James 2:20-22 (NLT)

“How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.”

Would you tell your children to grow up and become exactly like you? Would you tell a curious unbeliever to judge Christ and His Church by your actions and your actions alone? When you look at it this way, the “faith and works” discussion from James chapter two takes on a much deeper and more personal meaning.

Rather than focusing on the debate that has had plenty of life since Reformation days with Martin Luther, I want to keep bringing us back to the mirror of James chapter one to ask the question: is our profession of faith verified by our production of good works? The late D. James Kennedy used to say that Christians should be like hurricanes: Wherever they go, nothing remains the same. Has life around you changed since you made a profession of faith? Is your faith producing good works?

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we become a follower of Christ, we actually become a “new creation.” The old you has died…and the new you has sprung forth. This is one of the reasons I love utilizing Facebook! People that knew the “old Steve” see the “new Steve” and ask, “What in the world happened to you?” I love that my friends from days gone by recognize that the “old Steve” has gone bye-bye. Has your old self gone bye-bye as well, or does your proclamation of faith lack the evidence of a changed life?