Faith is a common subject in every Christian circle. Without it, men cannot be saved. Without it, no one will have a relationship with God the Father. Yes, faith is very, very important – in fact, it should be non-negotiable as part of the Christian life.
There are various verses in Scripture that talks about faith, the most famous of which is Hebrews 11:1, which says,
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."(MEV)
Through this definition we all understand that by faith we are, in God, able to believe the unbelievable, hope for that which seems farfetched, and trust in what the unspiritual man cannot. Yes, faith is powerful, enough to save us if we put our faith in Christ alone for salvation:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9 MEV)
What Faith Should Have
Many Christians, however, have this wrong idea about faith – that if we only keep believing, all things will work out fine or will turn out the way we want them to. No, brothers and sisters, that's not what faith is.
James tells us, "faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless." (James 2:17 NLT) That might appear contradictory to the verses mentioned earlier, but it's not.
Faith requires that we who believe must do something. Simply put, if we say we believe in God, then our actions should follow. If we say that Christ saved us from sin, then we must turn away from sinning. It's that simple.
Easier Said Than Done?
Some might say that it's easier said than done, but the truth is that it's not that hard to do. The question is, "do we really have the faith we are talking about?"
- Does our faith in the finished work of Christ empower us to leave our sinful pasts (repentance) and embrace the newness of life that He has given to us?
- Does our professed allegiance to God as His children propel us to leave our worldly ways and former unspoken-but-lived-out submission to sin and the devil?
- Does our belief in the love of God allow us to love the unlovable, starting from our family members, to our friends and acquaintances, and to the unknown neighbours within our community?
- Does our faith in the promises of Christ allow us to preach the Gospel to all without fear?
Friends, let us check ourselves. If our faith isn't causing us to take action, then maybe we don't have faith at all. "Just as the body is dead without breath,[i] so also faith is dead without good works." (James 2:26 NLT)
Let's all have faith that translates to actions.
