Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, Jas 2:16 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?
And here they are:
1. Judgment without Mercy
2. Faith without Works
3. Platitudes without Pragmatism
The biggest criticisms Christianity and we, as individual Christians face, have to do with our hypocrisy. And really, just as much as the boneheaded sins we commit, is the fact that we omit things that are so obvious to the world.
We are so quick to point out the foibles of others, noses pointed high toward the heavens, coming across as "holier than thou." You've heard it a million times. You have also heard the adage "hate the sin, love the sinner." But let's be honest, we really do seem to invert that admonition. Let mercy, rather than judgment be a driving force in your life.
And then, go ahead and have faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. But, the fruit of faith is righteous works. We really cannot claim to have faith unless it is proven by results.
Finally, we are so good at spewing out "pie in the sky" platitudes to those who are in a fix, but not being a part of fixing that fix. James' example is seeing someone in need and saying to them, "God bless you!" Well, a handout and a hand up would have been a little more practical.
Let's begin to turn the tide of deserved criticism against well-meaning, but little-doing Christians into praiseworthiness because of our sincere attitudes that result in good works.
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