Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
I write this blog post while wearing a giant scarlet letter on my chest. No not an "A" like the one worn by Hester Prynne in the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, but a H for hypocrite. I can't help but feel convicted when reading the above passage in the book of James. I have been blessed to travel around the globe as a part of various medical mission teams. I have spent most of my time in Haiti and Kenya. Haiti has the dubious distinction as being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and about 36% of Kenyans are currently living in poverty. It is these trips that have shown me how much I fail when trying to live up to James 2:14-26. I have seen hunger in the eyes of thousands of children, desperation in the eyes of countless moms and dads, and felt the almost palpable hopeless of those living in poverty. Of course, in that moment my heart breaks and my soul aches for all those suffering. I can honestly say that while I am on these trips, I am 100% committed to helping anyway I can. However, shortly after returning back to my comfortable life in the US, I quickly forget those struggling under the yolk of poverty. It is easy to let family, careers and the daily hustle of life help me forget about the desperate needs of those around the world. It isn't intentional, but it happens and it is inexcusable. Therefore, every time I read the second chapter of James, I feel the weight of the scarlet H on my chest. As a physician and entrepreneur, I have been blessed well beyond what I deserve. Therefore, I have to ask my self what is it all for? Are the financial blessings just to benefit me and my family? Is the purpose of money to have a bigger house, nicer cars and to go on expensive vacations? Again, guilty as charged. I have done all of that and more. It has been said that money is a great servant, but a terrible master, and too often I allow money to be the master. It is so difficult in our fast paced, social media driven, high consumption society to maintain the proper money prospective. Drive by almost any church in suburban America and you will see countless vehicles that cost more than most people around the world will make in an entire lifetime. Now, you are probably saying that is just hyperbole and I am trying to induce guilt. Well, I have no desire to impart guilt on anyone, but the statement is true. According to Kelly Blue Book, the average cost of a new car in 2023 is $49,500, and according to the The World Bank 46% of the world, or 3.6 billion people earn $5.50 or less per day. Therefore, based on average number of work days in a year of 260, It would take someone making $5.50 a day almost 35 years to earn $49,500. Again, I am not pointing fingers because I am guiltier than most. I am also not implying that being financially prosperous is wrong, evil or shameful. I am however saying that many of us can use our money in a more Christ honoring manner. After all, money can be a powerful tool for good or I can be an all consuming master that enslaves us. To be clear, God doesn't need us or our money to accomplish His will. However, by being obedient to Christ and living out James 2:14-26, He allows us to be a small part of His work, and that is when we experience true joy.
Amen Brother. I am the same. I have traveled to Africa and even lived there for 3 months at a time. I have seen starving children in Africa and have helped them, but in America it can be easy to forget the pain and suffering of someone far away. But their are real children dying everyday from starvation. We need to help when we can.