REAL FAITH IS PRODUCTIVE

We have all heard stories about religious figures who have been involved in some kind of scandal, bringing shame on the church and the cause of Christ. Sometimes, people can fool us into thinking that everything is alright, when it really is not.

How can we tell the difference between real faith and phony faith? Ultimately only God and the individual know; however, there are several signs we are given in Scripture to help us tell the difference. One passage that gives us some ways to spot phony faith is James 2:14-26.

Here, James shows us four signs of phony faith:

The first sign of phony faith is…

IT WILL NOT SAVE. (v.14)

Phony faith is not saving faith.

Can faith without works save? No. True faith is saving faith in Jesus Christ that is demonstrated through good works. Any other kind of faith is worthless.

Relying on a faith that makes no difference in your life is like trying to use an umbrella for a parachute. My grandfather had one leg that was one inch shorter than the other leg. The reason one leg was shorter than the other was because, as a boy, he jumped off of a roof, using an umbrella as a parachute. The umbrella folded and he fell like a rock, injuring one leg, leaving it permanently damaged. He found out the hard way that an umbrella is no substitute for a parachute.

There is no substitute for a genuine, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

The second sign of a phony faith is…

IT WILL NOT SERVE. (vv. 15-17)

James gives us a ridiculous scenario of a man who encounters someone in need and tells them, “God bless you; be warmed and filled,” but does not do anything to help him.

His faith was: more hype than help. James says that faith that does not produce a compassion for people that is demonstrated by service is dead faith.

There are people in the church who often go out of their way to help people. I have seen church members give people food, build wheel chair ramps, help with yard work and building projects, take out trash for people, and other things to help people in need. Those things tell people that we really believe what we say we believe, because we are putting it into action.

I know that we can’t do everything for everyone, but we should always be ready and willing to help people every way that we can. We look more like Jesus when we reach out and minister to others in His name.

The third sign of phony faith is…

IT WILL NOT SHOW. (vv. 18-19)

Phony faith does not produce a changed life. It is not shown in a person’s actions.

Actions speak louder than words. We show our faith by our works. What we do demonstrates whether our faith is real or not.

Keeping the faith is more than knowing the facts. The devil knows about God, but he does not know God. Knowing about God is not good enough. You have to have a know Him personally.

I heard a story about a man who would walked over Niagra Falls on a tight rope. When he got to the other side, he asked one of the spectators, “Do you believe I can carry a man in that wheel barrow on that rope to the other side?” The man answered, “Yes, sir. I believe you can.” The tight-rope walker replied, “Good. You get in.” What a test of faith!

Talk is cheap. If your faith is real, you will live it. We don’t do good works to be saved, but if you are saved, you will do good works.

The fourth sign of phony faith is…

IT WILL NOT SURVIVE. (vv. 20-26)

Here James repeats, “Faith without works is dead.”

Faith without works is dead. It is lifeless and powerless.

Faith is demonstrated through works. James uses two examples from the Old Testament (Abraham and Rahab) to show that true faith is demonstrated by works.

You have probably heard the phrase “beating a dead horse.” It doesn’t matter how much you beat a dead horse, it will not carry you anywhere.

The same is true of dead faith that does not produce action in your life – it will get you nowhere.

REALITY CHECK: Is your faith real? If not, go to God about it now.

To learn more about how to follow Jesus, click here.

To find a good church where you can grow in your faith, click here.

This is a synopsis of a sermon presented on 8-2-2009 at Hatch Bend Baptist Church, by Paul A. Coleman.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.