What good
is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no
deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister
is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them,
“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their 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 my deeds. James 2:14-18
Imagine
a person who says he is a sports fan but never goes to a game or watches a
sport on TV or follows a specific team on Twitter. You would say that person is not really a
fan. Why? Because the person does nothing to support
his words.
The
same is true for faith. If someone says
they believe in God but they don’t serve in a ministry, pay tithes, or go to
church regularly, you would wonder if they truly believe.
Is
it possible someone could go to church every week, serve in children’s ministry
and give when the plate is passed and yet not believe in God? Yes.
Their faith is doing, not trusting.
Deeds can come before faith, but faith must be followed by deeds because
the word of God demands action.