According to the book of James, there are two types of faith, Mere Faith and Saving Faith. In this book, James describes how faith and works are related. They both connect in a way that describes the most beautiful way a person can have a complete relationship with God.
James 2:14 says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” James describes mere faith as “blind faith”, meaning that you believe in something because of how you were raised or the foundation you were raised on. Someone could have grown up believing in God, knowing that there is a God, but not taking the time to study and get to know Him. Mere faith is considered doing the bare minimum as a Christian, for example, you can say you go to church just for the looks and not live a Christian life. This is a lot more common now with social media. Someone can repost a post with a bible verse in it and then go on the next minute talking behind someone's back or cussing up a storm. Nothing changes in a person's life with Mere Faith.
Saving Faith is the complete opposite, James says that deeds, or works, and faith go hand and hand with each other. Saving faith is genuinely working hard to have a life with Christ, not just knowing He’s there. You take time to do good, be good, and act good. Not just by human standards but by what the Bible tells us. James 2:24-26 says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” In simple terms, faith without works is useless.
Although mere and saving faith have their significant differences, they are all considered faith right? Yes and no, the true definition of faith is belief, trust in, and loyalty to God. Are you truly trusting in God if you’re not doing the things the Bible tells us to? Imagine you have a friend going through a hard time. You don’t know how to help them at that moment, but a little feeling inside of you is telling you to pray with them. You have that little fear that they will reject your offer or laugh at you for wanting to pray for them. Would you still do it because you know it’s right? Or will you end up not doing it because of that fear? It all comes down to where your faith is at. As humans, we will always have that fear of being made fun of or being an outcast.
At the end of the day, it's our relationship with God. It’s personal and one of a kind. The best advice I was given about faith is, it is truly a friendship that you need to develop over time. How is it that you're so close to your best friend? You took time to get to know them on a personal level, it's the same with God. Take that time to grow your relationship with him. We may be busy now but I believe a relationship with the one who created us individually is more important than anything else in this world.
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