Your Mouth Says You Believe. Does Your Life?

I hear it more often than I care to. And it makes my hair stand on end.

"I think as long as you're trying to be a good person, that's good enough."

"Do whatever works for you."

"It doesn't matter what religion you are, as long as you believe in something."

People really truly believe these things. I think one of a few things has happened to convince them they're right (including, but not limited to): 1) They simply have not been taught according to the Bible, 2) they would rather believe something that feels good over what's true, or 3) Christians who make these statements have become lazy.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. -James 2:19

James is in the middle of explaining to his audience the importance of walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Then he throws that statement in there. He's addressing Christians who say all the right things, but don't back up their faith by living it out. It's like he's saying to them, "Congratulations. You believe in God. Guess what? Satan himself believes in God, but he's not going to heaven. What seperates your belief from his?"

His statement applies across the board to people of all walks of life.

Belief by itself doesn't get you anywhere.

Believing water exists doesn't make you wet.
Believing money exists doesn't make you rich.
Believing there's food in the fridge doesn't satisfy your hunger.

Believing God exists doesn't get you to heaven.

No, for even Satan believes God exists. Who do you think he's working so hard against? What he refuses to acknowledge is that God is Creator and Ruler of all things, Jesus is His Son, and Jesus bore our sins and conquered death so that all who believe in Him might be saved from hell.

Faith requires action.

To those of us who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, what are we doing about it? As Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated in The Cost of Discipleship, grace might be free, but it sure wasn't cheap. We really are getting a pretty good deal. But to sit passively and only live comfortably within our faith...that insults the very thing Jesus did on the cross.