Description
One common misunderstanding concerning the writings of James is that we are saved and justified by good works. Nothing can be as misleading as this! Actually, James introduces a balance between the two equally important elements of Christian life; faith and good works. “Becoming doers of the word” is not just the theme of this year 2023, but also what the world today needs perhaps more than any other thing. Faith alone (sola fide) should bring about salvation by grace alone (sola gracia), and salvation should produce good works as evidence of a changed life. There should not be an excuse about this!
Faith comes by hearing and accepting the word of God as being true. It’s said to be an assurance of things only hoped for and not visible [Hebrews 11:1]. This act of believing is actually the most elementary step of salvation which entails being freely justified or counted righteous on account of what Jesus did on the cross, not ourselves. It’s based on grace alone without considering our deeds, it’s God’s initiative and doing from the beginning to the end.
The second equally important level of salvation is acting on God’s word and allowing the faith to generate good deeds. This is the purpose of God for our lives on this earth, that is to serve God by touching lives of his people using our good deeds. Its against this background that James urges Christians not to be listeners alone but doers of the word. To be more precise, any faith that does not compel a believer to stand up and act is not Christian at all.
People will seldom see our faith if we only claim to have it, but they will clearly see it when we help the needy, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, reconcile the enemies and positively participate in activities that make life better. Our Daily Steady Steps with God this year emphasizes practical Christianity as a demonstration of faith. Our faith remains only useful to ourselves but useless to others until we put it in action. The world is waiting for us to become Doers of the Word and not merely listeners.
Finally, this devotional guide intents to help a believer know what to believe, overcome his or her weaknesses and lead a life that produces good fruits which is good deeds.
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