ON THE VANGUARD

FAITH AND DEEDS
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17

As I was reading through James 2 again this morning, I found the verse reading, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (Jms 2:19). Such power resides in that verse I believe. But it seems in some ways out of place, right. I mean, here we are hearing James speak about faith and deeds, then insert the verse about demons shuddering, and then jump back into his topic of faith by talking about Abraham and Rahab. So with my head somewhat spinning and grasping for the connection, I decided to do a little research on this portion, mainly from James 2:14-26. I do not claim to know it all, but here is what I have managed to put together.
In James 2:14 we are posed with the question of what good is it to have faith but no action, mainly because faith cannot save a person. I think of it as one falling out of a tree. I can have faith that I will land safely, but unless I have the action of a cushion to fall onto, or a parachute to pop open before impact, the chances of me landing without pain are pretty slim, despite my amount of faith. And it is also this way concerning salvation. Romans tells us both the faith and action plan for entering God’s Kingdom in Romans 10:9-10 where we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (action) and believe in our heart that He was raised from the dead (faith). It is not enough to have one or the other, we must have both.
The dispute came because people began to think of it in a joint manner. He may have faith and she may have action, and together they are an unstoppable team. But James challenged that thought in saying to prove the benefit of this theology verses the one who possesses both. “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (Jms 2:18b). Here then we next read about demons shuddering. Why? It is because our joining together should not be only with each other, but with God. When we align ourselves with Him, put our faith in Him, and move in the actions He speaks of, then we are an unstoppable force. The demons know that when we are in sync with the one true God, it is not looking good for them. For this fact, they shudder. As long as they can keep us divided, they have the advantage. Whoa to the demons, though, when we are aligned with God.
Following this insert, which seems to make more sense now, James gives examples. Abraham offered his son to God, doing the action required but having the faith to know that God could restore his son if needed. This is why he spoke, “We (Isaac and Abraham) will come back” (Gen 22:5). He was willing to be in sync with God in going through with the action, but also in sync with God in his level of faith to restore. James even refers to Rahab in this same manner. What is Rahab known as? She was a prostitute, yes, but she was known also as the woman who helped the spies escape from Jericho in Joshua 2. The spies of Israel made a promise to her that for her assistance, no harm would befall her. She then moved into action by placing the scarlet cord outside her window, and then moved into faith that no harm would come. When the men of Israel attached Jericho, she was saved (Jos 6:25). And guess what, she married into the tribe of Judah and became part of the lineage of Christ (Mt 1:5).
So then, why do the demons shudder? They shudder because we come into a partnership with God in both deed and faith. One without the other is not strong enough. And it is in this point that I feel our challenge rests. Are we those who have only faith and no deeds? Are we those who have only deeds and no faith? God is calling us to both; to do what He says and have faith in Him that He will keep His word. Are you there yet? Honestly, I am in some areas, but not nearly enough. I must increase my equality of these factors if I want to be in sync with God.