James 2
September Memory Verse: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
Read: James 2
Have you ever seen an opossum in real life? I remember walking outside of a friend’s house one night and seeing an opossum laying on its back. I walked all the way up to its still, lifeless body and determined it was dead. When I got to the car and told my friends to look at the dead opossum it was gone. As a defense mechanism, an opossum will play dead to predators and give the appearance that it is lifeless. After reading the second chapter of James, I wonder if Christians have a tendency to adopt the same defense mechanism? Do our actions look like we are spiritually dead or that we are alive in Christ?
Scripture tells us that we are saved by grace alone - through faith alone - in Christ alone - for the glory of God alone. The beauty of the gospel is that there is NOTHING we do to earn our salvation. Nothing. “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before the Lord (Isaiah 64:4), but God being rich in mercy and love, saved our dead souls, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). It is not our works that save us. It is faith in Christ Jesus - his life, death, and resurrection. Is there anything more wonderful than this truth? But this is not a passive truth, rather it’s a transformative truth. It brings us from death to life. It changes us from hell-bound-rebels to blood-bought-coheirs with Christ.
The gospel cannot stay stagnant in our hearts - it’s impossible! A body with no pulse is dead. A body with a beating heart is alive—it moves, talks, thinks, and acts. So a heart that has truly “confessed that Jesus is Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead” moves, talks, thinks and acts differently. James says that our actions and good deeds are the proof of our faith (2:18). Do we walk with the Lord before God and man? Do we talk like souls that have been made alive with Christ? Do we submit our thoughts before the Lord? Do our actions prove that our faith is in Christ alone?
It’s easy for me to ask these questions, but if I’m honest it’s really hard to live this out all the time. When we gather on Sundays I leave on fire for the Lord - ready to live on mission, but by Monday I often play spiritually dead. It’s difficult. Oh brother/sister - walk with me. Point me again to the cross and the empty tomb. Remind me of the Lord’s command to “Go.” The gap between our faith and our deeds shrink as we walk together in gospel community. If you struggle with living out your faith, then let us help you. Go to cpclex.org/discipleship and let’s live out the gospel together.
By: Joe Weaver
Read: James 2
Have you ever seen an opossum in real life? I remember walking outside of a friend’s house one night and seeing an opossum laying on its back. I walked all the way up to its still, lifeless body and determined it was dead. When I got to the car and told my friends to look at the dead opossum it was gone. As a defense mechanism, an opossum will play dead to predators and give the appearance that it is lifeless. After reading the second chapter of James, I wonder if Christians have a tendency to adopt the same defense mechanism? Do our actions look like we are spiritually dead or that we are alive in Christ?
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:26
Scripture tells us that we are saved by grace alone - through faith alone - in Christ alone - for the glory of God alone. The beauty of the gospel is that there is NOTHING we do to earn our salvation. Nothing. “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before the Lord (Isaiah 64:4), but God being rich in mercy and love, saved our dead souls, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). It is not our works that save us. It is faith in Christ Jesus - his life, death, and resurrection. Is there anything more wonderful than this truth? But this is not a passive truth, rather it’s a transformative truth. It brings us from death to life. It changes us from hell-bound-rebels to blood-bought-coheirs with Christ.
The gospel cannot stay stagnant in our hearts - it’s impossible! A body with no pulse is dead. A body with a beating heart is alive—it moves, talks, thinks, and acts. So a heart that has truly “confessed that Jesus is Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead” moves, talks, thinks and acts differently. James says that our actions and good deeds are the proof of our faith (2:18). Do we walk with the Lord before God and man? Do we talk like souls that have been made alive with Christ? Do we submit our thoughts before the Lord? Do our actions prove that our faith is in Christ alone?
It’s easy for me to ask these questions, but if I’m honest it’s really hard to live this out all the time. When we gather on Sundays I leave on fire for the Lord - ready to live on mission, but by Monday I often play spiritually dead. It’s difficult. Oh brother/sister - walk with me. Point me again to the cross and the empty tomb. Remind me of the Lord’s command to “Go.” The gap between our faith and our deeds shrink as we walk together in gospel community. If you struggle with living out your faith, then let us help you. Go to cpclex.org/discipleship and let’s live out the gospel together.
By: Joe Weaver
6 Comments
Let us not go quietly into the night, brother.
But loudly. Hearts ablaze. Declaring the glories of Christ.
Wow, thanks for the encouragement today Joe! I love the opossum metaphor. Haha!
Tim would often say "You can't come into a real relationship with the risen Christ and remain unchanged". As Christians, our lives should look different from the non-Christians around us. Not because those things save us, but because it is an overflow of the life change in us. If we're alive, let's live like it!
Praying that I (we) would be more alive and exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) today.
Joe. That possum illustration is excellent. Haha. It will stick in my mind for quite some time! So, so true.
"The gap between our faith and our deeds shrink as we walk together in gospel community. "
Thanks for this reminder. I couldn't agree more. Being an active part of the church through service and intentional relationships is so vital to keeping the reality of our relationship with God at the forefront.
I had a 3-5 year period of my life where my service and Christian relationships weren't prioritized and my relationship with God suffered. As I have intentionally picked back up some of those relationships and service, it has really helped me remember that my faith and my God are Real.
So well written, Joe. Great encouragement with which to start the day!
This just makes me realize how much we need to lift each other up in prayer and encouragement. When we see a brother or sister in Christ starting down the path of spiritual death-we need to help raise them up. We ALL need that at times in our lives. Thank you Joe! And I loved the story about the opossum!