This text tends to spark the debate between the ‘faith alone’ crowd and the ‘works save’ crowd. This is a debate that has been raging in modern times between Catholics and Protestants since the Reformation in the 16th century. I am not about to go into a dissertational diatribe about one way or the other, I want us to think about what the text is truly saying about faith and works. It’s easy to get stuck in the details and fight about semantics, in fact, we do that too often. Today we should look at the importance of both faith and works, how they exist hand in hand, and how they intertwine into what it means to be a believer in Christ. Otherwise, we are just arguing and that is not beneficial. Hot button topics and issues are triggers that will never be resolved, yet they cause uncounted hurt and disunity. Hot button issues and topics have torn churches and families apart because of our inability to have conversations, therefore, I do not and will not allow these types of destructive round robin situations to develop. We are working together and working towards the goal of sharing love, mercy, grace, and justice with the world around us and that starts with me and you!
As we come back to James, we see that faith goes hand in hand with works. By works James looks at how we are demonstrating our faith in our lives; how am I living out this faith that I claim to have in my everyday? The discussion of faith and works can be a simple one. Are you walking your talk? We claim to be believers, there are times when we talk to others about our faith; however, if you didn’t talk about your faith would others know that you are a person of faith? Our lives and how we live our lives communicate so much more than we realize; more than even if we stood on the street corner preaching. Are others able to see Christ in you?
Our faith is demonstrated through our actions. We never read about Jesus talking about faith alone. Instead we read story after story of how his ministry was about action. When 7,000 plus people were hungry, he fed them. When the blind called to him, he healed them. When the paralytic couldn’t reach the water, Jesus told him to rise and he was healed. When the storm shook the disciples, Jesus calmed the storm. When the wedding ran out of wine, Jesus turned water into wine. Again and again we read, not how Jesus expounded on the awesomeness of his faith, instead we read about his actions because of his faith. Faith led to action, that is what we are seeing here in the text above. How is your faith leading you to action?
Faith like a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), one person’s faith can spark the action that lights the change that this world so desperately needs. One person’s faith, can lead to the actions that spark a community to act and cause a movement that helps to bring justice into a world falling further away from justice. I encourage you to let your faith be shown through the actions that you take! Let your faith be seen through the life that you live! Let’s live out the faith in action that God is calling this community to live, so that we may cause and bring forth the Love, Mercy, Grace and Justice this world needs so desperately! Blessings,
Rev. Angel Pagán, Jr.
As we come back to James, we see that faith goes hand in hand with works. By works James looks at how we are demonstrating our faith in our lives; how am I living out this faith that I claim to have in my everyday? The discussion of faith and works can be a simple one. Are you walking your talk? We claim to be believers, there are times when we talk to others about our faith; however, if you didn’t talk about your faith would others know that you are a person of faith? Our lives and how we live our lives communicate so much more than we realize; more than even if we stood on the street corner preaching. Are others able to see Christ in you?
Our faith is demonstrated through our actions. We never read about Jesus talking about faith alone. Instead we read story after story of how his ministry was about action. When 7,000 plus people were hungry, he fed them. When the blind called to him, he healed them. When the paralytic couldn’t reach the water, Jesus told him to rise and he was healed. When the storm shook the disciples, Jesus calmed the storm. When the wedding ran out of wine, Jesus turned water into wine. Again and again we read, not how Jesus expounded on the awesomeness of his faith, instead we read about his actions because of his faith. Faith led to action, that is what we are seeing here in the text above. How is your faith leading you to action?
Faith like a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), one person’s faith can spark the action that lights the change that this world so desperately needs. One person’s faith, can lead to the actions that spark a community to act and cause a movement that helps to bring justice into a world falling further away from justice. I encourage you to let your faith be shown through the actions that you take! Let your faith be seen through the life that you live! Let’s live out the faith in action that God is calling this community to live, so that we may cause and bring forth the Love, Mercy, Grace and Justice this world needs so desperately! Blessings,
Rev. Angel Pagán, Jr.
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