"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
In this verse James is discussing an important point: the issue of how we act if we have been saved.
There is a distinction that must be made before we can understand the verse: we are not saved by works. We are saved by faith. What this verse means is that if we have true faith it will show in our lives and the way we act.
Think of it this way: if you particularly like or look up to someone, you want them to think well of you. You act, talk, and generally live in a way that you hope will impress them. If we have true faith, we love God with all our hearts. We want him to be pleased with the way we are living and so we try to live in a way that lives up to the instructions of the Bible. That is what true faith leads us to do.
What do you think? Do you like this verse? Do you have any verses you would like to see featured here?
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