Faith In Action

Faith in Action

Rahab

Read: Joshua 2:17-24

June watched the car pull out of her driveway, then walked back toward the house with a heavy heart. She wished that she had never introduced her coworker to her brother. After just three months of dating, Dan was hopelessly in love and had already proposed. Hallie claimed to love Dan, but June had her doubts. Their relationship looked more like that of a queen and her subject than two people in love with each other. All the affection seemed to be on one side. June wondered if Hallie understood that love requires more than words.

Rahab declared her belief in the true God, and she was required to demonstrate her belief by taking action. In return for helping the Israelite spies escape, they agreed to spare her and her family on the condition that she leave the scarlet rope hanging from her window. As the days dragged on, did she anxiously wonder if the spies would keep their word to a prostitute in an enemy city? Did she frequently check the rope to make sure that it was still in place, reassuring herself that she had done what was necessary to save her family?

In the Bible, God tells about people who honor him with their lips while their hearts are far from him (see Isaiah 29:13). Genuine faith demands more than words—it calls for action. Rahab acted on her belief in God by aiding the spies and following their instructions. We prove our faith in God by how well we follow his instructions, which results in our spiritual growth and in loving service to others. If we truly believe in God, our faith will be as visible as a scarlet rope hanging from a window.

Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

James 2:26