James 2:14

NIV: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

The Message: Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?

James now turns his attention to good works. This must have been just as much a topic of conversation as it is today. After all, we all know we are not saved by our works, but by grace:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)

There is nothing we have done to deserve the things God has done for us, absolutely nothing, and nothing we can do to make him love us less. There is also nothing we can do to make God love us more. Not all the evil acts in this world could make God hate us. Like I tell my children, I will always love them, but I may not always like them. So when my thirteen year old storms off in a huff, crashing and thumping around, refusing to talk to me or anyone, when he hates the world and everyone in it because they are all picking on him !!!!!), I still love him. I don't particularly like his behaviour, but I love him nonetheless.

It is the same way with God, only moreso, obviously. He always has and always will love each one of us, even when we go off the rails, when we lie, gossip, cheat, steal, take drugs, drink too much, sleep around, murder, are proud, vengeful, and a million and one other sins too numerous to mention. But lying, cheating, stealing and so on are against God's commands. He does not want us to do those things but ~He loves us despite these things.

So what about good works then if nothing we can do can make God love us more? What is the point? Why carry out acts of kindness, give to charity, help the poor and so on? After all, it doesn't get us anywhere so why bother?

Well, James is making the point here that our good works, the things we do, are the outward expression of our inward faith. It is by the things we do that others will know we are Christians, not by us just saying we are believers and going to church once a week. How can we say we follow Jesus if we do not help the poor, show kindness to our neighbour, help those in need? If all we are doing is looking out for number one, always seeking to get the best for ourselves no matter what the cost to others, or how others suffer as a result, then what is it that differentiates us from everyone else? How are we showing the love of Jesus to others when we refuse to have anything to do with others, when we ignore those who are suffering or in need, when someone else is hurt as a direct result of our action, or our inaction?

We are saved by grace, but we show our faith by the things we do.