Vital signs- Monday, March 21st, 2022

Pleasing God - By Acclaiming Faith Real

Faith in is not just something you feel or think or believe. But James tells us that real faith -- the kind that pleases God -- is something you do. Real faith is not just something you say. The Gallup Poll says there are fifty million people in America who say, "I am a Christian." But just because a person claims to be, doesn't mean they are. Typically, we label people "believers" today if they vaguely sound Christian. We say, "Oh, he must be a believer." At the end of a World Series, some player will come on TV while the champagne is spraying, and say, 'I just want to thank the good Lord." We think, "Oh, he must be a Christian; he said "Lord'" Well, not necessarily. Many celebrities claim faith but then we see no change in lifestyle or behavior. So real faith is more than just talk. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said, "Not everybody who says to me, `Lord, Lord' is going to enter into heaven." Not everybody who claims to be a believer really is a believer. James points out there is a big difference between being a professor and a possessor. Talk is cheap, because faith is more than just something you say.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

‭‭James‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬