James ChallengeSample

 THERE IS NO PARTIALITY WHEN IT COMES TO SIN

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (2:10)

This verse makes me so grateful for God’s grace that saves us from ourselves and our inability to keep the law. Can you imagine what life would be like if the sacrifice (Jesus) for our sins hadn’t been made. The bible says ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins’. Before Jesus' death on the cross, they had to kill specific animals to atone for their sin...constantly! Imagine if we had to do that now?

The fact that we are blessed with God’s grace, does not mean that we are exempt from fulfilling the law of God. We obey God’s law because we love Him. Our fulfillment of the law should come from a place of obedience, faith, hope and love! I say obedience, because to obey is to acknowledge the Lordship (authority) of Jesus as the Son of God. We often hear and say the salvation prayer,  'I accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour', but how many of us willingly embrace the idea of a Saviour but struggle to embrace the submission to His Lordship (authority) over our lives, our wills and fleshly desires?  I say faith, because it shows that you believe in the source of the law. I say hope, because it shows that you understand that there are promises that come with fulfilling God’s command, and I say love, because you cannot fulfill God’s law without loving The Author of the law!

ARE WE DEAD CHRISTIANS?

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (2:26)

James compares an action-less believer to real death. We can have all the faith in the world, but if it is not accompanied by action it is useless and carries no power !Christianity is based on the ACT of our Lord Jesus Christ! The ACT, WORK, MOVEMENT of Jesus. The fact that He carried and moved with that cross, the fact that he healed the sick and raised the dead, the fact that He FED the hungry. Notice that Jesus DID. Christians are followers of Christ. The Son of God didn’t sit on His mighty throne doing nothing, there was action behind the authority of His entire being. 

In the same way, as followers of Christ, are we to just sit down reading the word, going to church, having our faith in God, without accompanying it with ACTION? NO WAY. The affirmation of our faith is shown through our actions! Verse 19 is a wake up call to all believers. 'You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder'. If demons, believe in the same thing that we do, what makes us different to them? Our actions. Because demons will not glorify God, demons will not strive to love God and obey His word, demons will not extend their hands to the needy, but we SHOULD, and we WILL. 

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