Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Our Verse of the Day is an extremely powerful and impactful verse. This verse has been taken to such an extreme degree that complete belief systems have been established because of it. It's extremely important to understand what this verse is talking about.
James chapter 2, verse 17 says, "So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."
The reason why I say a lot of belief systems are built on this verse is because a lot will take this to mean, you have to have works to have salvation. If you look at the context of this verse, it is actually talking about living out good deeds. If you have faith, deeds will follow. It's an outpouring of faith. If you believe something, then you'll see action and the beauty of the context of this verse.
The Power of "So You See"
Usually, I get in the context of the verses around our Verse of the Day. Today, I'm actually going to stick to the very first words of this verse. This is what I love about it. When you see something like this where it says "So you see," that will typically tell you that there's something before it that you need to understand. But I want to actually capture the words that are said in these very few first words. "So you see."
We can talk about faith, but the actions in the outpouring of our faith and how we live that out are actually saying "so you see." "So you see" what Jesus has done in and through me because of faith. It's not because of my actions. It's not because of my good. It's not because of all of the things I can do to impress people, especially people that work so hard to try to earn God's favor. In reality, all that we can offer Him is brokenness.
Faith Produces Action
When our offering is placing our faith and trust in Jesus, He actually comes along and produces something in us that allows us to actually help ourselves. The deeds actually follow. I love the illustration of Peter where he asked, and he looks out and sees Jesus walking on the water and he literally says, "If that's Jesus, if that's You, call me out to walk on the water as well." And Jesus says, "Come."
Those are the actions and deeds that this verse is talking about. True faith will produce real obedience. True faith will produce obedience that when Jesus says, "Come," you're willing to obey even if it doesn't make sense. Because you know what? That's what faith does.
The Hall of Faith
Hebrews chapter 11 lists many people who lived out a life of faith. If you look at every single one of them, they were called and they gave an act of obedience. Their faith was driven to action based on obedience. That's the beauty of what this verse and what this passage is talking about. Does your faith drive you to live out a life of good deeds?
That's why, if you look at the context of the verse right before, it actually talks about doing good deeds by feeding and clothing other people. Well, when you first look at it, it's like, why would faith do that? It's not saying if you're a follower of Jesus, you should just behave like Him. It says your faith will drive you to this.
Trusting God's Care
Catch this. Faith will cause you to trust God that He will take care of you- so that you can turn your focus and attention and your efforts to take care of other people because your faith tells you God's going to take care of you. You’re okay.
Now you can say in the first part of this verse, "So you see what Jesus has done in me," so you can tell the world, "See," that is truly your faith being lived out in actions. Not the other way around, where your actions produce some favor with God. God and what He has done for you, His precious gift, has produced something in you to live it out, to let the world see what He's done in you simply because of the faith and trust you've placed in Him.
