At DaySpring, Sunday mornings are more than a routine—they’re a gift. Each week, our worship leaders guide us into the presence of God, not simply through song, but through the heart and spirit they bring to every moment. It’s easy to take this for granted, but it is a reminder that worship is a communal experience, rooted in intention and grace.
This week, we explored a profound theme from the book of James: the difference between faith as a noun and faith as a verb. Faith, as James explains, cannot remain passive. True faith acts—it moves, it intervenes, it changes the world around us.
Truth vs. Dare: A Childhood Lesson
To illustrate, consider the childhood game of “Truth or Dare.” A truth might reveal something we believe, but it costs nothing to share. A dare, however, requires action and courage, often at a personal risk. Similarly, faith that only resides in our hearts or on our lips—faith that remains safe and comfortable—is like a truth without a dare. It may feel genuine, but it lacks the transformative power of action.
James warns against this kind of dormant faith. “What use is it, my brethren,” he asks, “if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14). Faith without works is dead—ineffective, unprofitable, and unable to fulfill God’s purpose in the world.
Faith that Acts
Faith, when alive, does something. It serves the needy, comforts the weary, and confronts injustice. It requires stepping beyond our comfort zones, sometimes in ways that are inconvenient, challenging, or even risky. Consider the examples James gives—Abraham leaving his homeland at God’s call, Rahab protecting strangers, Noah building an ark against the ridicule of the world. These acts of obedience and courage illustrate faith that doesn’t just believe but does.
In practice, this can mean small, deliberate choices each day: stopping to pray for someone in need, offering tangible help, showing genuine care for neighbors and strangers alike. It’s about moving from a passive hope to an active witness—a faith that’s visible, tangible, and transformative.
Living Faith in a Disrupted World
James was writing to a community experiencing persecution, displacement, and societal pressure. Their faith, once vibrant, was at risk of becoming safe, nominal, or superficial. Sound familiar? Our modern lives, too, are filled with distractions, comfort, and the temptation to reduce faith to words alone. James challenges us to resist that temptation. Faith must persist through disruption, confrontation, and even suffering.
A living faith refuses to blend into the culture or hide behind polite religion. It is visible, active, and courageous. As James puts it, “You believe that God is one? You do well. The demons also believe and shudder. But faith without works is useless” (James 2:19). Belief alone is not enough; faith must act.
Faith as a Verb
To embrace faith as a verb is to commit to a life that sees, acts, and accomplishes God’s work. It’s about stewardship of time, talents, and resources. It’s about saying, “This is God’s day, and I will make my faith count.” It’s about being the hands and feet of Christ in practical ways, whether through service, advocacy, or simple acts of love.
Soft faith—faith that cares for those closest to us but does not challenge us or move us to risk—is comfortable but incomplete. Hard faith—faith that steps into the unknown, speaks truth boldly, and lives visibly for Christ—is transformative.
A Call to Action
As a church, our calling is to live faith visibly. Every act of kindness, every moment of courage, every step of obedience is faith in motion. As we leave this space each Sunday, we are reminded: Christianity is not a noun—it is a verb. It is alive when it is practiced, shared, and embodied.
Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. It works. It loves. It moves. It transforms. And as we follow Jesus, let us commit to a faith that doesn’t just say “I believe,” but acts boldly, lovingly, and courageously in the world.
“I want to be different. I want to be changed till all of me is gone. And all that remains is a fire so bright, the whole world can see that there’s something different.”
May our lives reflect that fire—faith in action, alive and unstoppable.