November 1 - James 2: A Corpse

James is repeatedly making the case that faith and works cannot be separated, they are enmeshed (v. 24), they go hand-in-glove (v. 18). And if they are separated, you get a corpse (vv. 20, 26) - the very opposite of life. My reaction to these verses has frequently been to do more ministry, to give more, and to try harder to do the right thing. That has always seemed like the evidence of faith in action.

As I read this chapter today, I was picking up a different theme through the examples that James uses to express the idea of "faith and works, works and faith" (v. 18). His first example is someone merely speaking well-wishes to a friend in obvious need but overly spiritualizing the situation and doing nothing to meet the need. The next illustration is a comparison of us to the demons when we believe in God but then act as if we "had done something wonderful" and sit back in complacency instead of in utter awe at what God did for us in the sacrifice of His Son. Abraham's sacrifice of placing his son Isaac on the altar reveals the yoked partners of faith expressing itself in works. Finally, Rahab the harlot, who unified believing and doing by aiding God's spies in escape from those seeking to harm them.

I notice that each of these examples is centered on relationship - a relationship with a friend, with God, with a cherished child, with someone sacrificially living for God. Which leaves me wondering about the way I define "works" and how God defines it. My focus has been on what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and if I've done it in a timely manner. God's focus seems to be on the "work" of relating in a way that reveals His glory, in any circumstance and in any condition of soul (which is where faith comes in). This is a big difference that makes a large impact on the idea of faith and works for me. No longer an obligation of obedience, now an opportunity to reflect the work of the Spirit who is alive in me.