You could say that this passage asks us to “put our money where our mouth is” when it comes to faith. That expression comes from people who have a big mouth and tell us what they are capable of, how great they are, and – by inference – how inferior we are. “I can juggle canned food items while wrestling an alligator easily,” he says and I respond, “put your money where your mouth is.” Also, one might say, “back it up.” We do this because of one key point when dealing with humans – talk is cheap. One might even say belief is cheaper, because you could hide it deep down and say, “that’s private and personal, you shouldn’t ask me that.” Ah, the world we live in. Truth is, our beliefs should affect our lives and actions. None of us can sit back and idly say things we believe.
Now, it is fitting that James is writing this passage here – right after scolding the church for showing favoritism. He says, “so you believe that all men are to be saved – that all deserve the gospel? Prove it, by your actions.” He even goes one step further to prove it, and I think it is genius. Think about this – are the demons more aware of the spiritual realm then us? Do they understand reality in many ways better than we do? Of course they do. They are constantly in understanding of the coming judgment. They fight to trip others up (see Screwtape Letters). They know that God is one God. They know He is powerful and should be feared – probably better than us all the time – yet they have no different actions.
This means that there are some on this earth who really believe that God is real, one and the God the Bible speaks of – all while denying the fact that their lives should change along with this belief. How do you act out your faith?
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