Faith Works: Why I Love the Book of James (Abby)

We would like to highlight the connection between faith and works by drawing from the New Testament book of James.

• James 2:14 says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?"

• James 1:19-21 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

What Do I Love About the Bible? First, I want you to know how I feel about the Bible, the verses and stories in it, and what it means to me.

• The Need to Study the Bible: The Bible remains a source for advice on daily life and wisdom. It is my favorite book.

• The Power of Youth (David and Goliath): The story of David and Goliath illustrates how God can use even a "little child" to overcome "big things." This is my favorite story in the Bible.

• The Consequence of Disobedience (Noah’s Ark): Noah’s warned the people, but the world ignored his warnings until it was too late. Once God "shut the door," people pleaded for Noah to let them in, but they ended up drowning. I think this is the saddest story in the Bible.

• The Ultimate Sacrifice: John 3:16 reminds us that God sent His only son to die for everyone so that "all of His creation" could join Him in heaven. This is my favorite verse in the Bible.

  
  

How Can I Be More Than A Hearer of the Word? Christian living is not easy, but the Bible helps us. We learn the will of God, but we must also put our faith in action.

• Being a "Doer": It is not enough to simply "say" you follow God; you must "actually do" what the Bible says. Anyone can read it. We have to follow it.

• The Path to Heaven: To go to heaven, we must follow the Lord and the commands found in the Bible. This isn't easy but being around other Christians can help.

• The Guiding Principle: The Christian walk can be summarized with one phrase: "Trust and obey". We must read and obey the Bible.

James 1:19-27 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of the man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, and receive the meekness, the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the world and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of work; this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, his religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Will you be a doer of the Word? Or just a hearer of the Word?

Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great day.