
- Share you comments below.
Sam Britton says
Pastor, Ressler. I’m just asking you for a clarification. I’m a little bothered by this statement in today’s eDevotion: “What is it that separates the sheep from the goats? Their works!” Am I hearing you say that salvation is based on works and not faith alone? Thanks for any time you may have to reply to my inquiry.
Fran says
Sam, I a m a few days behind on my reading and just came to your question today. I believe that we are saved by faith alone, but that deep faith starts a fire in our hearts to want to do good works, makes it a ‘living’ faith, if that makes any sense?
Phil Ressler says
Hi Sam. We are saved by the work of Christ. It is not of our works. The thing about faith is it will be shown in works. Those who are believers will have their faith revealed by their works.