What is Faith?

We live in sobering times. Just this past week, the news shook us with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. a brother in Christ who was an effective communicator of the gospel and the values that we hold to. this past week has been one of mourning and dealing with misinformed views of what he stood for.

Moments like this force us to pause. They raise hard questions about what kind of faith we are living out in a world that seems increasingly volatile, angry, and dark. Is our faith only words, slogans, or affiliations? Or is it something something deeper/

Saved by Faith, But Not Passive

The gospel tells us clearly: there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. God has paid the price through Jesus Christ. We are saved by faith alone. That is good news.

But some misunderstand this. They assume that because salvation is not by works, then faith requires no works at all. James, writing to the early church, corrected this idea. He confronted believers who were content with saying the right words while living indulgent, selfish, or apathetic lives. He reminded them that faith without action is dead.

(14) What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? (15) Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, (16) and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? (17) So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (18) Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say,

“How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” (19) You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.  Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. (20) How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? (21) Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? (22) You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. (23) And

so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  He was even called the friend of God.  (24) So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. (25) Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. (26) Just as the body is dead without breath,  so also faith is dead without good works.
James 2:14-26 – NLT

A Spiritual Self-Exam

James is not condemning people outside the church, he is calling us inside the church to examine ourselves. That remains one of our greatest challenges today. Hypocrisy erodes credibility. In fact, in the wake of public tragedies like Charlie Kirk’s death, people often look to Christians to see if our lives line up with our message.

Do we respond with compassion, prayer, humility, and love for enemies? Or do we mirror the same rage, fear, and hatred we see in the world? If our actions don’t match our words, the world has every reason to doubt our faith.

Faith in Action

Faith is not just intellectual agreement. Even demons believe in God and tremble, but they do not trust Him, love Him, or obey Him. Real faith always results in real investment.

Like retirement investing: You don’t just nod at a presentation, you take action with your money.

Like marriage: You don’t just believe someone loves you, you make a covenant and live it out.

Faith in Jesus means investing our whole lives in Him, not just believing facts, but living like He did: speaking truth, healing, caring for the broken, and standing with the oppressed.

The World Needs Living Faith

Our world is unraveling. Trust in leaders, institutions, and even neighbors has eroded. People are cynical, fearful, and angry. The assassination of a public figure only adds to the sense that darkness is winning.

But this is where the church must shine brightest. Jesus called us the light of the world, not a light hidden, not a light dimmed, but a light that pierces the darkness.

The difference we offer is not superiority, but surrender. We don’t become more godly by striving but by yielding, letting Christ’s Spirit flow through us like living water. Like the Panama Canal is not the destination but a channel, we are not to hoard God’s goodness but to let it flow freely through us.

Am I Becoming the Christian the World Needs?

That’s the question James presses on us. In a culture of violence, outrage, and division, will I live a faith that shows the love of Jesus in word and deed? Will I be a Christian the world needs, not because I am strong enough, but because Christ is strong in me?

We cannot stop all the tragedies around us. But we can embody the living faith that testifies to another Kingdom, the Kingdom of Christ.

Just as a healthy tree produces fruit when nourished, a life truly rooted in Christ will produce works of love, mercy, and truth. And that is the witness our broken world desperately needs right now.