Sunday School Lesson September 18, 2022
Subject: Faith on Display in Your Actions
The Point: What you believe is seen in what you do.
The Passages: James 2:14-26
Study The Bible: James 2:14-17
1). A faith not backed up by our actions is a useless faith.
- What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?
- If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food,
- and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?
- In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.
Lasting truths from: James 2:14-17
* Godly actions go hand in hand with genuine faith.
* God often uses His people to meet the needs of others.
* Faith expressed only in words lacks substance.
2). Faith is more than merely what you believe.
James 2:18-20
- But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.
- You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.
- Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?
Lasting truths from: James 2:18-20
* Real faith displays itself in action.
* Good works provide a powerful demonstration of faith.
* Saying we believe something and acting as if we believe it is true are two different things.
3). Genuine faith is seen in our obedience to God.
James 2:21-26
- Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar?
- You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,
- and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.
- You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
- In the same way wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?
- For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Lasting truth from: James 2:21-26
* Both Abraham and Rahab demonstrated the genuineness of their faith through action.
* Godly works provide the best evidence of our faith.
* When it comes to our Christian faith, we must “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk.”
Live It Out
As you reflect on this session, respond to the following questions:
- Whom do you know with a need you are in a position to meet? How might God use you in that situation?
- How do you feel when you meet someone who seems to be “all talk and no action” when it comes to the Christian faith? What is the best way to examine our own hearts?
- How would you explain in your own words the difference in the ways Paul and James used the term “justified”?
Closing Prayer:
“Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose from the dead to give me new life. I’m sorry for all the wrong I’ve done and ask You to forgive me. I now accept Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for Your love, forgiveness, and a new life in Jesus Christ. From this day forward, I choose to follow You. In Jesus’ name Amen.”