PRACTICALITY OF FAITH
15 IF A BROTHER OR SISTER IS NAKED AND DESTITUTE OF DAILY FOOD,
16 AND ONE OF YOU SAYS TO THEM, “DEPART IN PEACE, BE WARMED AND FILLED,” BUT YOU DO NOT GIVE THEM THE THINGS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR THE BODY, WHAT DOES IT PROFIT?
17 Thus also FAITH by itself, IF IT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, IS DEAD."
James 2:15-17 (NKJV)
God wants us to be practical about our faith. Christianity is not theoretical, it is practical. Whatever you claim that you do believe, you have to establish it or make it known by practice.
Apostle James said If a believer, brother or sister, is naked or in need and destitute or lacking of daily food and someone says to them by faith, go or depart in peace, be warmed and be filled, but did not give them anything they needed to alleviate their sufferings, what is the profit of the declaration of faith (James 2:15,16).
Here James was saying; telling the person who is destitute to go by faith that he or she would be fed and warmed, without offering any help practically, you have not demonstrated any faith.
In other words, If you actually did believe that the needy brother or sister would be warmed and fed, you should first of all demonstrate it by giving them what you have from your own end. You would not just tell the person to go and be warmed, telling the person that you are believing with him or her that the need would be met one way or the other—when you have done nothing practically to help or assist the needy person.
The proof that someone has faith is the practicableness or demonstrativeness of what you claimed that you believe. In other words, faith that could not be demonstrated or proved is not a genuine faith. Faith is for living, It is not for saying or talking (Romans 1:17).
If you had faith, you had to demonstrate it, show it, prove it—that is what James called works of faith (James 2:17,18).
In other words, If you did have faith, show it by the works you do—the physical things you do to prove that you have the faith.
James cited the example of Abraham's faith when he wanted to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice; which was a demonstration of his obedience and faith in God (Genesis 22:1-3,9,10); Hebrews 2:21). What Abraham did was a proof that he did actually have faith. If Abraham had just verbally declared that he has faith without putting it to work or practice, he would have just been seen or considered a joker; but he practically demonstrated that he believed in God by taking the step of laying his son on the altar to be killed as a sacrifice to God:
21 WAS NOT ABRAHAM OUR FATHER JUSTIFIED BY WORKS WHEN HE OFFERED ISAAC HIS SON ON THE ALTAR? 22 DO YOU SEE THAT FAITH WAS WORKING TOGETHER WITH HIS WORKS, AND BY WORKS FAITH WAS MADE PERFECT? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." AND HE WAS CALLED THE FRIEND OF GOD. 24 YOU SEE THEN THAT A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, AND NOT BY FAITH ONLY" (James 2:21-24 NKJV).
James also cited the example of Rahab the harlot, a nationality of Jericho, who through the demonstration of her faith in Yaweh, Jehovah, the God of Israel nation, and was exonerated from being destroyed with the rest of the people in her nation:
25 LIKEWISE, WAS NOT RAHAB THE HARLOT ALSO JUSTIFIED BY WORKS WHEN SHE RECEIVED THE MESSENGERS AND SENT THEM OUT ANOTHER WAY? 26 FOR AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, SO FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD ALSO" (James 2:25,26 NKJV).
The work of faith that Rahab did to demonstrate her faith in YHWH (Yahweh) or Adonai, God, is the keeping of the spies sent by Joshua from the camp of the Israelites, from being executed or killed by the government of her nation. She risked her life to preserve those spies because if the government of her nation did know that she hid those people, they could have indicted her for treasonable felony or traitorous act—the betrayal of allegiance towards her own nation (Joshua 2:1-21).
Your demonstration of faith is what James called the works of faith, It has nothing to do with the secular works that you do, as some usually misinterpreted the passage. Neither does it have anything to do with the works of the law (Galatians 2:16).
Thus, It can only be believed that you have faith when you demonstrated it. Faith is for living (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17), and not for talking only. Many have talked faith for so long, but they do not live by faith. Therefore, It is high time to start living by faith. Go and demonstrate your faith!
Peace!