Faith without works is useless

There are three men that are being pushed toward the edge of a tall building. Two of the three men believe in gravity, the other does not. Maybe he’s from outer space and never experienced it before. None the less, he doesn’t know of gravity. As the three are pushed to the edge, they all react differently. The one who does not believe in gravity, sees no need to worry or fear, and simply watches as he topples off the edge and falls to his death. The next man, who does believe in gravity, never takes notice that he is being pushed toward the edge of a tall building; instead he is distracted by an airplane in the sky. And so, he too, topples off the edge to his own destruction. The last man, who also believes in gravity, sees very plainly what is happening, and begins to fight and wrestle with the person pushing him. As he gets closer to the edge, his stomach gets that fluttery feeling as he looks down and he goes into total panic mode. He bites and screams and scratches, and finally breaks free and runs as far as he can from the edge.

In this analogy, the belief in gravity is very important to survival. In fact, it is the most important element. But belief in gravity alone isn’t enough to prevent falling off the edge. The belief must be accompanied by action. You see, the last man was motivated to act because of his belief in gravity.

James 2:14 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”

James 2:26 “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

We are saved only by faith in Jesus Christ, not by our works, but a true faith in Jesus is not just a mental ascent to His existence; a true saving faith will naturally motivate one into service for the King that saved.