Eps. 183: Faith Without Works Is Dead: Stop Walking Like Jesus Never Changed Your Life | James 2:14-26

What if someone followed you around for a day—would they be able to tell that your faith in Jesus is real?

Many believers affirm the right things about God, attend church, and identify as Christians, yet struggle to see their faith reflected in everyday decisions, relationships, and priorities. In this episode, we explore James 2 and his challenging question: If faith has truly transformed us, shouldn't that transformation be visible in the way we live?

•  Discover the difference between simply believing facts about God and possessing a living faith that transforms your life. 
•  Learn why good works don't earn salvation but serve as evidence that genuine faith is already at work within you. 
•  Gain practical insight into identifying areas where your actions may not yet align with what you say you believe and how to take your next step of obedience. 

Listen now to learn how real faith moves beyond words and beliefs to produce a life that visibly reflects the transforming work of Jesus.

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A Christian podcast centered on Jesus, the Bible, and God explores faith through the Old Testament and New Testament, sharing Bible stories and Bible explained insights to help women of faith and Jesus followers grow in faith, strengthen their relationship with God, and know God more deeply through Bible study, women Bible study, and practical Christianity, all while encouraging spiritual growth, understanding identity in Christ, and learning to understand Bible teachings to become closer to God.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hi friends, welcome to Everyday Faith for Her. If you're a busy Christian mom that feels spiritually disconnected and a bit overwhelmed with life, yet desire a deeper relationship with God, then you're in the right place. This podcast is designed to help you understand the Bible and integrate it into your life so you can experience greater peace, purpose, and connection with Jesus. In this episode, we're looking at one of the most challenging passages in the book of James. James wants us to examine the difference between simply believing the right things about God and allowing that belief to transform the way we live. We'll talk about why faith and works are often misunderstood, what James means when he says faith without works is dead, and how genuine faith always leaves evidence in our everyday lives. If you've ever wondered whether your faith is growing or what spiritual maturity actually looks like, well then this passage has a lot to say. Have you ever met someone that says they believe something, but nothing in their life actually reflects it? Like they say family is important to them, but then never actually spend time with their family. Or they say health is really important, but then never make the choices that support this. When it comes to faith, James has an important question. What happens when someone says they have faith, but nothing about their life actually reflects it? Remember, James is writing to Jewish Christians who had discovered the incredible freedom of Jesus and his salvation. For generations they had lived under a system of sacrifice, offerings, and laws. Now, knowing that salvation was a gift of grace, some had drawn the wrong conclusion. If salvation is by faith, then do actions even matter? James, in our passage for today, gives a great big yes. We begin at verse 14 of chapter 2. 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? James isn't questioning whether we're saved by grace here. He's asking whether the faith we claim is actually alive. I was born with hip dysplasia, and over the years of sports and life, my hip wore down. It made one leg shorter than the other. And eventually, I was in a lot of pain. I put up with it for a lot longer than I should have. I knew I needed surgery at some point. I researched it, I talked with people who had had it, but I held off. Then came the day. You know, that moment when change is better than staying the same. I knew I needed surgery. I wanted out of the pain. So I found a good doctor, one that I trusted to literally saw out a part of me and replace it with titanium. My first steps in the hospital were pain-free. I had forgotten what that was like. The doctor even made my legs the same length in the process. I mean, this is a whole new world. But something strange happened. Even after surgery fixed the issue, I still limped. The doctor explained that my body had spent so many years compensating for pain that even though the pain was gone and my body was repaired, my mind still thought I needed to walk the old way. He told me that I had to intentionally learn to walk differently. This is the picture of what happens when we place our faith in Jesus. Salvation isn't simply agreeing that God exists, it's placing ourselves in the hands of the great physician and allowing him to transform us as he forgives and restores. But then we have to walk in that new life. Real faith doesn't simply change what we know, it changes how we walk. James continues in verse 15 by giving an example. Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, Goodbye, 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. So let's break it down. It is so easy to tell someone, I'll pray for you. I hope things get better. So stay warm, God bless, but then never actually pray for them. See, James is saying if we do nothing when we can help, our words are empty. Faith isn't just something we say, it's something we do. And if we don't, then how is our faith to grow and stay alive? And if we're gonna tell someone that we're gonna pray for them, then we should actually pray for them. Verse 18. 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'll show you my faith by my good deeds. You say you have faith, for you believe there is one God. Good for you. Even the demons believe this and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless? James is a ramping up. He says, even the demons believe God exists. And if you think about it, demons do have correct theology. They just don't have saving faith. They know who Jesus is, they know the truth. They even tremble in fear, but they never surrender their lives to him. Real faith changes us. You can have good works without faith. That's humanitarian charity. But you can't have genuine faith without works. If James' readers weren't convinced yet, he points them to two people they would immediately recognize. Verse 21. Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened, just as the scriptures say, Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Now, Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. We need to be careful. When James says we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone, he isn't saying that our faith doesn't bring us to salvation. That alone brings us salvation. But as we grow, as we do, as we are obedient, we are shown to be right with God. Now, in this passage, James is giving us two very different examples. Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, Rahab, a Gentile prostitute. They had very different backgrounds and different stories, but they show the same evidence of faith. They acted on what they believed. Abraham trusted God enough to offer Isaac. Rahab trusted God enough to risk her life protecting the spies. Now their actions didn't create the faith, their actions revealed their faith. Think about an apple tree. Apples don't give life to the tree. The life is in the roots, right? But if a tree is alive, fruit will eventually appear. The fruit doesn't create life, the fruit reveals life. In the same way, James is saying that good works don't save us. They reveal that saving faith is already within us. I'm curious. What kind of fruit is revealed through your life? I mean, if someone were to follow you around for a day, would they know that you're a follower of Jesus? I mean, if they listened to your conversations, read your text messages, watched how you treated your spouse, observed how you responded to your kids. What if they saw how you handled conflict? Would they see evidence of faith? Dear one. After my hip replacement, the doctor told me that I had to stop walking like the surgery never happened. The healing was real, the change was real. I needed to live like it. And that's my challenge for you. Stop walking as though Jesus hasn't changed your life. Stop limping through old habits, old fears, old patterns, or old excuses. If Christ has made you new, live like you've been made new. Ask God to show you one area where your actions aren't yet matching what you say you believe. And then take one step of obedience. Because real faith doesn't just change what we believe. Real faith changes the way we walk. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, I encourage you to follow and continue with me as we study James. And as always, thank you. Thank you for spending these few minutes with me. I pray that they make a difference in how you walk.