You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
—James 2:18

It is true that we are saved by grace and not works. But if we have the Spirit of God living inside us, there will be Holy Spirit-inspired actions. True, biblical faith will produce fruit—it is the natural consequence of being alive in Christ.

This is why the Bible says we should examine ourselves and see if we’re in the faith. We should always be taking inventory to see if our lifestyle reflects our faith. If we say we believe one thing, but our actions are contradictory, what we say is discredited, and the gospel gets a black eye. So we must ask ourselves, “Do I treat people with love and respect? Do I reach out to help others? Am I using my talents to build the kingdom? Am I feeding on the Word?” These are all works that demonstrate our faith is alive in Yeshua. 

Beloved one, our challenge is to make our lifestyle congruent with what we say we believe. If it is, then we should be encouraged that our faith is growing. But if it’s not, we need to repent and make some soul corrections so our words, thoughts, actions—every part of our lives—come into alignment with biblical faith, which involves not just what we believe but also who we are and what we do.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Entering His Presence (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2023), Used by permission.