“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
— James 2:26

Real faith is living and moving. Even as the spirit brings life to the body, true faith brings life to our spirits and causes us to act. We live in a generation today that is so focused on grace that sometimes people are not willing to assume the responsibility that comes with grace. The fact is true grace produces faith, and true faith produces works.

We are not saved by works, but we are known by our works. We cannot just believe God when we are in church raising our hands during worship. True faith is evident in the choices we make each day. Our faith should change us, and that transformation should be evident. If we truly believe God, we should look and act differently than we once did. We should be alive for Jesus and in passionate pursuit of Him.

True faith does not make us passive. It makes us active—moving us closer to God and conforming us more and more to the image of Christ. When we truly believe God, our light should be shining before men, and people should be able to recognize that we are followers of Christ because of our works. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Again, we are not saved by our works, but we should be known by them, and those works should point people to the Father.

Father God, Your Word declares that I am saved by grace through faith in You, but I pray that my faith will be active, that it will spur me to demonstrate Your love and shine Your light in an empty and lost world. I pray that it will cause me to be a faithful witness for You. I am saved by grace, but let my light so shine before men that they see my good works for You.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Revelation (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2020), Used by permission.