Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word faith.
Reading
James 2:14-17—Faith Without Works is Dead
Optional Reading
Malachi 3:7–18
Keys for kids
- Those who claim to be God’s people don’t always live like it.
- James calls that dead faith.
- Saving faith produces good works.
Questions
- What is faith that doesn’t produce good works?
- What are ways Christians can show their faith?
- How do we know what good works are?
Notes
(See Saturday for authors.)
The people of Malachi’s day gladly identified themselves as God’s people—what we might call people of faith. Yet, as Malachi pointed out time and time again, their words and works were contrary to God’s ways. James bluntly states that faith without works is dead; it is not true saving faith.
James will not—God will not—allow a claim to faith without works to support that claim. This is so critical that a foundational doctrine of Christianity—saved by faith—actually fails if works are missing. James does not mean what some (including the Roman Catholic gathering) say, namely that we have to have faith and we have to add our works to our faith, so that our faith plus our works will save us. Instead, as Kistemaker comments, faith in God through Jesus Christ is a certainty that flows from our hearts, emanates from our minds, and translates into deeds. Vibrant faith of word and deed, spoken and performed out of love for God and our neighbor, saves us.
Dead faith or word-only faith is useless. As the RSB notes, “Dead” faith does not mean a faith that has perished. Rather, the image suggests a faith that never had any true life in it.
Is your faith living and active and obedient?
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 119a, 119u
Prayer
- Pray that your works will reveal your alive faith.
- Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.