Faith AND Deeds

All of us have faith, to varying degrees. Some Christians are very faithful about building their faith. We pray every day, without ceasing. We read and study their Bible. We do a daily quiet time with our King. These are the things we should do to build our faith, and many do. Some are ready to share their faith at the drop of the hat. We attend church regularly. We go to conferences to learn and hear from others. Our faith is strong. We know what we believe, we know who sits on the throne.

But that's only part of the equation. We are called to do so much more. There are commandments in the Bible like "Go" , or "Do this". These are verbs, action words. Deeds won't save you- that's' a gift. But because we are saved, we are told to take action. Yet many of us are content to stay wrapped us in our own little world.

Our walk with God, our beliefs, should be about two relationships. One is vertical, and one is horizontal. Talking and walking with God, building our faith, is vertical. It is us to God, and God to us. But we also have horizontal relationships- us to others. That relationship is about doing. Jesus's two great commandments were love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. One vertical, one horizontal. Sometimes we do good with the first, not so much with the second. That takes action.

We are saved by grace, through faith- not of works. But in the next verse, Paul says that we created in Jesus Christ to do good works, and God has prepared us in advance to do them.

In James 2:18, James say I will show you my faith by what I do. Later in verse 26 he concludes the chapter by summarizing that faith without deeds is dead. Who wants their faith to be dead- show of hands? No one does; but we need to take action.

We all need to have deeds. And two or three times a week in church isn't ministry.