Sermonette: We believe. So what?

Several years back. I was leading a youth summer trip to Montana. After riding all day on our charter bus, we finally reached our destination. As we were unloading all our stuff from the bus into the church building, I passed by the front doors several times. On each there was a decal with a cross that said, “We Believe.” That’s nice, I thought. But as I passed it again and again, something happened. I have no idea why on this particular day, when I had certainly seen and said the words “we believe” thousands of times in my life, my mind formed a question I had never thought before, but there it was. The question – So what?

So, what if “we believe”? What good does our belief do anyone? I started thinking about all the people whom Jesus loves who don’t know Jesus loves them, those for whom our belief actually means nothing, unless those beliefs manifest themselves as acts of love and justice. How, in the history of the Christian church, had the Good News of Jesus Christ been watered down to “We Believe”?

As Christians, we do believe a lot of life-giving things. We believe God is love, but if that belief does not cause us to love, then what good does it do anyone? We believe Jesus is the Messiah, and that through Him we are newly created, transformed again and always in love. We believe Jesus holds us when we can’t hold ourselves. We believe the Holy Spirit is at work on our behalf bringing life out of death. Yet all these beliefs seemingly bring no life to our world without our action. If we are to be the body of Christ, should we not act like it? I stood in front of those glass doors wondering – What is this sudden fascination with belief about, and where did it come from? I did not have an answer, but one thought held me captive: belief alone does not make us a reflection of God.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” Oh, how we love this verse. It is a gift to every Christian, a message of hope and love. We believe and have everlasting life. How wonderful is that? The most wonderful for sure. But then what? Is our belief in the Good News meant to be all about us? What comes after we believe, after we put our faith in the Lord?

Enter James 2:17, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” What does James mean? Why is he saying this? Who is he speaking to? Is James speaking in terms of salvation? Did James know something of my experience in Montana?

James wrote his letter to first century Jewish Christians. These were the insiders of “The Way” of Jesus. They were not being instructed by James in how to become Christians, they were being instructed in how to live as Christians. Earlier in chapter 2, James speaks of the need for Christians to not make distinctions between themselves and the poor; to guard against judgment saying, “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). James begins by illustrating that dead faith wishes a hungry and naked person well, without meeting their physical needs. In verse 19, James makes a short, yet powerful statement, “You believe that God is one; you do well.” James is telling us that believing is indeed good. Believing in God is the basis of our faith which saves us by God’s grace. But James then brings it home by telling us that even demons believe. Ouch. Apparently, belief does not make them as special as they might have thought or hoped?

This is the message for us today, as we too wrestle with the question, “So what?” So what is Christian life all about? Believing? Having faith? Or is there something more? Are we blessed, saved, for ourselves and that’s it? Or are we blessed to be a blessing? The point James makes is that the best form of evangelism is not belief, but rather deeds of love and mercy. If non-believers experience God’s amazing grace and love through acts of love and mercy done for them, they then have an undeniable knowing of this great God of love. In chapter 2, James tells us to care for the poor, guard against judgment, put our faith into action, so as to bless God’s world. In other parts of his letter, he tells to watch our tongue, remain strong in our faith, see our temptations as our own and not a test from God, act generously, listen much, be slow to anger. This is the call to action for those of us who believe.

When we believe in Jesus, we trust him as Savior and friend. In trusting Him, we grow in faith. Through our faith in Jesus we are saved by God’s amazing grace. And as we live and move in grace-soaked growing faith, we grow in our understanding that we are called to live out that faith, for the sake of God’s so-loved world, for the sake of the other. May it be so in Jesus’ name. Amen.