Useless? // James 2:20

James 2:20 (NIV) | You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

James has a way of just putting it out there, doesn’t he? He asked this question somewhat rhetorically as a way to show that there is a definite connection between what we believe and how we behave. Now it is important to note that James is not advocating what is known as works righteousness, meaning we can be saved by simply being good people and doing good things. Many in the world want this to be true, but the Bible is clear that believing in Jesus and placing our faith in Him is the only way we are saved. That does not mean our life of faith is done after accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, though; not in the slightest. What James wants us to know is our faith in Jesus and gratitude for salvation is made clear in the things we do. So, it isn’t that we do good deeds to be saved, but we do good deeds because we are saved as a way to point people to God. Big difference.

I was struck by the John Wesley quote in the graphic below: God, grant that I may never live to be useless! So what is one way we can ensure that we aren’t useless? Express our faith in God, and gratitude for salvation, in the good things we do for others in Jesus’ name. Consider Titus 3:8 that says we are to devote ourselves to doing good, because they are excellent and beneficial for everyone. Titus helps us see that others benefit from our good works, we benefit from good works, and God appreciates the good work. But remember, the key is to do them to point people to God. This takes us back to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount when He told us to let our light so shine in our good deeds that people may know God is real, good , and really good (Matthew 5:16)

So, let’s look for ways to ward off uselessness today. Let’s put our faith into action and point people to God. Devoting ourselves to living in such a way is excellent and beneficial for real.