January 11, 2023

Taylor Abaroa
"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."
James 2:22-25

We don’t have to look very far to see examples of individuals whose faith doesn’t match their actions. In fact, with one click on our favorite social media outlet or news channel, we could find an example. Oftentimes, it’s easier to portray an image rather than the reality of our lives through good times and bad. What’s the saying— walk the walk, talk the talk. That phrase reminds me of James’ words here. We can have faith yet not put it into action, and we can have action yet forsake faith.

When following God, faith and action are a both/and. Abraham obeyed God to the point of almost sacrificing his very own son. (Spoiler alert: God provided a ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac). Obedience for the sake of obedience. Abraham’s example models for us what it looks like to live a life of faith AND action so that we can live in right standing with God.