Displaying Our Faith
By Rev. Kyle Norman
Bible Reading
“Someone will say, ‘You have faith, I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:18)
Let me tell you a story. One Christmas, my wife gave me a license plate surround. You know the kind. It’s a plastic cover that fits over your license plate. They usually have stickers or phrases on them. It’s a way to personalize your license plate without having a vanity plate. Well, I opened this present and found a license plate surround containing big white letters that read: “CLERGY,” A cross was on either side. And I must admit, my first thought was, “Oh dear.” See, now, I can’t drive like a maniac. I can’t yell at people, blast my horn, or shake my fist whenever someone cuts me off. I can’t weave in and out of traffic or rush through yellow lights. Now, I am no longer an anonymous driver on the road. Now, everyone knows that I am a priest – and they will judge my driving based on what they read on my license plate.
So, I sat there for a second, holding this present, wondering if I really wanted to have this gift. Did I really want to put this on my car and make my faith so public?
That’s the point, isn’t it? People should know that we follow Jesus. The presence of Jesus, our reliance upon his Spirit, and our expressions of his love and care should be visible in our lives. This is why the exhortation from James is so important to us.
The Book of James challenges us to think about how our connection with Jesus is lived out in our lives. James writes, what good is it, brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but no deeds? In other words, what good is it if our relationship with Jesus is just a matter of religious phrases we say in special services? Can such faith save us? Show me faith, James says; display your faith by how you live.
We sometimes make an unfair distinction between faith and works. We are quick to quote Paul’s words in Ephesians 2: “We are saved by grace through faith, so that no one can boast.” Paul seems to suggest that our deeds do not matter. We are saved by grace alone, as a gift from Jesus. So, to focus on righteous deeds (we think) is nothing but work-based righteousness. James, on the other hand, is perceived to be saying that it doesn’t matter what you believe, it is only our deeds that count towards salvation. If we are kind and generous, polite and affable, we can be spiritually confident. And so, we pit the words of Paul against the words of James.
Both readings, when understood in such stark contrast, betray the truth of scripture. Paul and James must go together. Even for Paul, a faith that is not lived out is a faith that fails to be alive or transformative. This is why his letters are filled with a myriad of practical instructions for believers. On the other side, James’ whole point is that it is our faith in Jesus that is lived out in practical ways. James says, “I will show you my faith by what I do.” For James, it’s not some generic politeness that is lived out, it is the one’s relationship with our Lord. There simply must be a connection between our faith and our life.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Faith can’t just be something we say. It’s not enough to rest upon private thoughts and prayers in the comfort of our prayer closets. My old youth group leader used to always ask, “If being a Christian was illegal, is there enough evidence to convict you?” The love of Jesus, received in faith, is to transform our lives. We live it out, not to prove our love, or earn the Lord’s favor, but as a natural byproduct of a life-giving connection with Jesus.
Of course, we are never going to be perfect at this. There’s going to be hiccups along the way. If we read the book of James as advocating for some sort of perfect execution of moral or spiritual life, then all we are going to do is heap condemnation upon ourselves. None of us are perfect, and none of us will live out our faith perfectly every single moment of our lives. But the moments when we don’t live our faith perfectly never discount the heartfelt desire to do so. What is more, James reminds us that in times of failure or flaw, we can rest in the promise that God’s mercy will always have the final word.
How do you display your faith? What are the practical ways that you shine Jesus’ love in the world? Does the presence of Jesus inform the words you say, or how you treat the people around you? Is Jesus so important to you, that you will even change how you drive? That may sound ridiculous, but these are the places where displaying our faith matters: this is what the intersection of faith and life is all about.
Further Reading:
James 2
4 Simple and Authentic Ways to Share Your Faith Today
Photo Credit: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
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