VERSE:
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17
THOUGHT:
There’s a scene in the first Spiderman movie where Peter Parker’s uncle gives him advice that provides the motivation for Peter to become the web-slinging crime fighter. His uncle tells him, “With great power comes great responsibility.” While that statement might seem a cliched device for driving the plot, there is a strong ring of truth to it for Christians.
James points out that the power of our faith carries a responsibility to practical action. It is not enough to pronounce a benediction on someone in need, we have to turn it into something tangible that will help relieve that need. The Founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth, recognized that he would have no right or success preaching the gospel, if he did not first fill the hungry stomach or clothe the naked back.
We need to create a “living” faith by adding practical work to our belief.
