Faith Without Works is Dead (Not Just a Religious Concept)

 I'm going to start with a religious concept from my Bible degree study days and move into practical application for life.

Three is a divide between different Christian groups about whether you are saved by faith alone or faith that produces works.  One the one side, you had groups that said faith alone saves you, which is grounded in explicit Scriptures that say exactly that.  In fact, Scripture goes on to rebuke those that think they are saved by works.  However, the other side notes that Jesus, Himself, said that we should judge people by their fruit as to what they actually believe.  Indeed, even the groups that said faith alone would go on to develop tests by which we know if someone believes or not, which unfortunately resulted in many feeling it was their JOB to determine who was real believers in their churches... which is not only not a part of being a believer but is denounced by Jesus.  Yet, it still remains that we know the invisible things of the world by their effects.. another teaching by Christ.  And, the epistles say that "faith without works is dead," though that has been applied solely to salvation, which I think misses the bigger point.

Philosophers have also posed the question of whether a tree falling in the woods makes a sound, if no one was around to hear it.  Science would say that it did fall, but if there are no ears to hear it the question would be whether we still define it a sound.

Combining these concepts into an application, people around the world say a lot of things.  Some say that they love someone.  Others say that they believe they will succeed or that good things will come their way.  However, if there is nothing happens to reflect those concepts, is their claim really true?  In the case of love, the word is a verb and if the recipient isn't being affected by it, it fails by definition to be really loving someone.  In that case, it is just that they WANT to love someone, but without application that is irrelevant.  In the case of someone's hope for their future, if you are not acting on that belief, the very thoughts are betrayed by the actions to be shown as a fraud and will end up in self condemnation of inaction mixed with feeling betrayed by results that never came from thoughts that remain invisible.  Many are upset that they are poor, while they are not seeking education or experience to built towards career growth.  Many feel depressed that they have no relationship, while they are not taking actions to make themselves attractive to others by being in themselves what others need.

Personally, I have been and am in the process of putting works to my faith and am seeing the results start to bud.  It is a lot more fulfilling than feeling like a victim for not receiving fruit never planted.