Imagine what the world would be like if Albert Einstein decided not to use his knowledge for scientific research, or if Martin Luther King decided never to follow his conviction to make a change. What if the disciples decided to take their knowledge of Jesus and keep it to themselves? The point I’m trying to make is that knowledge without application is worthless, training without implementation is useless, and faith without works is dead.

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” James 2:14-18

There is a recurring theme that runs strong throughout the entire bible about doing good and helping others. We are called as believers to feed the poor, provide clothes to the clothes-less, visit the prisoners, and care for the widows, elderly, and sick. Our Lord also gave us a direct command in Matthew 28:18-20, to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey the Word. Our faith is supposed to be alive and working to make a difference in the world.

As Christians, our works are a result of our faith. Therefore, we are not saved by our service, but I do believe we are saved to perform good service. What good is it to take the light of the God’s Word and keep it to ourselves? There tends to be a general misconception regarding our duties as Christians; too many people believe that once we’re saved, there’s nothing else we need to do. Not only is this not what Christ intended when He hung on the cross and died for us, but this is not what any of the disciples did. If it weren’t for good works and for the spread of the Gospel, the hungry would not be fed, the sick would not receive medical attention, and the fire and light of the Gospel would have been snuffed out hundreds of years ago.

Now don’t get me wrong— our salvation is not based on our works. Salvation is given to us simply through grace when we believed in Christ Jesus.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8-10

It is when we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, that we will be saved. (Romans 10:9) There is nothing that we can ever possibly do to save ourselves because Christ did all the work already. No amount of “law keeping,” or “righteous acts,” or “works” can possibly make God owe it to us. We can’t earn salvation. It is a gift that we chose to accept. We can only be saved by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.

But does that mean that nothing is required of Christians? Romans 2:6, 8, say that God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” The Lord has repeatedly explained that we will one day give an account for what we’ve done with His Word. How would that account sound today? Do you think He will be pleased with it? The fact is faith alone is not enough!

We have all at one time or another heard the old phrase, “You talk the talk, but do you walk the walk?” Could you imagine if every Christian in the world took heed to this mandate, and showed their faith by their works, not just their words, how much better of a world would we be living in? It’s not too late to make a difference! Stand up for what you believe, put your feet to faith, and shine the light of the Gospel. Care for one another, help the needy, and love on people the way Jesus loves on you. It’s about time that we all love out loud!

Hebrews 10:23-24, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”