Bible Verses of the Week

True Faith and Dead Faith

¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? ¹⁷ So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. ¹⁸ Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” (NLT, James 2:14–18)

Anyone can claim to have faith in Christ, but if he or she remains in a selfish lifestyle, then that faith is dead faith; it has no power to save. The evidence of true faith is love, generosity, and concern for the welfare of all God's people (Proverbs 19:17, Matthew 25:31-46, Mark 12:28-31, Acts 20:35, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Galatians 5:13-14, 1 John 3:17-18). For additional information: What Does the Bible Say About Love?, What Does the Bible Say About Faith?, The Greatest Commandment and the Parable of the Good Samaritan, What Does the Bible Say About Generosity and Duty to the Poor?