Belief - Faith - Testimony – semantics?

In religion, faith is a widely used word. So many of us claim to have faith, but do we? Many years have passed since the mortal ministry of Christ, do words from his day mean the same thing to us today?

There are many people who use words with great power, consider the words of Doctor Martin Luther King

James the Just, brother of Jesus wrote the Book of James as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. To the uninitiated, his words seem to strike a discordant note when compared to the writings of Paul. It is a small book that contains only five chapters but they are rich in content.

I just want to look at a few passages for the purposes of my consideration.

The first passage is from the first chapter. The writer points out the negligible impact of only hearing, that those who only hear deceive themselves as they do not do. What does James mean? To only hear the word of Christ (his gospel) and not amend one’s behaviour accordingly, is to fool oneself. How do we fool ourselves? By thinking we can gain salvation by only listening. James then uses the image of looking at oneself in a mirror and then later forgetting what his appearance exactly was.

I certainly can relate to this. When I read this passage, I remembered when I was studying honours and the lecturer warned us about the “Oh Yah method”. The “Oh Yah method” is when you lightly scan the area of study and do not test yourself properly under exam conditions. You scribble down a few lines until you can’t remember any more information. Then you look at the answer in the textbook and even though your pathetic attempt is not close to the answer, when you see the proper answer you say “oh ja (Afrikaans for “oh yes”), the textbook answer makes sense and you rush on to the next section. The lecturers forcefully warned us that we have learnt NOTHING because our attempted answer was not struggled for. The lecturers knew of the vast volume of material to be covered and sympathised with us but if we wanted success there were no short cuts to the required levels of proficiency with the material under review. Religion requires even sterner effort than my accounting sciences. Honest application requires soul searching and searing honesty. In accounting it is all very well to say, “Okay, I admit I am weak in “leases” so I must study more, practise more examples under exam conditions.

But when it comes to personal weaknesses like selfishness and laziness, it is much more difficult to admit that maybe we are not such nice individuals like we thought we were. Then to change our behaviour and start to think of others instead of ourselves, very difficult. If our friends are sometimes blunt with us in pointing out an irritating habit, how well can we handle it? Will our friendship survive? Even if we are humble enough to hear what they are saying and accept the truth of their words, do we have the courage and fortitude to change our daily patterns of living? Not easy for me personally I assure you.

Then in verse 26 James speaks about people who cannot control what they say, their religion is vain (a waste of time!?) and ineffective in changing them. How many times have I heard people say “I am a real tough person, I tell it like it is; they can take it or leave it. That’s the way I am! “. Well James warns us to be considerate of our words; but I suppose not only unkind words but any other inappropriate language.
If that is not enough then James tells us what pure religion is, not just going to a building for religious purposes on a regular basis but a person who gets out and visits those experiencing difficulties in life. It may seem onerous but any sacrifice of a person is “over” rewarded by God, in this case such actions assist one in becoming “unspotted” or overcoming weaknesses. Look at the words of James:

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

So James is linking doing with hearing. It seems to be a constant theme of his writings. There are other passages in the same chapter which strengthen his instruction to his readers. In the following chapter two, he continues to develop his argument with some common sense examples, very much in the same style as his older half brother Jesus, used to teach.

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also

Verse 19 in particular strikes me where James points out that the devils also believed that Jesus was the Christ, in fact Jesus admonished the devils to silence when they proclaimed this loudly in anguish through the lips of the poor souls they possessed. James sarcastically congratulates “the believer” who does not do anything with their faith, the devils have a better knowledge but this knowledge damns them, and does not save them.

As the direct opposite to “mere” belief, James looks back to Abraham when he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. How Abraham still acted in the face of such a horrid contradictory commandment. Yet through the personal fire that Abraham passed in this almost “ultimate” test of obedience and faith, Abraham learned something of himself that nothing else in life could ever teach him. Abraham’s faith and obedience were such that he earned the title of “Friend of God”.
In verse 20 James says that faith without works is dead.

There is a great deal of debate about the exact meaning of words such as belief , faith, testimony, and knowledge.

When Jesus taught, he used the word believe often, for example see John chapter 6, verse 35:
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

However, Jesus did not only use belief but he also intended action. The one passage that is touching to me is found in John chapter 13.

4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

To simply summarise this, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He then said that if he, their master, could do such a lowly task and serve them, so too they ought to serve others. He then concludes by saying that if you know and you act according to that knowledge you will be happy.

So to follow Jesus is a daily, even hourly pursuit. It is good to attend your church services but much more is required. The capacity of the human will increase they more they do, success in life can be attained with passion and sweat, so too can we follow Jesus. The rewards will be so much greater.