“If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict?”
It wasn’t long after becoming a Christian that I heard a preacher ask that question in a sermon on the tribulation, and I felt pretty confident that I wouldn’t be one of those so-called Christians found innocent of all charges and “Left Behind.” After all, I had plenty of evidence: I had been baptized, attended church weekly, testified publicly about God, tithed off the top, and volunteered at a soup kitchen. That sermon was for someone else, or so I thought. It’s funny how things come full circle: Now I’m the preacher and have used that same question several times, but I’m not nearly as confident about my “evidence” as I was back then.
It’s all James’ fault. More so than any other New Testament book, James forces us to reevaluate our relationship between faith and works. He directed his epistle at Jewish believers displaced because of the persecution that arose after Stephen’s death. Most of them were ostracized, disparaged, and poor by worldly standards. So James’ opening instruction to “count it all joy” that they were going through such temptations seems cold at first, but then he explained how their trials were the means God used to build steadfastness and ultimately arrive at spiritual maturity. Their responsibility was to remain faithful, regardless of what they suffered, and be doers of the Word and not hearers only. True faith is accompanied by works (evidence), or it’s dead.
I’m sure we can all produce plenty of evidence of our faith. We’re more loving, joyful, peaceful, etc., than we were before Christ. We are hearers and doers. But perhaps a good follow-up question is: Would unbelievers be able to produce evidence on our behalf?
According to James, that must be the case if we want God to call our religion true. Religion that God considers to be pure and uncontaminated moves people to proactively attend to the needs of the weakest and most vulnerable in society in their times of distress (James 1:27; widows and orphans in James’ day). It seeks to find practical ways to demonstrate God’s love for the unloved. Judging by his illustrations in Chapter 2, it appears James’ audience was content with giving platitudes rather than serving.
But it would have been a totally different story if an upper-class person showed up at their worship gathering. In that case, they would roll out the red carpet. The first impressions team could say, “We have a heart for serving! Do you see how we sacrificially take care of our guests? We’re even willing to give up our seats.” In actuality, their discriminant hospitality was self-serving and condemned them as judges with evil in their hearts.
That’s pretty bad, but even if we’re not that extreme, it’s easy to be confident that our faith is active and fail to realize that our works are limited to those within the faith community or those who come to it with their needs. I’d love to be able to say confidently I don’t have a problem with that, but looking at my calendar that’s filled with appointments and meetings with other Christians, can I truthfully say that?
The Courier’s emphasis this month is on the practical application of God’s truth in today’s society. What a great reminder that it’s our application of the truth in the world that God will use to draw today’s society to Himself. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, CSB).
As Southern Baptists, we already partner to meet the physical and spiritual needs worldwide through ministries such as Disaster Relief and IMB. That’s evidence of what James calls true religion. But individually, God daily presents us with multiple opportunities to apply our faith by meeting practical needs at home, school, work, etc. Let’s be sure to think of those who are in need in the harvest first and be careful not to limit the exercise of our gifts and resources to other Christians. And as we do so, we’ll see God’s light penetrate the darkness in the world and His kingdom Advance.