Faith Wey Dey Work

Somebody knock for door. Outside, one girl stand, dey shake with cold, inside thin dress, and hunger dey catch am. Di family wey dey inside smile with kindness. Go in peace, dem talk. Make you dey warm. Make you eat well. And dem close di door.

Di man wey tell dis small story na James. E grow up for Nazareth, inside di same house with Jesus. E be one of di brothers of Jesus. When Jesus dey do im ministry, James no believe am. But after di resurrection, Jesus wey don rise appear to James, and everything change. James become one leader of di church for Jerusalem. Now e write one letter to believers wey scatter far and wide. Na very practical letter, full of short, sharp sayings, small like di book of Proverbs. And for chapter two, e ask one question wey go straight to di heart of di matter.

Wetin be di use, my brothers and sisters, if person talk say e get faith, but e no get works? Dat kind faith fit save am? Then James tell di story of di girl wey dey shake for di door. If brother or sister no get cloth and no get food for di day, and one of una talk say, go in peace, make you dey warm and make your stomach full, but una no give am wetin im body need, wetin be di use? Di words dey kind. Di smile dey warm. But di girl still dey cold, and hunger still dey catch am. Na so too, James talk, faith, if e no get works, e don die, as e dey alone. Faith wey no dey ever do anything be like body wey no get breath inside.

James imagine say somebody dey argue with am. One person get faith, another person get works. James answer: Show me your faith without your works, and I go show you my faith by my works. You no fit see faith by itself. But you fit see wetin e dey do. You believe say na one God dey, James talk. Good! But even di demons believe dat one, and dem dey tremble. To just know correct facts about God no be di same as to trust am, di kind trust wey dey change how you dey live.

Then James reach back inside di scriptures for two examples. Di first one na Abraham, di father of di nation. Abraham trust God, and people see im trust for wetin e do when God test am, when e ready to offer im son Isaac on top di altar. Im faith and im actions dey work together, James talk, and wetin e do make im faith complete. Na why di scripture talk say, Abraham believe God, and God count am for am as righteousness, and dem call am di friend of God. Di second example different completely. Rahab, one woman from Jericho, outsider wey get past. She hide di spies of Israel and she send dem go safely through another road. Her faith for di God of Israel show for her actions, as she put her own life for danger. One father of di nation, and one foreign woman. Both of dem show dem faith by wetin dem do. Because as body without spirit don die, James finish, na so too faith without works don die.

People for Jerusalem respect James so much say dem begin call am James di Just. Di Jewish historian Josephus, wey write near di end of di first century, write about im death. E call am di brother of Jesus wey dem dey call Christ, and e talk say for di year sixty-two, when no Roman governor dey for di place for small time, di high priest make dem condemn James and stone am.

Faith wey dey work. You go find James words for James chapter two, verse fourteen to twenty-six. Real faith for God dey stretch out im hands, dey feed people, dey clothe dem and dey help dem. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin be one thing wey you fit do dis week wey go show your faith, no be only to talk am?