The Engine Needs a Chassis

March 20

James: 2:21-23

The Engine Needs a Chassis

“You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works…” (v.22)

You can have works without faith, but you cannot have faith without works. We saw yesterday that faith is something that is “living”… it is a “body” animated by the “spirit” of Godly action. The image from today’s passage is similar: Faith is incomplete without works. Faith cannot function without Godly “doing”… it is missing a crucial part. If you imagine it like a car, faith without works is an engine without a car… it is going nowhere. We see this clearly stated by James in verse 22: Abraham’s faith was “completed by his works”… it was made whole…given what it needed. The word there literally means “perfected, or made perfect”.

The knife cuts both ways - as the saying goes; genuine Christian activity and work from the Lord is accompanied by faith. In reality, they work as a team! Faith and work both exert their power together to the glory of the Lord. Faith must be “active” in the person who is carrying out the work given to them by the Lord… right alongside the works… present in the moment. Abraham is the example given here. His faith was at work when he offered up his son Isaac to the Lord. There is no way he was doing that apart from faith… and there was no way he would have been counted as faithful, believing, and obedient if he didn’t!

What “faith-fueled” work is the Lord calling you to today? What good deeds does he have planned for you? (cf. Eph. 2:10) The litmus test for our faith is the work that we do in this world… our actions. Jesus says,

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush” (Luke 6:43,44)

If you feel like you are not going anywhere in your faith, it may be that it is incomplete. Ask the Lord to give you meaningful work to do. Start to participate in the activities that he has prescribed for his people - prayer, fasting, bible reading, caring for others, giving generously, worshipping with other believers, laughing and giving thanks, etc. - these are clear next steps that will perfect your faith and feed it so that it grows strong and vibrant. Love you guys. - JDP