How to Release Your Faith: The Role of Accompanying Works in Making Faith Complete
In the previous study, we saw that we release our faith through the words of our mouth. Another way given us in Scripture to release our faith is to have corresponding actions that go with our faith. This is what we read in James 2:26: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead”. Our faith is alive only when it has works or corresponding actions, otherwise it is dead and unable to produce anything.
Practically, one can hear the gospel preached and thereby believe in the existence of God and His plan of redemption for mankind. Yet, until that person makes the decision to accept Jesus as their Saviour (i.e. corresponding action to their faith), that belief does not profit them just as the demons believe there is one God and tremble at that but do not benefit from that belief (James 2:19) – for faith without accompanying works is useless (James 2:20).
These corresponding actions are our evidence that our faith is genuine: “But someone may say, “You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do] (James 2:18, Amplified Bible).” These accompanying works of faith also constitute our obedience to God and make our faith complete. It wasn’t enough for Abraham to simply claim that he believed God. The genuineness of his faith was made evident and his faith was made complete when he obeyed God and laid down his son on the altar for a sacrifice, just as the Scriptures testify: “You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and this [faith] was credited to him [by God] as righteousness…(James 2:22-23, Amplified Bible). In the same way, if you believe God is in charge of your situation and working for your good, then you will stop worrying and choose to be at peace as He tells you to (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7). Continuing to worry proves that you have not cast your cares on Him and are not walking by faith. Similarly, if you believe God will help you succeed in your work or pass a test, then you have to be diligent to prepare and actually do the work or take the test (cf. Proverbs 22:29; Proverbs 24:27). Otherwise you only had a wishful thinking and not faith.
Every word God speaks to us will require a response according to what He spoke. By acting on the Word of God, we give life and action to our faith and release it to accomplish its purpose for “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
Dr. K. Omari
May 27, 2021.