Trailblazin Ministries

A Dead Faith: Part 2 - James 2:15-16

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Friday, 26 October 2007

So we're talking about the characteristics between a dead faith (or one that is false) and a faith that is alive (true faith). Last time, we took a look at how a person was not able to simply profess a faith in the gospel, but that it required action behind it; a faith that was in word only was by no means a faith that was able to lead to any kind of salvation. Today, our study will take us to the beginning of James' development of the distinctions between a dead faith and one that is alive, and he does so by starting with a basic example that would be familiar to all, even us today. Let us begin by taking a look at James 2:15-16.

James 2:15-16 (NASB) - 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

As we said, this is a very basic example, and one that we can all relate to, especially those of who live in a city or large metropolitan area. James is giving the example of someone coming across a person who is without adequate clothing or any food for the day. An illustration of this would be a person in the dead of winter and outside in the blistering cold with no coat or gloves for warmth (even though a situation like this wouldn't have been as likely in the Middle East and Mediterranean, at least with the snow & extreme cold). When the majority of us see a person like this, our first instinct is to see if we have a spare coat that we can give them, or at least something to keep them warm. In James' illustration, the person with a dead faith tells this unfortunate individual to be warm and filled/full (of food), but is not willing to lift a finger to help them out in their situation. An alternate translation for this passage could even have the person telling their poor brother or sister to go warm and fill themselves. Indeed, this person's faith is in word only, and has no positive action behind it that would display the love, character, and compassion that is to be found in a follower of Christ Jesus. James asks, "what use is this?!" And I would ask the same thing, what good is telling a person to be well and then not do anything to help them, especially when you have the means to help them. That's one thing to keep in mind here, it appears, with the way James proposes this scenario that this person has the means and resources to help out this poor person, but they simply choose not to.

This is not the kind of character that should be exhibited by Christians, and again, we see Jesus giving us instruction on how we are to act in the midst of situations like this. We can look first at passages like Matthew 25:35-40 or Mark 14:7 to see Jesus' words to His followers. In both of these examples, we clearly see an indication that we are to give to those who are less fortunate and in need, especially if we have the means to provide for them. Even John the Baptist had words to say regarding the helping of our poorer brothers and sisters, which we can find in Luke 3:11. I like this particular passage as it is very plain and shows us that if we have in, then we need to give if someone is in need. Considering this is a subject that is dear to the heart of our Lord (since He is impartial), we can find several other passages including Proverbs 3:27-28 and 1 John 3:16-18, both of which are really good passages concerning this topic. The main thing we are to see is again the characteristics of one who is a true believer versus one who only claims to be.

We can say the right things all day long and until we are blue in the face, but they mean nothing until we begin to back them up with action. That is one thing my wife loves to say to me concerning my promises, if I'm going to promise her something, then I need to follow through with it. The same goes for our faith, if we are going to say that we are believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we need to put our money where our mouth is and start living out the gospel. There are so many people that say that you don't need to change to become a Christian, but that is such a lie; becoming a Christian requires drastic changes and changes that are going to promote a life of holy and just living before a holy and perfect God. So, either we can keep talking and saying that we're a Christian, and do nothing to prove it; or, we can be those true followers of the faith who are putting the pedal to the metal and living out the gospel in our everyday lives. The choice is yours, so what's it going to be?